Category: Kids Nonfiction

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Today’s book recommendation: 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY by Sue Heavenrich – Nonfiction Picture Book

Lots of giggles with this fun counting down picture book! You start the book with 13 flies, and each then gets caught and eaten in a different way–whether they’re wrapped up like a burrito by a garden spider or stuffed in a hole to feed the larvae of a wasp.

The animal world is weird and wonderful, and there is plenty of gross factor here to go along with it! David Clark’s illustrations, with the delightful animal expressions, are the perfect complement to Sue Heavenrich’s prose.

Check out the hilarious nutritional facts for eating a serving of flies at the end!

Happy Reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: THE THRIFTY GUIDE: A HANDBOOK FOR TIME TRAVELERS series by Jonathon W. Stokes – Middle Grade Nonfiction

As a mother and a writer, I find great satisfaction from what I call “sneaky teaching.” When I can read something to my kids that gets them laughing out loud while teaching them about our world, it is just so rewarding! They don’t even know they’re learning!

The “Thrifty Traveler” series of books are perfect examples of sneaky teaching. They have a cleverly-designed fictional framework, in that they are set up as guidebooks that are produced by a fictional time travel company. It is a fantastic hook for all the fascinating and fun nonfiction material about what it was really like during these times in history.

Every morning before school, when my youngest boys were about 8 and 10 years old, they begged me to read them these while they ate breakfast. The first one we devoured was American Revolution where we learned how to fire a musket, what to do under cannon fire, and all about the Sons of Liberty, Henry Knox and his cannons, Bunker Hill, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and much more!

How do you get in “sneaky teaching” with your kids?

Click on these images to zoom in.

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: NOW & BEN: THE MODERN INVENTIONS OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN by Gene Berretta – Nonfiction Picture Book

This little picture book is the perfect example of how much fun nonfiction books for kids are nowadays. The talented Gene Barretta, who used to animate for Sesame Street, is the author and illustrator of Now & Ben. Barretta uses a compare & contrast structure to highlight Ben Franklin’s original inventions and how those inventions are still used today, and it is absolutely delightful!

It’s history and science, and it gives little ones the perfect way to see how one person can change the world.

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: GRAND CANYON by Jason Chin – Nonfiction Picture Book

I am a huge fan of Jason Chin! He is a such a talented author/illustrator, and I saved his Grand Canyon picture book to give to my boys when we could actually go there. When the day finally came, it did not disappoint! I hadn’t been to the Grand Canyon since I was a child, and I was awestruck—the scale and beauty just cannot be captured in photos.

Jason Chin’s illustrations come close though! My boys poured over this book on the way there, and then dazzled us all with their knowledge of how the canyon was formed, what creatures lived there long ago, and what the various layers of rock signified. It made the experience all the richer!

A clever technique Chin uses in this book to make it fun for kids is the unspoken narrative he tells in the illustrations of a father and daughter who are hiking and camping in the canyon. Whenever her father’s back is turned, she finds a clue to the Grand Canyon’s past, like a fossil. The book uses cutouts for these, and when you turn the page, you see what the canyon might of looked like when that fossil was formed. It’s a lot of fun and really brings home the history and geology of such an incredible place.

Happy reading!