Nonfiction Wednesday

Thanks to Kid Lit Frenzy, I made a goal to read more nonfiction this year which I will be featuring on my blog every Wednesday.
 

Here are the nonfiction books I enjoyed this week - they both feature inventions:

 

 

Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball by John Coy, illustrated by Joe Morse

 

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James Naismith was a young teacher who had a problem. He took over an out-of-control and bored gym class in 1891. He needed to figure something out. He tried having them play all his favorite sports: football, soccer, and lacrosse, but nothing worked. They played too rough. Naismith then thought about a game of accuracy he played as a boy and started modifying it. He even asked the custodian for help with a goal. He asked for square boxes but got two old peach baskets instead, and lo and behold, a new game was born. The boys loved it and a bit later, even some women teachers who were watching the game asked to play(one of whom Naismith married). In 1936 basketball was included in the Oympics and James was honored there. I love the bold illustrations and first draft of basketball rules on the endpapers.

 

 

Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Stacy Innerst

 

biography, economics, humor, hyperbole, legend, nonfiction, nonfiction-challenge-2013, picture-book, play-on-words

 

 

Dang, this is a funny biography of Levi Strauss! This mostly legend rendition of how Levi Strauss invented jeans is entertaining and will surely make kids laugh. Strauss was a German salesman who knew a market when he saw one during the Gold Rush in the 1840s and 50s. I love that the illustrations were painted on old jeans!!

 

What nonfiction books are YOU reading this week?