Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2015 is a weekly celebration of imaginative children’s nonfiction materials hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.
Title: The Rat
Author/Illustrator: Elise Gravel
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication Date: 2014
Genre/Format: Nonfiction/Early Reader
Publisher’s Summary: One in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Rat is a look at the black rat. It covers such topics as the rat’s long, agile tail (it’s good for balancing and picking noses), long teeth (they can chew through anything, including books) and disgusting taste in food (delicious electrical wires in tomato sauce, anyone?). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Rat contains real information that will tie in with curriculum.
My Two Cents: I used Elise Gravel’s series Disgusting Critters with an Early Readers book club back in the summer, and it was a big hit! The children each picked a book from the series (which also includes such kid-pleasing titles as The Slug, The Fly, and The Worm) to read, and shared what they learned with the rest of the group.
This series works so well because it matches real biology with a zany sense of humour and wacky illustrations. The rat, a potentially frightening creature, becomes a cheeky little rascal, challenging any preconceived notions about this highly intelligent animal. Kids learn about the animal’s diet, anatomy, habitat, and behaviour in a way that doesn’t actually feel like learning (perfect for a summer program). The last thing an educational text should feel like is, well, an educational text! The entire series is kid-friendly from top to bottom, with a cute font that appears almost hand-written, and a balance of text and illustrations that makes each book an accessible nonfiction text for early readers. Highly recommended – and Canadian, too!
So, which nonfiction books have caught your eye this week?
I’ve seen these more than once, and still need to request them from the library. They do look fun and filled with information too. Thanks, Jane. You’ve given a nice overview of them.
They’re definitely gross, but cute at the same time 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!
I love Gravel’s books, so fun! Love the way writers are getting kids into nonfiction!
She’s got a very quirky sense of humour, I definitely love it!
I hadn’t thought about it before I read your comment about the art in this series, but some of my favorite recent nonfiction picture books work largely because the art has a whimsical fiction vibe to it–everything by Meghan McCarthy; the Blue Whale, by Jenni Desmond; Gingerbread for Liberty, by Mara Rockliff; Tricky Vic, by Greg Pizzoli, etc.