Get Real: Nonfiction to Get Kids (and Us!) Excited about Reading!

Kathleen Baxter kathybaxter@gmail.com 763-717-2581 November 2013

Use this handout to correlate with the PowerPoint presentation. It is in the same order, and the slide showing the cover of each book has the corresponding number.

Reading Levels: Many reviews you read indicate different reading levels. These are my best stabs at it-but I believe a creative, good teacher can use extremely simple books successfully even with

high school students! Don’t be afraid to try it!

You have my permission to reproduce this as much as you please, and you may email me and I will send a copy via email to you so you do not have to photocopy this.

1. Kennedy, Caroline. Poems to Learn by Heart. Paintings by Jon J. Muth. Disney Hyperion, 2013. 97814213108054 192 p. Grades 4-up $19.99. A beautifully illustrated collection of over one hundred poems, funny, thoughtful, revealing-you name it.

2. Johnson, Rebecca L. Zombie Makers : True Stories of Nature's Undead. Millbank, 2012. 9780761386339 48 p. Grades 4-8 $23.00. Examines real-life accounts of zombies in nature, including a fly-enslaving fungus, a suicide worm, and a cockroach-taming wasp, and related topics. 2013 ALA Notable Children’s Book

3. Davies, Nicola. Deadly! The Truth about the Most Dangerous Creatures on Earth. Illustrated by Neal Layton. Candlewick, 2013. 9780763662318 61 p. Grades 3-6 $14.99. The title says it all. Many of our common beliefs are inaccurate.

4. MacLeod, Elizabeth. Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History’s Mysteries. Annick, 2013. 9781554514823 156p. Grades 4-8 $14.95. A guide to understanding the forensic sciences.

5. Gould, Frances. Why You Shouldn’t Eat Your Boogers: Gross But True Things You Don’t Want to Know about Your Body. Illustrated by JP Coovert. Putnam, 2013. 9780399257902 113 p. Grades 3-8 $8.99 pap. You won't be able to resist picking this one!

6. Newquist, HP. The Book of Blood: from Legends and Leeches to Vampires and Veins. Houghton Mifflin, 2012. 9780547315843 152 p. Grades 5-up $17.99. A thrilling and lively tour of the world of blood, from ancient history to modern science.

7. Schwartz, David M. Rotten Pumpkin: a Rotten Tale in 15 Voices. Photos by Dwight Kuhn. Creston Books, 2013. 9781939547033 Unpaged Grades 1-5 $16.99.  Tells the story of a rotting pumpkin with scientific explanations of the process of biodegradation.

8. Farrar, Sid. The Year Comes Round: Haiku through the Seasons. Illustrated by Ilse Plume. Albert Whitman, 2012. 9780807581292 Unpaged Grades 1-up $16.99. A spectacularly written and illustrated collection of poems about the seasons.

9. Vry, Silke. 13 Art Illusions Children Should Know. Prestel, 2013. 9783791371108 46p. Grades 4-up $14.95.  Introduces illusions used in art, covering techniques, styles, use of perspective, and composition.

10. Turner, Pamela S. The Dolphins of Shark Bay (Scientists in the Field). With Photographs by Scott Tuason. Houghton Mifflin, 2013. 9780547716381 76 p. Grades 4-up $18.99. A constantly surprising look at the researchers at Shark Bay, Australia, and what they are learning about dolphins.

11. Coleman, Janet Wyman. Eight Dolphins of Katrina: a True Tale of Survival. Illustrations by Yan Nascimbene. Houghton Mifflin, 2013. 9780547719238 Unpaged Grades 2-5 $16.99. When Hurricane Katrina crashed a forty-foot tidal wave

over the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississippi, the dolphins inside were swept from their tank into the Gulf of Mexico.

12. Butterworth, Chris. See What a Seal Can Do. Illustrated by Kate Nelms. Candlewick, 2013. 9780763665746 Unpaged Grades K-2 $14.99.  Follow a gray seal on a journey from sand to sea in an engaging, richly illustrated story with surefire kid appeal.

13. Arnosky, Jim. Shimmer & Splash: the Sparkling World of Sea Life. Sterling, 2013. 9781402786235 41 p. Grades 1-5 $14.95. Profiles different kinds of sea life, including jellyfish, sharks, coral reefs, and more.

14. Hoyt, Erich. Weird Sea Creatures. Firefly, 2013. 9781770851979 64 p. Grades 4-up $19.95. Includes index. An illustrated guide to sea life, particularly those organisms of the deep sea, including the carnivorous comb jelly, lantern-carrying deep-sea dragonfish, jewel squid, and dancing jellyfish.

15. Cerullo, Mary M., with Clyde F. E.Roper. Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster (Smithsonian). Capstone, 2012. 9781429675413 48 p. Grades 4-8 $20.20. Describes the science of the giant squid and the challenges in finding and learning about this cephalopod.

16. Guiberson, Brenda Z. Frog Song. Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Henry Holt, 2013. 9780805092547 Unpaged Grades K-4 $17.99. Discusses the songs of many different frogs from all parts of the globe.

17. Crump, Marty. The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog. Illustrations by Steve Jenkins and Edel Rodriguez. Boyds Mills, 2013. 9781590788646 40 p. Grades 4-6 $16.95. n 1840, Charles Darwin found a new and strange species of frog in Chile that shocked and stumped scientists, scientists continued to study the frog through the years, and today scientists are working to save Darwin's frog from extinction.

18. Freedman, Russell. Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty. Holiday House, 2013. 9780823423743 80 p. Grades 4-8 $24.95. Freedman always hits a home run. This is a fine biography of perhaps our most beloved Founding Father.

19. Hale, Nathan. One Dead Spy: the Life, Times, and Las Words of Nathan Hale, America’s Most Famous Spy (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales). Amulet, 2012. 9781419703966 128 p. Grades 4-8 $12.95. Retells, in graphic novel format, the history of the author's namesake, an officer and spy for the American rebels during the Revolutionary War.

20. Rosenstock, Barbara. Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library. Illustrated by John O’Brien. Calkins Cree, 2013. 9781590789322 Unpaged Grades 2-5 $16.95. Looks at how Thomas Jefferson's love of books led to the creation of the Library of Congress.

21. Gunderson, Jessica. Your Life as a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail. Illustrated by Rachel Dougherty. Picture Window, 2012. 9781404871571 32p. Grades 2-5 $20.29. Explains that the Oregon Trail was an important route to the western U.S. in the nineteenth century and describes what life was like on the trail, including the challenges pioneers faced.

22. Fradin, Judith Bloom and Dennis Brindell Fradin. The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery. Illustrated by Eric Velasquex. Walker, 2013. 9780802721662 Unpaged Grades 1-4 $16.99. Documents the efforts of an Ohio community to secure the freedom of escaped slave John Price, examining various aspects of Price's escape from Kentucky, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and the heroic showdown.

23. Fradin, Judith, and Dennis Fradin. Stolen into Slavery: the True Story of Solomon Northrup, Free Black Man. National Geographic, 2012. 9781426309380 120 p. Grades 5-up $18.95. Recounts the experiences of Solomon Northup, an African American man who was kidnapped into slavery and suffered through twelve years of bondage before being rescued from the Louisiana cotton plantation by friends from New York.

24. Adler, David A. Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Holiday House, 2013. 9780823423651 140 p. Grades 5-up $18.95. A biography of Harriet Tubman, describing her life born a slave, how she escaped slavery, how she became the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad.

25. Krull, Kathleen. Louisa May’s Battle: How the Civil War Led to Little Women. Illustrated by Carlyn Beccia. Walker, 2013. 9780802796691 Unpaged Grades 2-5 $16.99. A surprising look at how the Civil War influenced the life and work of one of our favorite authors.

26. Anderson, Tanya. Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg. Twenty-First Century Books, 2013. 9781467706926 96 p. Grades 4-8 $26.00. Describes the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War through the eyes of Tillie Pierce, a teenager who lived through the fighting.

27. Nardo, Don. Civil War Witness: Matthew Brady’s Photos Reveal the Horrors or War(Captured History). Compass Point, 2013. 9780756546939 64 p. Grades 4-up $25.24. A fascinating look at some of the earliest photographs and how the photographs of the Civil War affected the public.

28. Green,Dan. U.S. Presidents: the Oval Office All Stars! Illustrations copyright Simon Basher Kingfisher, 2013. 9780753469644 112 p. Grades 4-7 $14.99. Profiles the presidents of the United States, from George Washington to Barack Obama, and includes facts and trivia about each president, including major achievements and personality quirks.

29. Townsend, Michael. Where Do Presidents Come From? And Other Presidential Stuff of Super-Great Importance. Dial, 2012. 9780803737488 156 p. Grades 4-up. $14.99. An appealing graphic presentation about the presidents and what they do.

30. Burgan, Michael. Breaker Boys: How a Photograph Helped End Child Labor. (Captured History). Compass Point, 2012. 9780756545109 64 p. Grades 4-8 Paperback $6.89, hardbound available.  Recounts photographer Lewis Hines' fight against child labor in the early 1900s and discusses how his work and the work of others revealed truths about the issue to the public.

31. Cummins, Julie. Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America’s Heart. Illustrated by Malene R. Laugesen. Roaring Brook, 2013. 9781596435094 Unpaged Grades 1-4 $17.99. Ruth

Elder did her darnedest to make aviation history and proved herself a talented flyer, paving the way for other women to achieve more than any woman could in her time.

32. Hopkins, H. Joseph. The Tree Lady: the True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever. Illustrated by Jill McElmurry. Beach Lane, 2013. 9781442414020 All ages. $18.99. A spectacular book about an astonishing woman. It is published for young children, but I believe it is for all ages.

33. Brown, Don. The Great American Dust Bowl. Houghton Mifflin, 2013. 9780547815503 80 p. $18.99. An absolutely outstanding look at one of the greatest ecological catastrophes in history.

34. Huber, Raymond. Flight of the Honey Bee. Illustrated by Brian Lovelock. Candlewick, 2013. 97807636767603 Unpaged Grades 1-4 $18.99. Follows the flight of a honey bee as she searches for nectar to sustain her hive and, along the way, pollinates flowers to produce seeds and fruits.

35. Stone, Tanya Lee. Courage Has No Color: the True Story of the Triple Nickles: America’s First Black Paratroopers. Candlewick, 2013. 9780763651176 148 p. Grades 5-up $24.99. Tells the story of America's first black paratroopers during World War II.

36. Nardo, Don. Assassination and its Aftermath: How a Photograph Reassured a Shocked Nation (Captured History). Compass Point, 2013. 9780756546922 64 p. Grades 4-up $25.24. The world was shocked and frightened when President John F. Kennedy was gunned down by an assassin’s bullet in 1963. What would happen to the government of the most powerful nation on Earth?

37. Krull, Kathleen. Lives of the Scientists: Experiments, Explosions (and What the Neighbors Thought). Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. Harcourt, 2013. 9780152059095 96 p. Grades 4-up $20.99. Explores the personal lives of twenty famous scientists, including Marie Curie, Galileo, Grace Murray Hopper, and Ivan Pavlov, offering humorous anecdotes, favorite foods, first loves, and more.

38. Rusch, Elizabeth. Volcano Rising. Illustrated by Susan Swan. Charlesbridge, 2013. 9781580894081 Unpaged Grades 2-5 $17.95.  Describes how volcanoes not only erupt and cause destruction, but also build mountains, fertilize fields, create new islands, and more.

39. Rusch, Elizabeth. Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives (Scientists in the Field). Photographs by Tom Uhlman. Houghton Mifflin, 2013. 9780547503509 76 p. Grades 5-8 $18.99. Follows volcanologists Andy Lockhart and John Pallister as they helicopter onto active volcanoes to install equipment, climb into blast zones to collect ash samples, and endure suspense as they wait to find out if their predictions are accurate.

40. Adler, David A. Things that Float and Things that Don’t. Illustrated by Anna Raff. Holiday House, 2013. 9780823428625 Unpaged. Grades K-3 $16.95.  Explains to children why some objects float and some sink.

41. Heos, Bridget. Stronger than Steel: Spider Silk, DNA and the Quest for Better Bulletproof Vests, Sutures, and Parachute Rope. Photographs by Andy Comins. Houghton Mifflin, 2013. 9780547681269 77 p. Grades 5-8 $18.99. Discusses the work scientists are doing with the golden orb weaver spider, whose web silk is nearly indestructible.

42. Kelly, David A. Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud That Changed Baseball. Illustrated by Oliver Doninguez. Millbrook, 2013. Unpaged Grades K-4 $16.95. Describes how baseball player Lena Blackburn revolutionized the way baseballs are prepared using his secret mud.

43. Rusch, Elizabeth. Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World. Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez. Candlewick, 2013. 9780763658557 Unpaged Grades 2-5 and up. $18.99. Nikola Tesla takes the spotlight in a biography of the man who pioneered modern electrical engineering — and changed the course of history.

44. Berne, Jennifer. On a Beam of Light: a Story of Albert Einstein. Pictures by Vladimir Rudensky. Chronicle, 2013. 9780811872355 Unpaged Grades 1-5 $17.99. A biography of physicist Albert Einstein.

45. Weitekamp, Margaret A., with David DeVorkin. Pluto’s Secret: an Icy World’s Tale of Discovery. Illustrated by Diane Kidd. Abrams, published in association with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 2013. 9781419704239 Unpaged Grades 1-4 $16.95.  Provides the history of the small, icy world of Pluto from its discovery and naming to its recent reclassification.

46. Heiligman, Deborah. The Boy who Loved Math: the Improbable Life of Paul Erdos. Pictures by LeUyen Pham. Roaring Brook 2013. 9781596433076 37 p. Grades 2-up $17.99. A splendid picture book biography, with amazing illustrations, tells the story of one of the world’s greatest mathematicians ever. Absolutely fascinating.

47. Goldstone, Bruce. That’s a Possibility! A Book about What Might Happen. Henry Holt, 2013. 9780805089981 32 p. Grades 1-3 $16.99. Easy-to-understand scenarios help kids understand the prospect of things being probable, possible or impossible. Attractive and interesting!

48. Williams, Marcia. The Romans: Gods, Emperors, and Dormice. Candlewick, 2013. 9780763665814 Unpaged Grades 3-up $18.99. Williams’ detailed books of history are fun and educational.

49. McGinty, Alice B. Gandhi: a March to the Sea. Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2013. 9781477816448 Unpaged Grades 1-4 $17.99. Mohandas Gandhi’s 24-day March to the Sea, from March 12 to April 5, 1930, was a pivotal moment in India’s quest to become an independent country no longer ruled by Great Britain. With over 70 marchers, Gandhi walked from his hometown near Ahmedabad to the seacoast near Dandi.

50. Callery, Sean. World War II: A Visual Hiastory of the World’s Darkest Days. Scholastic (Discover More), 2013. 9780545479752 112 p. Grades 5-up $15.99. A photographic history of the events of World War II, discussing the lives of soldiers and civilians.

51. Arato, Rona. The Last Train: a Holocaust Story. Owlkids, 2013. 9781926973623 142 p. Grades 4-8 $15.95.Tells the true story of five-year-old Paul Auslander and his family who endured the atrocities of the Holocaust when in 1944 their hometown of Karcag, Hungary became occupied by the Nazis.

52. Markel, Michelle. The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau. Illustrated by Amanda Hall. Eerdman’s, 2012. 9780802853646 Unpaged Grades 1-4 $17.00. Introduces readers to the life and

accomplishments of Henri Rousseau, a self-taught painter who faced harsh criticism but persevered and succeeded.

53. Singer, Marilyn. Follow Follow: a Book of Reverso Poems. Illustrated by Josee Masse. Dial, 2013. 9780803737693 Unpaged Grades 2-5 $16.99.  A collection of poems in which characters from familiar tales relate their side of the story.

54. Jocelyn, Marthe. Sneaky Art: Crafty Surprises to Hide in Plain Sight. Candlewick, 2013. 9780763656485 54 p. Grades 3-6 $12.99. Made you look! Kids will uncover their inner guerrilla artist as they sneak funny art projects into surprising places to make people smile!

55. Bryant, Jen. A Splash of Red: the Life and Art of Horace Pippin. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. 9780375867125 Unpaged Grades 2-5 $17.99. n illustrated biography of African American painter, Horace Pippin.

56. Latham, Donna. Backyard Biology: Investigate Habitats Outside Your Door with 25 Projects (Build It Yourself). Illustrated by Beth Hetland. Nomad Press, 2013. 9781619301528 122p. Grades 3-6 $21.95.  Instructionsf or twenty-five building projects and activities which teach children about biology topics, including cells, microbiology, plant and animal life cycles, and adaptations.

57. MacLachlan, Patricia, and Emily MacLachlan Charest. Cat Talk. Illustrated by Barry Moser. Katherine Tegen Books, 2013. 9780060279783 Unpaged Grades 1-3 $17.99. Delightful poems by a Newbery Award winner and her daughter.

58. Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. Dogs on Duty: Soldiers’ Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond. Walker, 2012. 9780802728456 48 p. Grades 3-8 $16.99. Explains the many ways that dogs are used in the military and how they are trained and cared for. $16.99. Text and photographs introduce readers to the sloth by introducing them to several of the animals that live in a sloth sanctuary in Cost Rica.

59. Cooke, Lucy. A Little Book of Sloth. Margaret McElderry, 2013. 9781442445574 All ages. 58 p. $16.99. Text and photographs introduce readers to the sloth by introducing them to several of the animals that live in a sloth sanctuary in Cost Rica.

60. Cate, Annette LeBlanc. Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard. Candlewick, 2013. 9780763645618 52 p. Grades 2-5 $15.99. This is an absolutely delightful look at watching birds and what you can learn from that.

61. Lourie, Peter. The Polar Bear Scientists (Scientists in the Field). Houghton Mifflin, 2012. 9780547283050 80 p. Grades 5-8 $18.99. Explores the ways in which scientists research polar bears in Alaska, following biologists as they locate bears from a helicopter, tranquilize them, give them tattoo identification numbers and tags, gather data, and collect samples.

62. Full Count : Top 10 Lists of Everything in Baseball (Sports Illustrated Kids). Time Home Entertainment, 2012. 9781618930064 96 p. Grades 3-up $19.95. Contains top ten lists about baseball, including oddest deliveries, rivalries, mascots, ugly uniforms, and more.

63. Moss, Marissa. Barbed Wire Baseball. Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. Abrams, 2013. 9781419705212 40 p. Grades 2-6 $18.95. Looks at Japanese American baseball player Kenichi Zenimura's time spent in the internment camps during World War II and his creation of a baseball field there.

64. Coy, John. Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball. Illustrations by Joe Morse. Carolrhoda, 2013. 9780761366171 Unpaged Grades K-2 $16.95. Tells the story of why and how James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891.

65. Floca, Brian. Locomotive. Atheneum, 2013. 9781416994152 Unpaged All ages. $17.99. An absolutely stunning look at a family traveling cross country by train in 1869. Wonderful!

66. Prelutsky, Jack. Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems. Illustrated by Carin Berger. Greenwillow, 2013. 36 P. 9780062014641 $17.99. A collection of poems describing imaginary creatures such as Bluffaloes, Swapitis, and Stardines. Every poem Prelutsky writes can be sung, and kids just love to do this.

A book I found very helpful is: Calkins, Lucy, Mary Ehrenworth and Christopher Lehman. Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement. Heinemann, 2012. I purchased my copy on Amazon for $21.87. Many Common Core exemplar books, the more or less “official” examples, are on this website: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf –or just google Common Core Exemplar. When I first looked at it, many of the books were out of print, but they certainly seem to be coming back into print quickly. Never fear: we get to choose our own books, there are no official ones. And just because a book is older does not mean it is no longer excellent. There are many excellent internet sites—a few I was impressed by are these:

http://tmsteach.blogspot.comvisit http://bookends.booklistonline.com http://booklistonline.com/commoncore I just love this site. Also excellent ideas and recommendations from two Michigan Librarians These are so user friendly.

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy http://www.teachingbooks.net/show.cgi?f=common_core_cu_home an excellent subscription site Book jobbers such as www.follett.com often include Common Core information and especially ideas

for clusters. Amazon includes information on other books on the same topic, also useful for clusters. And look at the publisher’s website: they often have Common Core ideas for their titles.

A Few Thoughts from the Experts—which is often us.

Children need to see that reading is an important part of life. If an adult is seen reading regularly, then it is! If not, it must not be. Read. Talk about what you read. Kids need to know that we consider reading fun. A lot of them today consider reading only for work.

With boys in the ‘tween years, the best book is not the issue. What is an issue is what books they will actually read. Also, boys are less likely to talk about or overtly respond to their reading than girls are. But they LOVE information that exports readily to conversation—that they can repeat to other people. This is one reason why nonfiction works well.

Do NOT tell a child in any way, verbally or in body language, that the books he or she likes are bad. I bet you (like me) read a lot of trash, especially in the beauty shop.

Kids need our assurance and our permission to read easy books. Include plenty of easier books in your booktalks.

In a recent study, reluctant readers indicated that they only liked to read when they got to pick whatever they want to read. Let them choose!!!

Studies show that reading comprehension is related to reader’s interest in the topic. Interested readers can comprehend materials normally considered to be beyond their reading level.

As the school media specialist to keep a list in a prominent place of what the most popular books are in your library or media center. Create buzz. So you get a waiting list. Hey, that’s a goal!

Wouldn't it be great if the public library sent out a list of high interest books that they have available to add to the school list?

Consider making a PowerPoint DVD or flash drive that will highlight new titles available in your library or media center. We know we will never be able to place every appealing book face out on the shelves. Think of how cool it would be to sit down in front of a computer with a PowerPoint show, all books numbered to make requesting them easier, and note that the library has books on all sorts of intriguing topics. Make copies and give them to every classroom. This is a great volunteer project. Publishers do not at all object to our use of book covers in promotion. Better yet, use a digital picture frame at the checkout desk.

And an important thing: if you are looking for fiction or nonfiction titles on a particular title and having trouble finding ones that might work, ask at your local school or public library. We librarians LOVE to help you find this kind of thing, and every question we are asked makes us feel more valuable in these endangered economic times!

Nonfiction Booktalking Tips Approach your books with a supply of post-it notes or tape flags.

Browse through the books on your shelf. Do any have topics that particularly appeal to you? Grab them!

Look through the illustrations and photographs. Is there one that is absolutely irresistible? Read the caption and scan the accompanying information. Mark it.

Keep browsing. Is there another great illustration or a fascinating fact guaranteed to secure the attention of your audience? Mark it.

Browse the book just enough to get you a feel for what it is saying. Jot down notes to help you remember any key points, then stick your notes in the book. Or put a post it on the back of the book!

Select books on a variety of topics. You are not attracted by absolutely every topic and neither is your audience.

Keep your booktalk moving. This is not the age of rhetoric. I have seen librarians talk about one book for 15 minutes. It is beyond boring! Make it quick and snappy. No one has much of an attention span anymore!

Be enthusiastic! Let your audience see your excitement about the book. Let the wild woman or wild guy inside out!

Include a commercial for your library, media center or classroom collection anytime you give a booktalk. Make it easy for kids to get the book.

Use PowerPoint whenever possible. It cuts down on heavy hauling and allows the books to be used by their audience.

A FEW QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND THOUGHT

1. Do you have a favorite nonfiction book that you regularly read aloud to children?

2. Do you have a favorite nonfiction book that you regularly recommend to children?

3. If you are a librarian, what do you do to promote nonfiction in the library?4. Do you buy books that win awards for nonfiction? Do you ever read

nonfiction books?5. Librarians: How to you choose the materials for your collection? Do you

use reviews? Salespeople? Recommendations from other librarians? 6. Are there any subjects on which we need more books? Or ANY books?7. Were there any nonfiction books or series of books that you remember

fondly from your own childhood?8. What do you see as major trends happening in children’s books right at the

moment? How are they affecting you and the books you select? 9. Do you buy any graphic nonfiction? Do you read any yourself?10.What trends do you see in nonfiction publishing?11.Share a nonfiction book that is popular in your school. 12.What is the best book you have read lately?13.Do you ever read nonfiction? Think of a nonfiction book you really enjoyed.14.Did you see any book today that you would like to read yourself or share

with young people?15.Do you have any thoughts on good fiction books to pair these nonfiction

books with?

The article on the following pages was reprinted from Book Links: Literature-Based Resources for the Curriculum, September 2013 issue. This little magazine is a treasure trove of information for Common Core and the classroom. This comes out four times a year, with your subscription for Booklist Magazine, and is published by and reprinted here with the permission of the American Library Association. Ask your school or public librarian if you might see their issues.