Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Nonfiction Wednesday - Sibert Award Winners and a 2016 NFPB!

nfpb2016logo
 
I'm excited that Alyson Beecher, at Kid Lit Frenzy, is continuing her Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge for the fifth year in a row.
 
I had a few books on my Youth Media Awards prediction list that won, but a few I need to catch up on soon!  The Sibert Award winner was Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh  , which I predicted for the Belpré Illustrator Award (it won a Belpre Honor).  The only one I got right on my Sibert predictions is Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans written and illustrated by Don Brown.  I predicted it as a Sibert Honor, and that's what it got.  There were a lot of other wonderful nonfiction books that received awards on Monday (Alyson has them all on her blog post today), and I'm happy that I've read most of them.  Here's one I didn't get to before the awards, but I caught up on it yesterday:
 
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
 
 
 
Told from Fannie Lou Hamer's point of view, the powerful text and bold, beautiful illustrations tell the story of a strong and unconquerable civil rights leader. This book won a Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award at the ALA Youth Media Awards. I can see why! Ekua Holmes's illustrations are full of movement, texture, light, color, and power. Perfect for depicting Fannie Lou Hamer!
 
And my first 2016 NFPB!!
 
When the Sun Shines on Antarctica: And Other Poems about the Frozen Continent
 
 
 
How fitting that this book showed up at my doorstep on a snow day! Even the cold temperatures of Ohio right now, though, can't compete with Antarctica's frigid winters. This book, however, highlights its summer - a time October to March when the sun never sets. Irene Latham's playful and descriptive poetry and interesting informational paragraphs are accompanied by Anna Wadham's soft and captivating illustrations of the flora and animals that thrive in Antarctic summers. The adaptations of animals and plants that live in such harsh conditions are fascinating. I can see my students being (wonderfully) horrified by the southern giant petrels and its awful-smelling vomit... "His belly/is where all/the garbage/goes;/his beak/is the lid/that never/stays closed." They are also going to love the irresistible cuteness of the Weddell seal, Wadham portraying her sweet smile after shedding her old fur and Latham writing, "Off/comes the heavy,/dingy brown./In its place,/a sleek coat/grows --/ the perfect match for her smile." This book will be a great mentor text for literary nonfiction and a wonderful addition to my classroom library!
 
 
 

9 comments:

  1. I do love the Sibert pics this year, Holly! And thank you for sharing about ANTARCTICA...perfect for putting on your hats & mittens and sipping hot chocolate. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I read Voices of Freedom this year, but for some reason had not thought about it for Sibert. I was lost on that one this year. I read most of them, but had not thought about them for Sibert! Always a dark horse :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for sharing the Antarctica title, I hadn't come across it before. Sometimes it feels like you keep seeing the same titles on every blog, which is understandable, but it's exciting to come across something entirely new to read and share - thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just got the book about Fannie Lou Hamer yesterday from the library, will read it this week. I thought many of your predictions you shared earlier were right, & it was nice to have read many of them. I love Irene's books & will get this one soon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the combination of poetry and nonfiction. Thanks for pointing out the Antarctica book!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hadn't heard of this book until the awards, so I need to to get on that.
    I'm a huge penguin fan (and poetry fan), so I need to get ANTARCTICA.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really loved Voice of Freedom. It had both beautiful text and illustration.

    Our first grade does a unit that includes penguins and the antarctic region. I would imagine that they would be able to find some poems to enjoy in this book.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Voice of Freedom is one I haven't yet read. Love how I can always find wonderful poetry books I haven't heard of - I am using lots of poetry with my class this year.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, it's too bad we still don't have Voice of Freedom in our library - I shall definitely ask our librarians to purchase this title soonest.

    ReplyDelete