For the inaugural post in this series, I wanted to highlight some excellent nonfiction picture books I've gotten this year. Besides being engaging and well-written, these texts are also well-suited for the middle and/or high school classroom in a variety of content areas.I can't wait to share them with my students this fall in my content-area literacy course.
Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell (words) and Christian Robinson (pictures) tells the story of Josephine Baker. Powell's lyrical and rhythmic writing and Robinson's lively and expressive pictures are perfect for conveying Baker's life story. The text and illustrations work well together in giving readers the sense of not just what Baker did (I particularly love how Robinson imbues his pictures with movement and how Powell interweaves quotations into the text) but also what she stood for and believed in. This would be a perfect text for a social studies unit on the 1920s or any unit on notable women in history. Additionally, I would definitely want to use it as a supplemental text in a dance or performing arts class.
Another great book I got this year is Don Brown's Aaron and Alexander. Given the ongoing popularity of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical juggernaut Hamilton, this book is a great introduction to Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Rather than just focusing on the men's disagreement with each other that resulted in the ill-fated duel, Brown opts to highlight the similarities between the two men. The result is an illuminating and thoughtful look at two historical figures who are best known for their disagreements but who actually had some interesting parallels with one another.
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War by Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chikwanine (text) and Claudia Davila (illustrations) makes an important and difficult topic and makes it approachable for students in the middle grades. The book is about Michel Chikwanine's experiences as a child soldier in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After he is kidnapped and forced to kill his friend at age five, he endures brutal conditions as he is trained to become a soldier. He manages to escape and return to his family, but his troubles do not end there. Child Soldier is a harrowing text, and I definitely would be careful using it with younger students. However, it tells of conditions that are all too real for many children today. To their credit, the authors manage to provide a realistic depiction of the topic without making it too grim or too graphic, and the story ultimately ends on a hopeful note.Besides the story, the book also includes more information on Michel as well as background information and statistics on the use of child soldiers. Additionally, there is a section on what is being done to stop the problem; this also includes information on actions that young readers can take to become informed and to help.
The Fantastic Ferris Wheel: The Story of Inventory George Ferris by Betsy Harvey Kraft (text) and Steven Salerno (illustrations) tells the story of how the Ferris wheel was invented for the 1983 World's Fair in Chicago. The book captures the feel and excitement of the times through its words and pictures. I particularly appreciated the basic information the authors include on the wheel's measurements and assembly. This book would be great to use with students who are interested in science and engineering, and it also includes some solid historical information. Additionally, it would be a great mentor text to use to help students get a sense of how you can take a complex story/idea (the invention of the Ferris wheel) and make it understandable and enjoyable for younger audiences.Have you read any of these books? Do you have other (relatively) recent nonfiction picture books that you would recommend? Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section!
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