Wednesday, March 27, 2013

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.


This week's nonfiction included:
Becoming Babe Ruth
Another book I read and really enjoyed that was illustrated by Matt Tavares was Helen's Big World.  It won a Kiddo Book Award.


I learned a lot about Babe Ruth in this biography. I thought it was interesting that he was a trouble maker and had to be sent to a strict school for boys to straighten him out. It was so strict the students there were called inmates! While he was there, though, he discovered baseball, and that changed his life forever. It just goes to show that if kids find their passion, they will excel. I loved that Ruth had the opportunity to give back to the school that made such a difference in his life.  I love Tavares's illustrations.
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
 

I knew nothing about Horace Pippin, so I thought his story was fascinating. Melissa Sweet, as usual, makes the biography come alive with creative and whimsical illustrations. Pippin is the personification of passion and determination. I loved the real photograph of him at the end.

War Dogs: Churchill and Rufus



I really enjoyed this story about Winston Churchill and his dog, Rufus. The story is told in limited third person point of view, focusing on Rufus, who is Chuchill's loyal companion. We are taken on a journey through war, Winston's relationship with his wife, and leading his beloved United Kingdom. I love reading about Churchill, and kids will have a wonderful and unique introduction to this larger than life historical figure in an endearing way - through Rufus. Great Churchill quotes throughout the book, also. Good notes about Churchill's dogs and timeline in the back.
What nonfiction did YOU read this week?

4 comments:

  1. I recently read Becoming Babe Ruth to my second graders. They were riveted as I read it! Of course I knew I had my baseball fans immediately, but I keep seeing many of them pulling the book off the shelf to read again with a friend. And I also read the Helen Keller book too. There are so many books about Helen Keller, you would think another book couldn't bring something new to her story - but this one definitely does! After reading the book my students soon found more Helen Keller books in our class library that hadn't appealed to them before. This book helped hook them on the biography.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I reviewed the Helen Keller book, I said the same thing! It's hard to believe new things can be revealed about her, but that book managed to do just that - give us a new perspective! I love how picture book biographies do that - intrigue young readers just enough to go find out more about amazing people!

      Delete
  2. I loved Babe Ruth and also Horace Pippin. I need to find the War Dogs one. Thanks for sharing and linking up.

    ReplyDelete