Nonfiction Wednesday and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award

I'm excited that Alyson Beecher, at Kid Lit Frenzy, is continuing her Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge for the third year in a row.

 

 

Because of the ALA Youth Media Awards yesterday, my nonfiction book this week is The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius because it was the only Sibert award winner I hadn't read.  I ran to the library after school Monday to get it.  I'm so glad it was there!

 

 

The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

 

	2013-book, art, award-winner, biography, creativity, intermediate-kids-book, picture-book-long

 

 

Since this biography won the Sibert Honor medal at the 2014 Youth Media Awards, and it was the only one I hadn't read in that category, I remedied that as soon as I could! George E. Ohr was indeed an eccentric genius. I love how he held on to his imaginative artistic ideals even in the face of the Industrial Revolution. The photographs throughout of him and his handlebar mustache and his beautiful pottery are wonderful. This is an excellent addition to a classroom library. I'm also going to lend...more  George E. Ohr was indeed an eccentric genius. I love how he held on to his imaginative artistic ideals even in the face of the Industrial Revolution. The photographs throughout of him and his handlebar mustache and his beautiful pottery are wonderful. This is an excellent addition to a classroom library. I'm also going to lend it out to my potter friend, Karan Witham-Walsh!   Nonfiction at the 2014 ALA Youth Media Awards        Because of Alyson Beecher and her nonfiction challenges and link ups, I've read a lot more nonfiction than I used to.  It makes watching the Youth Media Awards even more fun!  Now I've read all the Sibert Award winners!  Here are the winners with my original Goodreads comments.     The unique design of this book (written to be read vertically instead of horizontally), the parallel stories of the history of Puerto Rico and the plight of the Puerto Rican parrots, and its paper-and-fabric collage illustrations make this a must-read and great addition to the classroom library!     Oooh, this one could definitely be a Caldecott contender (I was so right!). I love the illustrations and sepia tones with pops of blue and red, the creative text styles, word play, and the story of how the transcontinental railroad changed the country. I'm definitely buying Locomotive for my classroom library (and I did)!       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. (I had won this book, signed by both Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet - yay!)     I LOVED this book! I am a bird geek, and I spent many hours as a child drawing birds (why did I stop?) and raising chickens and ducks. I still love watching birds come to the feeders, especially on a snowy day like today. This book reminded me about why I love them so much! It's a very "busy" book - lots of information, drawing tips, even comics and humor. It wouldn't necessarily make a good read aloud (at least not the WHOLE thing - maybe a little at a time projected on a screen), but I can see...more I LOVED this book! I am a bird geek, and I spent many hours as a child drawing birds (why did I stop?) and raising chickens and ducks. I still love watching birds come to the feeders, especially on a snowy day like today. This book reminded me about why I love them so much! It's a very "busy" book - lots of information, drawing tips, even comics and humor. It wouldn't necessarily make a good read aloud (at least not the WHOLE thing - maybe a little at a time projected on a screen), but I can see my students pouring over it again and again. I'm definitely purchasing it for my classroom, and maybe it will inspire me to get my colored pencils out again (and it did - my daughter gave me a set of pencils and blank journals for my birthday because of this book).   It's good to know I gave all of them 5 stars when I originally wrote about them on Goodreads. :-)   Congratulations to all the wonderful writers and illustrators of these amazing books!