Category Archives: nonfiction

A trip down the Amazon

Posted on 06/17/2012 by

The Great Snake: Stories from the Amazon (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2008) is a fascinating collection of nine stories interwoven with factual details of  author Sean Taylor’s travels through the Amazon rainforest. The inclusion of these elements sets the stories … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, international books, nature, nonfiction, storytelling | Tagged | 2 Comments

Under the Sea

Posted on 05/27/2012 by

Another voyage of the imagination from the author of Redwoods. This time a little girl picks a book off the library shelf on Coral Reefs, and as she begins to read, coral begins to grow on library tables in the Reading … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, nature, nonfiction, picture books, science | 2 Comments

The Air up There

Posted on 08/08/2011 by

Amazing photographs and a very accessible narrative by wildlife photographer Robert Haas combine in I Dreamed of Flying Like a Bird: My Adventures Photographing Wild Animals from a Helicopter (National Geographic, 2010.) Though at first the photographers’ job seems quite … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, nonfiction, photography, science | 3 Comments

All about Wombats

Posted on 08/01/2011 by

I’ve been a fan of Jackie French’s Diary of a Wombat since it was published in 2003 (Clarion). The pithy, droll text and charming illustrations work wonderfully together to create an incredibly funny and appealing book. Bruce Whatley’s wombat is adorable … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, nonfiction | 2 Comments

Becoming Jane

Posted on 07/25/2011 by

Every once in a while a book comes along that touches your heart. Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell (Little, Brown 2011) is one of those books for me. From the title page, which shows a photographs of a … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, nonfiction, picture books, science | Tagged | 1 Comment

Let’s Go Outside!

Posted on 07/11/2011 by

These two picture books are perfect for encouraging young children to explore nature and observe the natural world around them. You don’t have to travel somewhere — you can explore right in your own backyard, neighborhood or park. Insect Detective … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, nature, nonfiction, science | 2 Comments

Nonfiction Monday is here! Happy 4th of July!

Posted on 07/04/2011 by

I enjoy reading nonfiction, recommending it, and using it in storytimes and programming. Hosting Nonfiction Monday on the Fourth of July seemed to call for something special. At first I was thinking of something red, white, and blue — patriotic … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, nonfiction | 20 Comments

Watching the Earth Turn

Posted on 06/27/2011 by

At the entrance to COSI (Center of Science and Industry) in Columbus, Ohio is a beautiful pendulum. We live fairly close by and COSI is a familiar place to my children. The pendulum has always fascinated them and now that … Continue reading →

Posted in nonfiction, picture books, science | 1 Comment

All the Water in the World

Posted on 06/20/2011 by

All the water in the world really is all the water in the world, and this concept is the basis for George Ella Lyon‘s latest book, All the Water in the World.  New water is not made or manufactured. It … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, nature, nonfiction, picture books, science | 1 Comment

Mysteries of the Deep

Posted on 06/13/2011 by

This past week a headline from National Geographic caught my eye: Coelacanths Can Live Past 100, Don’t Show Age? with a large picture of a coelacanth swimming right at the top. These fish were thought to be long extinct, until … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, nature, nonfiction, science | Leave a comment