Nonfiction Wednesday

  Join Alyson and others at Kid Lit Frenzy for a nonfiction picture book bonanza each week!

 

 

Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

 

2015-book, history, mood-tone, nonfiction, nonfictionchallenge2015, science, text-style-and-shape, vocabulary

 

 

I love that we can STILL learn new things about Ben Franklin! I didn't know that when he visited France, he was asked by King Louis XVI to investigate a Dr. Mesmer, who was supposedly hypnotizing people and curing their illnesses. Doctors were furious with Dr. Mesmer, but people flocked to him for their miraculous recoveries. Using the scientific method, Franklin proved that Dr. Mesmer's patients got better just because they BELIEVED they cured, inadvertently discovering the placebo effect. I re I love that we can STILL learn new things about Ben Franklin! I didn't know that when he visited France, he was asked by King Louis XVI to investigate a Dr. Mesmer, who was supposedly hypnotizing people and curing their illnesses. Doctors were furious with Dr. Mesmer, but people flocked to him for their miraculous recoveries. Using the scientific method, Franklin proved that Dr. Mesmer's patients got better just because they BELIEVED they were cured, inadvertently discovering the placebo effect. I really enjoyed the illustrations and the magic show tone the author created.     Sleepy Snoozy Cozy Coozy by Judy Young, illustrations by Michael Glenn Monroe   2015-book, animals, bedtime-story, creative-nonfiction, nature, nonfiction, nonfictionchallenge2015, picture-book, poetry   Fun word play and rhymes accompany sweet illustrations of sleeping animals and lots of fun facts about the nocturnal habits of many animals. This would be a great bedtime book for kids - relaxing AND informational! Interactive questions are asked at the end of the informational paragraphs. I love the last pages of a child sound asleep: "A silky puffy/Toasty Fluffy/Comfy dreamy/Warm moonbeamy/Sleepy snoozy/Cozy cozy/Place where you might lay your head/For you're a child and it's your bed."     The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Aliona Bereghici     2015-book, art, biography, birds, creative-nonfiction, mock-sibert-2016, nature, nonfiction, nonfictionchallenge2015, poetry     I LOVE birds, so when beautiful books come out about them, I'm very happy! I also love art, so this is the perfect combination. Through Margarita Engle's masterful poetry and Aliona Vereghici's gorgeous illustrations, we learn about Louis Fuertes, who was a bird artist and conservationist. Unlike his predecessors, Fuertes learned to draw birds alive and in their natural habitat. Because of this skill, he is known as the Father of Modern Bird Art. I read a library copy, but I will purchase this o I LOVE birds, so when beautiful books come out about them, I'm very happy! I also love art, so this is the perfect combination. Through Margarita Engle's masterful poetry and Aliona Vereghici's gorgeous illustrations, we learn about Louis Fuertes, who was a bird artist and conservationist. Unlike his predecessors, Fuertes learned to draw birds alive and in their natural habitat. Because of this skill, he is known as the Father of Modern Bird Art. I read a library copy, but I will purchase this one for my own classroom library.