Ten months removed from eagerly signing up for reading challenges around New Year’s, things are going pretty well. I thought I had finished my Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge last week with Heroes of the Surf , a story of the precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard by Elisa Carbone, but when I looked back at my parameters […]
Nonfiction Monday: Puffling Patrol
by rovingfiddlehead on July 23, 2012
It’s hard to beat puffins for cuteness. Cute + informative = a winning combination. Once again, Ted and Betsy Lewin’s travels bring a fascinating glimpse into a way of life I never knew existed. In Puffling Patrol, the Lewins chronicle eight-year-old twins, Dani and Erna, as they rescue pufflings on the Icelandic island of Heimay. […]
Six Month Update on Reading Challenges
by rovingfiddlehead on July 1, 2012
I am participating in four reading challenges this year as well as a reader for the Iowa Children’s Choice Award. I’m pleased with my progress so far for all but one of the challenges. Goodreads challenge: 200 books. I’ve read 100. Right on track. This is really good because I don’t track any of my […]
Nonfiction Monday: Bird Books
by rovingfiddlehead on June 3, 2012
For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson by Peggy Thomas and illustrated by Laura Jacques covers Peterson’s life from early childhood. From a young age he was a keen observer of nature as well as a talented artist. Inspired by Yan of Two Little Savages by Ernest Thompson Seton, Peterson taught himself bird identification […]
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: May Update
by rovingfiddlehead on May 29, 2012
I finally caught up on some nonfiction picture book reading at the end of the month. As usual, history and biography dominated my efforts for the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge. Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased by Amy Novesky and illustrated by Yuyi Morales is a feast for the eyes. This […]
Nonfiction Picture Books: Chinese History, Culture & Folklore
by rovingfiddlehead on March 12, 2012
In preparation for an upcoming trip, I’ve been enjoying many books about Chinese history, culture and folklore. This is just a sampling that fits in with the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge, but please leave suggestions for others in the comments! Mao and Me is a beautiful autobiography by Chen Liang Hong (author/illustrator of Little Eagle […]
Nonfiction Picture Book January Releases
by rovingfiddlehead on January 30, 2012
January brought a whole slew of new nonfiction picture books. Perfect timing to give me a big headstart on the nonfiction picture book challenge before reading will have to take a backseat in February. A couple, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and The Worst of Friends I’ve taken time to review individually. Here’s a quick roundup of […]
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
by rovingfiddlehead on January 25, 2012
For a truly inspirational book, check out The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by inventor William Kamkwamba and journalist Bryan Mealer with pictures by Elizabeth Zunon. Forced to drop out of school when famine struck Malawi, fourteen-year-old William turned to the local library where the pictures of windmills inspired him to build his own. Hoping […]
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: The Worst of Friends
by rovingfiddlehead on January 11, 2012
Politics brought John Adams and Thomas Jefferson together. It also tore them apart. In Worst of Friends, Suzanne Tripp Jurmain captures the deep friendship between them, the political differences that severed that friendship and the eventual reconciliation. Larry Day’s illustrations complement Jurmain’s writing beautifully. They capture both the seriousness and the humour in this tale. Facial […]
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge
by rovingfiddlehead on January 2, 2012
Okay, I think I better make this the last challenge I sign up for this week :) Hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and The Nonfiction Detectives Blog (love that name), the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge has no overlap with the other challenges I’ve signed up for, but is extremely flexible, involves books that are quick reads […]