GET REAL! GETTING KIDS EXCITED ABOUT READING BY BOOKTALKING NONFICTION

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1 GET REAL! GETTING KIDS EXCITED ABOUT READING BY BOOKTALKING NONFICTION Kathleen Baxter April 28, Lauber, Patricia. What You Never Knew about Tubs, Toilets, and Showers.(Around the House History). S & S, 2001.Unpaged. Gr. 3-up My all time favorite book to booktalk. It is (hopefully) temporarily out of print, but it is not unlikely you have it on your shelves. 2. Harper, Charise Mericle. Flush: The Scoop on Poop Throughout the Ages. Little, Brown, p. Grades 2-6 $ This fits absolutely perfectly into a booktalk on gross stuff. 3. Colman, Penny. Toilets, Bathtubs, Sinks and Sewers. Atheneum, Grades 4-8. Great information, but visually unappealing. I am using it to prove a point! 4. Goodman, Susan E. Gee Whiz! It's all About Pee. Illustrated by Elwood H. Smith. Viking, x 40 p. Grades 3-5 $ The title says it all. 5. Goodman, Susan E. The Truth about Poop. Illustrated by Elwood H. Smith. Viking, p. Grades 2-5 $ Both of these books are perfectly described by the title. 6. Chin, Dr. Karen and Thom Holmes. Dino Dung: The Scoop on Fossil Feces (Step into Reading Step Five). Illustrated by Karen Carr. Random House, p. Grades 1-3 $ Simple introduction to the importance of poop when researching dinosaurs! 7. Berkowitz, Jacob. Jurassic Poop: What Dinosaurs (and Others) Left Behind. Illustrated by Steve Mack. Kids Can, p. Grades 3-6 $ Facts, stories, and activities about prehistoric coprolites left behind by dinosaurs and ancient humans. 8. Miller, Connie Colwell. Getting to Know Your Toilet: the Disgusting Story Behind Your Home s Strangest Feature (Edge Books). Capstone, x 32 p. Grades 3-up The title says it all. 9. Raum, Elizabeth. The Story behind Toilets (True Stories). Heinemann Library, p. Grades 3-up Photographs and illustrations explore the history and technology behind toilets. 10. MacDonald, Fiona. A Medieval Castle. Illustrated by Mark Bergin. Peter Bedrick Books, p. Grades 3- up $ Excellent cross sections and information and a great picture to booktalk. 11. Prishmann, Deirdre A. Poop-Eaters: Dung Beetles in the Food Chain (Fact Finders). Capstone Press, p. Grades 3-5 Read this book and you ll find out you do not appreciate them enough. 12. Bagert, Brod (Poems by). Giant Children. Pictures by Tedd Arnold. Dial, Unpaged. Grades 1-5 $ Memorize Booger Love. 13. Platt, Richard. They Ate What?! The Weird History of Food. Two-Can, p. Grades 4-8 $ People through history have eaten foods most Americans would consider gross. 14. Landstrom, Lee Ann, and Karen Shragg. Nature's Yucky! 2: The Desert Southwest (Nature's Yucky). Illustrated by Rachel Rogge. Mountain Press, p. Grades 2-5 $ Animals have many habits we humans consider yucky. Second in a series, this focuses on the Southwest. 15. Prelutsky, Jack. What a Day It Was at School! Pictures by Doug Cushman. Greenwillow, p. Grades 2-5 $ Sing these poems figure out what songs might work (many work to The Battle Hymn of the Republic, On Top of Old Smoky, The Yellow Rose of Texas, etc., but let kids see if they can find newer songs that work.) 1

2 16. Krull, Kathleen, and Paul Brewer. Fartiste. Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Simon & Schuster, Unpaged. Grades 2-5 $ Unbelievable but true story of a man with one of the most unusual specialty acts ever. 17. Silverstein, Alvin and Virginia and Laura Silverstein Nunn. Snot, Poop, Vomit, and More: the Yucky Body Book (Yucky Science). Illustrated by Gerald Kelly. Enslow Publishers, Inc., p. Grades 3-5 This is going to fly off the shelves, but it won t be published until October. Make a note of it! 18. Masoff, Joy. Oh Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty. Illus. Terry Sirrell. Workman, p. Grades 4-9 $ An encyclopedia of really gross information. 19. Goldish, Meish. Disgusting Hagfish (Gross-Out Defenses). Bearport Publishing, Grades p. Gross gross gross. REALLY gross. 20. Neuman, Pearl. Bloodsucking Leeches (No Backbone! The World of Invertebrates). Bearport Publishing, x 24 p. Grades 1-4 $ This is so gross. 21. Thomas, Lyn. 100% Pure Fake. With Photographs by Cheryl Powers and Illustrations by Brosi Zaytsev. Kids Can Press, p. Grades 3-6 $ Twenty-five recipes with step-by-step instructions to turn household items into disgusting fakes--which includes rotting skin and snot--and provides allergy warnings. 22. Bowers, Sharon. Ghoulish Goodies: A Frightful Cookbook. Storey, p. Grades 3-up $ Fun photos of recipes for scary and disgusting things. 23. Romanek, Trudee. Squirt!: The Most Interesting Book You'll Ever Read about Blood (Mysterious You). Illustrated by Rose Cowles. Kids Can Press, p. Grades 4-8 $ This whole Canadian series about the body has huge kid appeal. 24. Murphy, Glenn. Why is Snot Green? And Other Extremely Important Questions (and Answers). Illustrated by Mike Phillips. Roaring Brook Press, p. Grades 4-9 $9.95. Presents scientific answers to some of the interesting and unusual questions kids ask sequel is How Loud Can You Burp? 25. Donovan, Sandy. Hawk & Drool: Gross Stuff in Your Mouth (Gross Body Science). Illustrated by Michael Slack. Millbrook Press, p. Grades 4-8 You may not have thought much about it, but your mouth is really full of things that are pretty disgusting. 26. Walker, Richard. Ouch! How Your Body Makes It Through a Very Bad Day. DK Children, p. Grades 5-8 $ Interesting! Yucky! Disgusting! Amazing! 27. Marrin, Albert. Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Search for the Smallpox Vaccine. Dutton, p. Grades 4-up $ What is smallpox and why is it so horrible? How was a vaccine developed? Great true story. 28. Cooney, Caroline B. Code Orange. Delacorte, Gr. 5-up 200 p. $ This works beautifully with the above book. 29. McLafferty, Carla Killough. The Head Bone s Connected to the Neck Bone: The Weird, Wacky and Wonderful X-Ray. FSG, Grades 4-up Sounds boring, but believe me, it is not. 30. McClafferty, Carla Killough. Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium. Farrar, Straus Giroux, p. Grades 5-up $ The story of the amazing Madame Curie and some of the harmful things caused by radiation. 31. Rosenberg, Pam. Blecch! Icky, Sticky, Gross Stuff in Your School (Icky, Sticky, Gross-Out Books). Illustrated by Beatriz Helena Ramos. Child's World p. Grades 2-4 $ Would you believe that the tray you pick up in the cafeteria is a LOT germier than the toilet seat in the restroom? 32. Senior, Kathryn. You Wouldn t Want to be Sick in the 16 th Century: Diseases You d Rather Not Catch. Illustrated by David Antram. Franklin Watts, p. Grades 4-8 $9.95. You would not want to catch OR treat those diseases. This whole series is a real kid pleaser. 2

3 33. Bishop, Nic. Nic Bishop Butterflies and Moths. Scholastic Nonfiction, p. Grades 1-5 $ Spectacular photos and fine information. 34. Markle, Sandra. Sneaking, Spinning Baby Spiders. Walker & Company, p. Grades 3-5 $ Full-color photographs show the lives of baby spiders, describes the things they must do in order to survive, and covers hiding places and how they defend themselves. 35. Bredeson, Carmen. Hair-Shooting Tarantulas and Other Weird Spiders (I Like Weird Animals). Enslow Elementary, p. Grades K-3 A delightful book with photos kids love. 36. Bond, Rebecca. In the Belly of an Ox: The Unexpected Photographic Adventures of Richard and Cherry Kearton. Houghton Mifflin, Unpaged. $ Brothers Richard and Cherry Kearton were the first real nature photographers and went through a lot to get their photos! 37. Burns, Loree Griffin. The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe. With photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, p. Grades 5-8 $ Why are bees dying out? What are the consequences of that? Fascinating, with great photos. 38. Turner, Pamela S. The Frog Scientist (Scientists in the Field). Photographs by Andy Comins. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, p. Grades 4-8 $ African-American scientist Tyrone Hayes is a cool guy working hard on what is happening to our frog population. Neat photos. 39. Stewart, Melissa. Snakes! (Kids Level 2) National Geographic, p. Grades 1-3 $3.99. Very simple introduction with fine photos, including a couple of a snake eating that kids adore. 40. Florian, Douglas. Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Grades 1-4 Unpaged $ Delightful Doug Florian picks one of the most popular topics of all for his new poetry collection. 41. Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone. Photographs by Dan Hartman and Cassie Hartman. Walker, p. Grades 3-5 $ Excellent look at what happens when ignorant human beings disturb ecological balance. 42. Brandenburg, Jim and Judy. Face to Face with Wolves. National Geographic, p. Grades $ Jim Brandenburg, a brilliant photographer, may be our greatest expert on wolves. This is one in a fine series on different animals. 43. Ruddell, Deborah. A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk: a Forest of Poems. Illustrated by Joan Rankin. Margaret K. McElderry Books, Grades $ An illustrated collection of whimsical poems about life in the forest through the seasons. 44. Schwartz, David, and Yael M. Schy. Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed... and Revealed. Eye-tricking photos by Dwight Kuhn. Tricycle Press, Unpaged Grades 2-5 $ Kids adore this and its sequel, which came out in Talbott, Hudson. United Tweets of America. Putnam, Unpaged Grades 1-5 $ A humorous and different look at state birds with fun extra information. 46. Cerullo, Mary M. The Truth About Dangerous Sea Creatures. Photographs by Jeffrey L. Rotman. Illustrations by Michael Wertz. Chronicle Books, 2003, p. Grades 4-8 $6.99. So what do you think are the most dangerous animals in the ocean? Take a guess, and then look at this fascinating book to see if you have it right. 47. Markle, Sandra. Tough, Toothy Baby Sharks. Walker, p. Grades 3-5 $16.95 Excellent information about young sharks. 3

4 48. Hodgkins, Fran. The Whale Scientists: Solving the Mystery of Whale Strandings (Scientists in the Field). Houghton Mifflin, p. Grades 5-8 $ Why do whales strand themselves on beaches? What can we do to stop it? 49. Sherry, Kevin. I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean.. Dial, $ A giant squid brags that it is the biggest thing in the ocean until it has to change its tune. Fiction: this would make a fun readaloud for older kids to read to younger ones. Works wonderfully with the next book. 50. Hillman, Ben. How Big Is It? Scholastic Reference, p. Grades 3-6 $ This is a great concept with fine photos. 51. Jackson, Donna M. ER Vets: Life in an Animal Emergency Room. Houghton Mifflin, p. Grades 4-7 $ One of my favorite authors describes life in an animal E.R. in Denver. Kids adore this. 52. Harvey, Tom and Allie. Tiger Pups. Photographs by Tom Harvey. Additional photographs by Keith Phlipott. Collins, Unpaged. Grades K-3 $ This is one of those books in which the photos alone make everyone in the room go gooey. 53. Ryder, Joanne. Panda Kindergarten. Photos by Dr. Katherine Feng. Collins, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, Unpaged. Grades K-3 $ At China s Wolong Nature Preserve, panda cubs are raised and observed by scientists and workers while they learn survival skills that will allow them to be re-released into the wild. 54. Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Hamsters, Shells, and Spelling Bees: School Poems (I Can Read 2). Pictures by Sachiko Yoshikawa. HarperCollins, $ Easy to read and lots of fun. 55. Jackson, Donna M. The Wildlife Detectives: How Forensic Scientists Fight Crimes Against Nature. Photographs by Wendy Shattil and Bob Rozinski. Houghton Mifflin, p. Grades 3-7. When you tell the story of Charger the elk, every kid in the room wants the book. 56. Bishop, Nic. Nic Bishop Marsupials. Scholastic Nonfiction, p. Grades 3-6 $ Presents photographs and discussions of the diversity, beauty, habits, and life cycle of various marsupials from Australia, including quolls, quokkas, potoroos, and pademelons. Great photos. 57. Jenkins, Steve. Never Smile at a Monkey* and 17 Other Important Things to Remember. Houghton Mifflin, Unpaged Grades K-3 $ What NOT to do when around animals that might be dangerous. Jenkins never fails to delight me. 58. Lovelace, Maud Hart. Betsy-Tacy series. These are my all time favorite books. This is your commercial interruption! 59. Petrillo, Valerie. A Kid s Guide to Latino History: More than 50 Activities. Chicago Review Press, p. Grades 4-8 $ A collection of more than fifty activities, games, and crafts designed to teach children about Latino history and culture. 60. Mann, Charles C. Before Columbus: the Americas of A Downtown Bookworks Book / Atheneum, p. Grades 5-up $ A great looking, surprising and revealing look at the world Europeans thought they had discovered. 61. Blair, Margaret Whitman. Liberty or Death: the Surprising Story of Runaway Slaves Who Sided with the British During the American Revolution. National Geographic, p. Grades 5-8 $ Recounts the experiences of the slaves who answered Lord Dunmore's 1775 promise that any slave who left his master and fought for the British would have their freedom. This is great to pair with M.T. Anderson s Otavian Nothing books. 62. Swanson, James L. Chasing Lincoln s Killer. Scholastic Press, p. Grades 5-8 $ Recounts the twelve-day pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth, covering the chase through Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. 4

5 63. Fleming, Candace. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. Schwartz & Wade, p. Grades 5-up $ The Horn Book/ Boston Globe Nonfiction Winner. This is so good it is hard to put down. A wonderful read. 64. Sandler, Martin W. Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary Life. Walker & Company, p. Grades 5-up $ Intriguing and thought provoking look at how Abraham Lincoln used photography. 65. Krull, Kathleen, & Paul Brewer. Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country). Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. Harcourt Children s Books, Unpaged. Grades 2-4 $ Most of us today do not know that Lincoln was regarded as a very funny man. 66. Hopkinson, Deborah. Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: a Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing his Forgotten Frontier Friend). Illustrated by John Hendrix. Schwartz and Wade, Unpaged. Grades 1-4 (Older kids will without doubt like it too.) $ A school librarian informed me that this is one of the best read-alouds ever. 67. Beccia, Carolyn. The Raucous Royals: Test Your Royal Wits: Crack Codes, Solve Mysteries, and Deduce Which Royal Mysteries are True. Houghton Mifflin, Grades 4-up 64 p. $ Combines elements of nonfiction picture books, graphic novels, and tabloid magazines in a look at how rumors get started and how they become distorted over time. 68. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Found (The Missing). Simon & Schuster, p. Grades 4-8 $ Second book in the series is Sent (2009). Fiction that works great with the titles above and below this listing. 69. MacLeod, Elizabeth. Royal Murder: the Deadly Intrigue of Ten Sovereigns. Annick Press, p. Grades 4-up $ This is a book about a great topic royal people who were involved with murder. Either they were murdered themselves or they murdered other people! 70. Hendrix, John. John Brown: His Fight for Freedom. Abrams, p. Grades 3-6 $ Explores the life of nineteenth-century abolitionist John Brown and his dedication to freeing the slaves and ending slavery. 71. How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail: My Adventures among Cows, Crooks & Heroes on the Road to Fame and Fortune. National Geographic, p. Grades 4-8 $ A fine read recounting the fictitious adventures and experiences of young William Reed, as he travels with his family along on the Oregon Trail. I loved this book! 72. Kennedy, Robert F., Jr. Robert Smalls: the Boat Thief (American Heroes). Illustrations by Patrick Faricy. Hyperion, p. Grades $ The story of Robert Smalls, a slave who became a hero after hijacking a Confederate steamer during the Civil War. 73. Murphy, Jim. A Savage Thunder: Antietam and the Bloody Road to Freedom. McElderry, p. Grades 5-up $ Photographs and illustrations clarify the horrifying story of the deadliest day in the Civil War and in American history. 74. Walker, Sally M. Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley. Carolrhoda, p. Grades 4-up $ Riveting story of the first submarine anywhere to sink a ship. Sibert Award Friedman, Robin. The Silent Witness: A True Story of the Civil War. Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola. Houghton Mifflin Company, Unpaged. Picture Book that works even in high school. $ This is one of the most incredible true stories you will ever read. 76. Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal. Illustrations by R. Gregory Christie. Carolrhoda Books, Unpaged. Grades 1-5 $ The true story of a former slave who became a renowned U.S. Marshal. Use this with Gary Paulsen s Bass Reeves. 5

6 77. Smith, Charles R. Jr. Black Jack: the Ballad of Jack Johnson. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. A Neil Porter Book / Roaring Brook Press, Unpaged. Grades 3-5 $ Art and poetry combine to tell the story of boxer Jack Johnson, who became the first African- American world heavyweight boxing champion in the early part of the twentieth century. 78. Hoose, Philip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Melanie Kroupa Books, Farrar Straus Giroux, p. Grades 5-up $19.95 Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks, and then seemed to vanish from history. National Book Award winner, Newbery Honor. Two other great Hoose books to read are The Race to Save the Lord God Bird and Perfect, Once Removed. 79. Brimner, Larry Dane. Birmingham Sunday. Calkins Creek, p. Grades $ Provides an account of the racially-motivated bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, which resulted in the deaths of four children, and discusses how the tragedy spurred the passage of the landmark 1964 civil rights legislation. 80. Partridge, Elizabeth. Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don t You Grow Weary. Viking, p. Grades 4-8 $ Recounts the three months of protest that took place before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s landmark march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery to promote equal rights and help African-Americans earn the right to vote. 81. Shelton, Paula Young. Child of the Civil Rights Movement. Illustrated by Raul Colon. Schwartz & Wade Books, Unpaged Grades 2-4 $ Paula Young Shelton shares her memories of the civil rights movement and her involvement in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery. 82. Rotner, Shelly and Sheila M. Kelly. Shades of People. Photographs by Shelley Rotner. Holiday House, Unpaged. Grades Pre-2 $ Skin is like the gift wrap on a package what is inside is what is really important. 83. Glaser, Linda. Emma s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty. With Paintings by Claire A. Nivola. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Unpaged Grades 2-5 $ Emma Lazarus, daughter of a wealthy New York family, was moved by the plight of the immigrants who came to America and wrote a poem about the Statue of Liberty that became world famous. 84. Bausum, Ann. Denied Detained Deported: Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigration. National Geographic, p. Grades 4-8 $ Not everyone who came to the U.S.A got in or gets in. Some of the cases detailed here do not make me proud. 85. Murphy, Jim. Truce: the Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting. Scholastic Press, p. Grades 4-8 $ Christmas 1914: all along the trenches, the troops on both sides started celebrating with each other. 86. Smith, David J. If America Were a Village. Illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong. Kids Can Press, p. Grades 4-8 $ Presents a metaphor for the United States, simplifying it as a village of one hundred people in order to assist with understanding of ethnic origins, religions, family profiles, wealth, occupations, belongings, and other demographic details. 87. Metselaar, Menno, and Ruud van der Rol. Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures from the Archives of the Anne Frank House. Translated by Arnold J. Pomerans. Flash Point / Roaring Brook Press, p. Grades 5-up $ A photographic introduction to the life and experiences of Anne Frank. Any fan will grab this book. 88. Rubin, Susan Goldman. The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal s Search for the Truth. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. Holiday House, p. Grades 3-5 $

7 After witnessing a group of demonstrators halt a performance of "The Diary of Anne Frank," claiming that the girl never existed, Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, went on a quest in 1958 to track down the Gestapo officer who had arrested the Frank family. 89. Slier, Deborah. Hidden Letters. Star Bright Books, p. $ Powerful, fascinating story of a Danish teenager taken to a Nazi work camp but able to write letters and send photographs home. A riveting read. 90. Kurlansky, Mark The Story of Salt. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. G.P. Putnam s Sons, p. Grades 3-6 $ A school librarian told me she has been reading this aloud to her students and it works great. This is an incredible true story. 91. Aronson, Marc, with the generous cooperation of Mike Parker Pearson and the Riverside Project. If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge. National Geographic, p. Grades $ Text, photographs, and explanatory maps and illustrations document archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson's study of Stonehenge and the surrounding area. 92. Platt, Richard. Roman Diary: the Journal of Iliona of Mytilini, Who was Captured by Pirates and Sold as a Slave in Rome, AD 107. Illustrated by David Parkins. Candlewick Press, p. I like these combinations of fiction and nonfiction, in which you accidentally pick up a lot of historical information painlessly. 93. Mack, Stan, and Susan Champlin. Road to Revolution (The Cartoon Chronicles of America). Bloomsbury, p. Grades 4-up $ This graphic novel mixes fiction and nonfiction in an exciting way to tell the story of the beginnings of the American Revolution. 94. Bruce, Julia. Siege! Can You Capture a Castle? (Step into History). Illustrated by Peter Dennis. Enslow Elementary, p. Grades 3-6 Boys love this detailed look at what happens during a siege. 95. Price, Sean. Ivan the Terrible: Tsar of Death (A Wicked History). Franklin Watts, p. Grades 5-up $ There is so much white space in the books in this series, lots of photos. Great for assignments. Ivan the Terrible deserved his name. 96. Blackwood, Gary L. Debatable Deaths (Unsolved History). Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, p. Grades 4-up $ Kids loved unsolved real life mysteries, and this and the to three books in the series, Enigmatic Events, Legends or Lies and Perplexing People fill the need marvelously! 97. Yolen, Jane, and Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple. The Mary Celeste: an Unsolved Mystery from History. Illustrated by Roger Roth. Simon and Schuster, Unpaged. Grades 2-5. $16. One of my favorites, and one of the best historical mysteries ever. 98. Jenkins, Martin. Titanic: Disaster at Sea. Illustrated by Brian Sanders. Candlewick Press, p. Grades 4-7 $ Lots of facts, charts, and excellent information fill this interesting new book about everyone s favorite disaster. 99. Brown, Don. All Stations! Distress! April 15, 1912: the Day the Titanic Sank. Roaring Brook Press, Grades 2-5 Unpaged. $ Brown managed to find some new facts you ve probably never heard before Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Harry Houdini. Illustrated by Matt Collins. Holiday House, Unpaged. Grades 2-4 $ A simple look at the most famous magician of all time Lutes, Jason, & Nick Bertozzi. Houdini: The Handcuff King. With an introduction by Glen David Gold. Hyperion, p. Grades 4-up $ Absolutely wonderful graphic nonfiction about Houdini s most famous jump Carlson, Laurie M. Houdini for Kids: His Life and Adventures with 21 Magic Tricks and Illusions. Chicago Review Press, Inc., A more detailed biography, with many photos and some tricks Barnhart, Norm. Amazing Magic Tricks Beginner Level (Edge Books. Magic Tricks). Capstone Press, p. Grades 3-5 Do that magic yourself! 7

8 104. Giblin, James Cross. The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthy. Clarion Books, p. Grades 5 and up $ An absolutely compelling look at one of the scariest people in our history Kerley, Barbara. The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy). Illustrated by Edwin Fortheringham. Scholastic Press, Unpaged Grades 3-5 b $ Delightful biography of the author, including the real biography his daughter Susy wrote to set the record straight Taylor, Sarah Stewart, & Ben Towle. Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean. With an introduction by Eileen Collins. Disney / Hyperion Books, p. Grades 4-7 $ Graphic nonfiction that details the life of the famous aviator and lets us know how she influenced young girls and women Brown, Don. A Wizard from the Start: the Incredible Boyhood & Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Unpaged Grades 1-4 $ Thomas Edison said he never did a day s work in his life. Learn why here Mitchell, Don. Driven: a Photobiography of Henry Ford. National Geographic, p. Grades 4-8 $ Incredibly well written, this is a wonderful biography of the man who made the automobile affordable to ordinary people and changed our lives in a profound way Singer, Marilyn. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. Illustrated by Josee Masse. Dutton Children s Books, Unpaged Grades 2-up $ Absolutely unbelievable poetry. One of the best reviewed books of Try making a poem like one of these and see if you can pull it off. All ages will be impressed Cook, Sally, and James Charlton. Hey Batta Batta Swing!: The Wild Old Days of Baseball. Illustrated by Ross MacDonald. Margaret K. McElderry Books, X 48 p. Grades 3-6 $ The rules have changed, and you will be grateful for that when you read this book! 111. Sturm, James, and Rich Tommaso. Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. Jump At The Sun, Jump at the Sun/ Hyperion, p. Grades 5-up $ He may have been the greatest baseball player ever Raczka, Bob. Here's Looking at Me: How Artists See Themselves. Millbrook Press, p. Grades 4-up A book about self portraits that will make you think Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Boys of Steel: the Creators of Superman. Alfred A. Knopf, Unpaged Picture Book for Older Readers $ Unbelievable true story of the guys that dreamed up Superman Schertle, Alice. Button Up: Wrinkled Rhymes. Illustrated by Petra Mathers. Houghton Mifflin, Grades K-4 $ A collection of poems about clothes and animals wearing them Fleming, Candace. The Great And Only Barnum : The Tremendous, Stupendous Life Of Showman P.T. Barnum. Schwartz & Wade Books, Grades 4-up 160 p. $ This is an absolutely delightful look at one of the most colorful figures in our history Madden, Kerry. Up Close: Harper Lee: a twentieth century life. Viking, p. Grades 5-up $ This whole series is just excellent. How refreshing: here is the story of a superb author who never sought and does not want fame and attention Settel, Joanne, Ph.D. Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts about How Animals Adapt. Atheneum, p. Grades 4-up. $ This absolutely delights kids (and grosses them out) Hillman, Ben. How Weird is It? A Freaky Book all about Strangeness. Scholastic, p. Grades 3-7 $ A fun book which works beautifully with the above. 8

9 119. D Alusio, Faith. What the World Eats. Photographed by Peter Menzel. Tricycle, Grades 5-up $ An intriguing, thought-provoking and incredible look at food around the world Heiligman, Deborah. Charles and Emma: the Darwins Leap of Faith. Henry Holt, p. Grades 7-up $ A delightfully entertaining, stunning look at the home life of Charles Darwin and his wife (and first cousin) and family McGinty, Alice B. Darwin: With Glimpses into his Private Journal and Letters. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Houghton Mifflin, Unpaged Grades 2-5 $ Contains the hopes, fears, and private thoughts of Charles Darwin as he develops his idea about survival of the fittest, with lovely illustrations by Mary Azarian Prelutsky, Jack. My Dog May Be a Genius. Drawings by James Stevenson. Greenwillow Books, p. Grades 3-6 $ More fun poetry from a master Floca, Brian. Moonshot: the Flight of Apollo 11. A Richard Jackson Book: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Unpaged. Grades 1-4 $ A picture book about the first voyage to the moon Chaikin, Andrew, with Victoria Kohl. Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon. Viking, p. Grades 5-8 $ Beautifully designed, great reading this book describes all of the voyages to the moon Stone, Tanya Lee. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Candlewick Press, Grades p. $ Sibert Award 2010 Could women have been astronauts in the 1960s? Read this and get angry! 126. Jackson, Donna M. Extreme Scientists : Exploring Nature's Mysteries From Perilous Places. Houghton Mifflin, Grads p. $ Profiles three extreme scientists who risk their lives to conduct research in some of the world's most intense environments, describing the experiences of scientists studying hurricanes, cave microbes, and forest canopies Chin, Jason. Redwoods. Roaring Brook, Unpaged. Grades 2-5 $ While reading a book about redwood trees on the subway, a young boy travels as he learns, all the way to the forests of California Deem, James M. Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past. Houghton Mifflin, p. Grades 5-8 $ Sibert Honor Glaciers are melting and bodies are appearing from the ice, all over the planet. What can we learn from them? 129. Salkeld, Audrey. Mystery on Everest: a Photobiography of George Mallory. National Geographic, Grades 4-8 George Mallory died on Everest in This works great with the above book Winter, Jonah. Here Comes the Garbage Barge. Illustrated by Red Nose Studio. Schwartz & Wade Books, Unpaged Grades 1-4 $ In the spring of 1987, the town of Islip, New York, with no place for its 3,168 tons of garbage, loads it on a barge that sets out on a 162-day journey along the east coast, around the Gulf of Mexico, down to Belize, and back again, in search of a place willing to accept and dispose of its very smelly cargo Barton, Christ. The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer s Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors. Illustrated by Tony Persiani. Charlesbridge, Unpaged Picture Book for Older Readers. $ The subtitle says it all! 132. Krull, Kathleen. The Boy Who Invented TV. Illustrated by Greg Couch. Knopf, Unpaged. Grades 3-5 $ A picture-book biography of Philo Farnsworth, who created the world's first television image in Weston, Mark. Honda: The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars. Illustrated by Katie Yamasaki. Lee & Low Books, Unpaged. Grades $ A biography of Soichiro Honda, the founder of the Honda Motor Company, 9

10 134. Burns, Loree Griffin. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field). Houghton Mifflin Company, p. Grades 5-8 $ Here in the middle of the country, we generate a lot of ocean trash --who would have thought? Fascinating and scary Dendy, Leslie. Guinea Pig Scientists: Bold Self-Experimenters In Science And Medicine. Henry Holt and Company, p. Grades 5-up $ Sometimes the best subject for an experiment on human beings was the experimenter himself. And sometimes it killed him Jurmain, Suzanne. The Secret of the Yellow Death: a True Story of Medical Sleuthing. Houghton Mifflin, p. Grades 5-up $ What caused the horrible yellow death and how could scientists find out? 137. DiSpezio, Michael A. How Bright is Your Brain? Amazing Games to Play with your Mind. Illustrations by Catherine Leary. Sterling Publishing, p. Grades 4-Up $ Kids have a blast with this. Add some of the problems to your booktalk Alillaud, Cindy Lou. Recess at 20 Below. Alaska Northwest Books, Unpaged. Grades K-3 $8.95. We upper Midwesterners are tough but are we this tough? 139. Florian, Douglas. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings. Harcourt, Inc., p. Grades 1-5 $ Doug Florian always delights Karas, G. Brian. Young Zeus. Scholastic Press, Unpaged. Grades 1-4 $ With the popularity of Percy Jackson and Clash of the Titans, this is going to be very popular O Connor, George. Zeus: King of the Gods (Olympians). First Second, Grades 5-up 78 p. $9.99. First in a series on the Greek gods, this is a fine graphic novel retelling of the myth. Second in the series is Athena, also Sturm, James, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost. Adventures in Cartooning. First Second, p. Grades 3-6 $ Uses a story about a magical elf who helps a princess learn how to draw a comic to present techniques for and advice about drawing comics. Learn how to make your own graphic novel! 143. Katz, Alan. Smelly Locker: Silly Dilly School Songs. Illustrated by David Catrow. Margaret K. McElderry Books, Unpaged. All ages. $ Boys absolutely love every single one of these books Katz, Alan. Too Much Kissing! And Other Silly Dilly Songs About Parents. Illustrated by David Catrow. McElderry Books, Grades K-5 $ See above! 145. Lessac, Francine. Camp Granada: Sing-Along Camp Songs. Henry Holt and Company, p. Grades K-6 $ My favorite! 10

11 Nonfiction Booktalking Tips Approach your books with a supply of post-it notes or tape flags. Browse through the books on your shelf. Do any have topics that particularly appeal to you? Grab them! Look through the illustrations and photographs. Is there one that is absolutely irresistible? Read the caption and then scan the accompanying information. Mark it. Keep browsing. Is there another great illustration or a fascinating fact guaranteed to secure the attention of your audience? Mark it. Browse the book just enough to get you a feel for what it is saying. Jot down notes to help you remember any key points, then stick your notes in the book. Select books on a variety of topics. You are not attracted by absolutely every topic and neither is your audience. Keep your booktalk moving. This is not the age of rhetoric. Kids are used to needing only short attention spans. Make it quick and snappy. Be enthusiastic! Let your audience see your excitement about the book. Let the wild woman or wild guy inside out! Include a commercial for your library, media center or classroom collection. Make it easy for kids to get the book. Make transparencies or use PowerPoint whenever possible. It cuts down on heavy hauling and allows the books to be used by their audience. 11

12 TEN REASONS WHY WE MUST HELP OUR KIDS LOVE READING 1. Kids have to love reading to become excellent readers. Only if they love reading will they spend lots of time reading. Practice is everything. 2. Avid readers acquire a more complex sense of language. They speak better, write better, and deal better with complex ideas. 3. Reading gives children wide-ranging frames of reference, which make all learning easier. Even children who read only fiction will pick up facts about history, geography, politics and science. 4. By high school, only avid readers will have the literacy skills to excel in any course that demands a good deal of reading in other words, in any top-level English, foreign language, history or science course. They are the kids in the honors classes, the kids who score high on the SAT exam, the kids who have a shot at attending top colleges. 5. Excellent reading skills make it more likely kids will weather personal tr auma with their academic credentials intact, since they will be able to keep up with their schoolwork by using only a fraction of their time and emotional energy. In contrast, a personal crisis will usually wipe out a poor reader. 6. Avid reading gives kids a sense of perspective. After seeing life described through the eyes of hundreds of different narrators, they see that there are many ways to look at situations; there are many sides to most issues. 7. Reading helps children to be compassionate. The essence of compassion is the ability to understand another s viewpoint. Reading brings children into thousands of different lives, allowing them to understand these lives in all their complexity. In television sitcoms, problems are solved with a snappy line in half an hour. 8. Avid readers are exposed to a world full of possibilities and opportunities. Maybe they ll read a Michael Crichton thriller and want to become a scientist. Mark Berent s Air Force stories might spark an interest in flying jets. No matter how limited the world in which children live, with reading they can go anywhere. They can dream anything. 9. Avid reading develops critical thinking skills. Rather than hearing information only in sound bits, avid readers learn to follow complex argumen ts and remember multifaceted plots. 10. A love of reading is one of the major joys of life. Huddled in a deep chair by the fire with a terrifying thriller; lounging on the beach, laughing at a comic novel; falling asleep over a gentle romance. Without these pleasures, life is a little darker and drabber. Leonhardt, Mary. 99 WAYS TO GET KIDS TO LOVE READING AND 100 BOOKS THEY LL LOVE. Three Rivers Press, $ Used with the permission of Mary Leonhardt. 12

13 A Fe w Th ou gh ts from th e Expe rts w h ich is ofte n u s. Children need to see that reading is an important part of life. If an adult is seen reading regularly, then it is! If not, it must not be. Read. Talk about what you re ad. Kids need to know that we consider reading fun. A lot of them today consider reading only for work. With boys in the tween years, the best book is not the issue. What is an issue is what books they will actually read. Do NOT tell a boy in any way, verbally or in body language, that the books he likes are bad and that the books girls like are good. Kids need our assurance and our permission to read easy books. Include plenty of easier books in your booktalks. In a recent study, reluctant reader s indicated that they only liked to read when they got to pick whatever they want to read. Let them choose!!! Encourage teachers to let that happen. Studies show that reading comprehension is related to reader s interest in the topic. Interested readers can comprehend materials normally considered to be beyond their reading level. Boys are less likely to talk about or overtly respond to their reading than girls are. But they LOVE information that exports readily to conversation that they can repeat to other people. This is one reason why nonfiction works well. Leonard Saxe recommends that you recommend books to a boy conversationally, side by side, standing next to each other, rather than confrontationally, face to face. And look at THIS picture! Keep a list in a prominent place of what the most popular books are in your librar y or media center. Create buzz. So you get a waiting list. Hey, that s a goal! If you are a school librarian, take over the teachers suggestions and recommendations for summer reading for their classes. Tell them you will remove any books that are outdated, out of print for ages and no longer available. The resulting list, which can be consolidated, 13

14 of course, will be a lot more viable than a list that includes mostly out -of-print books. Include an extra line: if nothing on this list looks good to you, ask at your library or bookstore for a book you might like! Wouldn't it be great if the public library sent out a list of high interest books that they have available to add to the school list? A Few Seeds for Programming and Promotion Public Librarians: Find out which schools in your area have Title One programs. Contact the coordinator. They must do evening programs which include parents and families of their students. I have done a lot of these. You get to read a story, bring along and booktalk some books that will get them excited about coming to the library, and promote the heck out of the library. Be dramatic and bring out your wild side. If you are good, they will ask you back and tell every other Title One program to invite you. Just like us, they want free programs. Nobody has any money. Ditto school and classroom visits. Offer to visit classes to promote books and the library. Again, be dramatic and exciting. They will beg you to come at least every year. A young Canadian librarian told me she tells teachers she will bring books that she guarantees boys will want to read. She is stunned at how well books on boy topics work in not only getting them excited in the classroom, but, next step, straight into the public library. Contact local re-enactor groups at historic sites in your area. Many of these people would be delighted to do programs, frequently for nothing. Have, for instance, a Civil War program in which the re-enactor tells stories, drills the audience of kids and talks about the Civil War or any other historical events in your area. You have a supply of books to display and booktalk. Bookclubs are all the rage, as we know, and thank heaven for it. How about starting one about Gross and Disgusting Books? Think outside the box to see if we can attract a nontraditional audience. Also consider the Bookclub in a Bag Program These include ten books and a discussion guide. Set up a program to teach adults about reading to groups of kids. Grandpas often have free time, and boys are in dire need of male reading models. As we all know from bitter experience, bombing while reading to children is not a pleasant experience. Start a program in which you model reading aloud and they practice in front of each other. Pick a selection of surefire read-aloud winners. Call the schools and alert them to the availability of trained people in the community to read to kids, or ask the readers to volunteer to read in the library. Related to that is a program to teach older kids, including babysitters, to read to younger ones. Promote a good book consultation service. Most people really need help in finding books their children will really enjoy. Make sure the staff who are working on the desk know the collection well. Make a sign that says Children s Book Expert Available to Help You Pick Out Books You will Enjoy!. Traditional programs, author visits, storytimes, summer reading programs have always worked well and continue to do so. So many programs for children require adults to transport them. That I feel 14

15 one of the best things we can do is reach out to adults. Ask to speak to any women s or church groups in your area about some of the wonderful children s books in the library. Take a look at storytubes the youtube of kids promoting books to other kids. Consider making a PowerPoint CD or DVD that will highlight new titles available in your library or media center. We know we will never be able to place every appealing book face out on the shelves. Think of how cool it would be to sit down in front of a computer with a PowerPoint show, all books numbered to make requesting them easier, and note that the library has books on all sorts of intriguing topics. Make copies and give them to every classroom. This is a great volunteer project. Publishers do not at all object to our use of book covers in promotion. Better yet, use a digital picture frame at the checkout desk. 15