Nonfiction Wednesday

 

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

 

 

 

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

 

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I think this book will be eye-opening for my students. They've learned a lot about the civil rights movement and the fight for equality and desegregation in the African-American community, but they may not realize Mexican-Americans have fought the same fight. This is the true story of Sylvia Mendez, and her family's determination to give her an equal education in California in the 1940s.  I will share it with my sixth graders when we start our social injustice/global awareness unit soon. Some students will be reading Esperanza Rising, which will be a good pairing. I like the way it starts in the present, flashes back to tell the story, and then returns to the present with a different attitude from Sylvia. I'll be curious what my students think of the illustrations.  They are unusual.

 

 

 

 

George Ferris: What a Wheel by Barbara Lowell, illustrated by Jerry Hoare

 

	2014-book, biography, imagination, math-connections, nonfiction, nonfiction-challenge-2014, picture-book, read, science

 

A book about George Ferris has such promise, and if the book were designed as a larger picture book with quality paper and binding, it could've been beautiful. The sepia tones of the cover and the red title have a lot of appeal. However, it's a Core Concepts book and is sold as such. Too bad. I did like the information about George Ferris, though. His grit and imagination were inspiring. The Ferris Wheel, built for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, was quite an accomplishment. I want Brian Floca...more This is a Penguin Core Concepts book, and when I picked it up at the library, I was a little disappointed and wanted it to be larger and designed as a real picture book.  I didn't realize it was made for this series. I did like the information about George Ferris, though. His grit and imagination were inspiring. The Ferris Wheel, built for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, was quite an accomplishment. I want Brian Floca to make a real picture book out of the story!       A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by  Edward Fotheringham   2014-book, biography, nonfiction, nonfiction-challenge-2014, picture-book,  writing-connections   Mr. Emerson was such a likable fellow! I enjoyed learning about his home, his affinity for friends and neighbors, his free-thinking, and how much he was loved. This book would be a great way to introduce writing workshop and the importance of journaling and thinking. "Build a world of your own."    What nonfiction did YOU read this week?