Welcome back, friends! It’s another Monday – can you believe we’re nearly into September? While I’m not ready for the return of the rainy season, I do have a soft spot for September, with its crisp air and blue skies and promise of fresh starts (though it’s been THREE YEARS now since I was last a student).
I’m currently up to my ears in nonfiction in preparation for my new nonfiction book club program, so here are a few titles that I’ve been reading recently.
If you’re on the hunt for engaging nonfiction for your students, I highly recommend swimming to your local library and grabbing a copy of this stunning nonfiction picture book, which perfectly highlights just how beautiful an informational text can be.
A young girl finds a book on coral reefs at her local library and is swept away on a beautiful adventure through a vivid and vibrant underwater ecosystem. Chin’s illustrations are highly detailed and carefully researched, and readers will feel just as immersed in this world as our young protagonist.
Coral Reefs is a fantastic title for nonfiction sceptics, as Chin’s straightforward text manages to be both informative and accessible, while effectively complementing the stunning illustrations. It’s absolutely worth diving into!
In Gravity, Jason Chin turns his attentions to the impact this mysterious force exerts on everything from the smallest children’s toy to the very planets themselves.
This is a much shorter text, perfect for younger budding scientists. Purists might frown at some of the text’s oversimplifications of complex scientific principles, but there is an afterword that provides additional information on gravity and other forces.
Gravity would pair beautifully with a unit on space, and would lend itself naturally to some classroom experiments on gravity, which is what I’m planning to do with my book club participants. It’s also, like all of Chin’s work, simply a joy to experience.
My name is Jane, and I am a trivia addict. I just can’t help it! I love facts and figures, I love lists, and I love, love, love random trivia. This wondrous National Geographic Kids title, which now has two sequels, would have set my heart ablaze as a child. Incredible trivia meets incredible photography in this absolute winner of a book for budding Jeoprady stars.
This book really has something for just about everyone – facts about plants and animals, cars, sports, history, and so much more! It’s so very nerdy, and that’s what makes it so wonderful!
Teachers, parents, librarians – please don’t discount nonfiction when reaching out to “reluctant” readers! Many children don’t dislike reading so much as they cannot connect to fiction, and a book of facts and figures might be just the ticket for kids who crave information, rather than fantasy. Books that are broken down into handy sections like this can also be less intimidating for readers who might baulk at the thought of tackling a novel.
Have you read any of these titles? Do you have favourite nonfiction titles you might suggest for my book club? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
And have a great week, everyone!
Coral Reefs and Gravity both look great. Come see what I’m reading.
Oh, I’m going to have to check out Gravity for my son. He LOVES space!
Wonderful!!
Coral reefs are so incredibly colorful and full of life- looks like this book captures that pretty well! And I can’t believe it’s almost September! Yikes!!
I know – where did the summer go?!?!
I love those Jason Chin nonfiction titles. Enjoy!
I may have to take issue with your blog title….I’m afraid my city, Houston, may turn your title over to me after this hurricane.
http://www.readerbuzz.blogspot.com
Yikes! Hope you’re keeping safe and well with all the crazy weather!
Jason Chin is one of the finest authors in nonfiction picture books. I’ve just put a hold on Coral Reefs.
I can’t believe I only discovered his books recently!!
I will have to check out Gravity. My daughter has been asking how gravity works, so this would be perfect!
Nonfiction picture books have always been very popular with my students, especially books about ocean animals!
There’s just something so mysterious and fascinating about the ocean, isn’t there?
I love Jason Chin’s books, will look for Gravity, Jane. The others sound good too. I enjoy books about coral reefs.
Jess Keating’s books are a favorite with my readers! It seems like it’s always checked out!
I’m reading Chin’s Grand Canyon for bookaday next week to go along with their rock unit. Love finding nonfiction for read alouds!
Jason Chin’s books are absolutely gorgeous. Redwoods is my favorite of his.
Gravity and Coral Reefs would both be great nonfiction additions to my picture book collection. Love how the young girl takes an adventure underwater in Coral Reefs.
Coral Reefs looks fantastic, I am going to order for Sophia and Clayton, even though it is geared for those a little older, she will watch documentaries on sea life.
The images are so beautiful – even if kids aren’t quite ready for the text, the illustrations alone are worth a look, they’re just so colourful and lovely!
These are certainly educative in a very fun way.
My thoughts exactly. 🙂
Jason Chin’s art is so fabulous. I heard a podcast with him recently and enjoyed hearing about his process for his Grand Canyon book http://www.allthewonders.com/podcasts/jason-chin-all-the-wonders-episode-352/
I’m really curious about how you structure your nonfiction book club. Is it like a storytime, where you read the books? Or do the kids come to the meeting having read books that are pre-assigned? Or something totally different?
At each club meeting the librarian reads a book aloud, and then book talks a number of books on the same theme, which kids can check out after the program. We talk about the book, what we learned, what the best part was, etc. Then, we do a related craft or activity! We wanted to make the program as barrier-free as possible, so there’s no registration, and kids can just drop in, which is good for kids whose living situations can be unpredictable. We also have a real range of language levels, with a high number of newcomer kids, so we wanted the program to be really accessible. We already do a similar program with fiction titles, but my colleague and I are giving it a nonfiction twist this fall!