Rasco From RIF

NONFICTION MONDAY: You are invited to stop by throughout the day!

December 7th, 2009

Every Monday is NONFICTION MONDAY in the children’s literature blogging world.  I am honored to host this weekly event today and invite participants to leave a link and any notes in the comment section; I will update throughout the day.  To readers: this is a great opportunity to learn about new or rediscovered children’s nonfiction;  for those of us who blog it is a celebration of nonfiction we are eager to share!  You can see the current schedule on the blog PICTURE BOOK OF THE DAY;  thank you, Anastasia Suen, for organizing this great weekly festival of nonfiction for all.

Sara @ In Need of Chocolate gets us started today with a review of Bubble Homes and Fish Farts.  Thanks, Sara, I have some young friends who have thoroughly enjoyed that book!

Over at Abby (the) Librarian, you’ll find her Twelve Days of Giving continuing with favorite nonfiction for middle-grade and teen readers;  a shopping list ready made for you!

Roberta at Wrapped in Foil notes “This morning I took off with Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11.”  Sounds like a great lift-off for this week!

This week at The Stenhouse Blog, Lynne Dorfman shares some “great reads for Hanukkah.”

You will find a review of Jill Esbaum’s Apples for Everyone at the Wild About Nature blog.  And you will also find a delectable cover to this book about apples….mmm, good!

Jennifer from Jean Little Library has posted about two animal fact series, check them out, they look great for younger readers!

Please see below in the comments section of this entry Debbie Reese’s thoughts regarding concerns she has about a nonfiction book she just read;  as noted in her comment she has written more on the issue at American Indians in Children’s Literature.  Thank you, Debbie for reminding us to think about all aspects of the nonfiction we read.

Now this sounds intriguing:  Bookends Blog is headed into deep water today with reviews of Menorah Under the Sea by Esther Susan Heller and Down, Down, Down by Steve Jenkins. 

Liz who brings us A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy has reviewed the new National Book Award winner in Young People’s Literature:  Claudette Colvin:  Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.  Very interesting here is that Liz reviewed this book full of photographs from an audiobook, don’t miss her comments!

Dawn from Moms Inspire Learning writes that since she has been been writing a series of posts related to peace for the holidays, she chose today to post a listing of 5 great nonfiction books on the topic of peace for children between the ages of 9 and 13.   An inspiring list!  She also sends to all of us a wish for a joyous and peaceful holiday season;  thank you, Dawn!

Water is appearing as a central feature in several posts today.  Amanda of A Patchwork of Books has posted a review of Our World of Water by Beatrice Hollyer.  Of note in the posting is that all royalties from this book go to Oxfam. 

Just in from MotherReader where she is talking about two books on things kids can do to save the planet by going green!

Diane Chen wrote about 2 beginning reader series using rebuses from Marshal Cavendish Benchmark.  I haven’t thought about a rebus in a long time…interesting!

Alicia of LibrariYAn notes “I’ve reviewed two books in the “Scientists in the Field” series.

Here is a fun post to keep in mind during the upcoming school holidays:  Easter at Owl in the Library notes she has revisited two student favorites: Oh, Yuck! and Oh, Yikes! – encyclopedias of the gross and disgusting.

Please join me in welcoming Anna from Lost Between the Pages who notes it is her first time to participate in Nonfiction Monday.  Today she reports on two books Do It Yourself Projects!: Make Your Own Books and Money Matters: A Kid’s Guide to Money: A Kid’s Guide to Stock Market Investing.   I also was pleased to see you noted these books are in your local library, Anna!  Good reminder to all of us!

Mary Ann from Great Kid Books looks at two books celebrating Hanukkah around the world. She shares “Holidays celebrate our traditions within our own family, and also help us feel connected to the broader world as we see how our traditions can have common threads across many places and cultures. These are special books because of the way they help us connect to far away places with similar traditions.”

Jone of Check It Out has submitted a Cybils nominee today, 14 Cows for America.  She shares interesting information about how she used this with students.

The Wonders Inside Bugs and Spiders is not just another bug book according to Lori Calabrese!   Lori encourages all to check out “this creepy-crawly collection”!

Feaky, Fegan and Squirt of 3T News and Reviews suggest several biographies as part of their gift-giving suggestions, some older and some newer.

Bookscoops reports at their household a top favorite is Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop.  I loved the way the Mother thought some things were creepy while the young daughter felt the same items were just adorable!

Over on Wendie’s Wanderings, Wendie talks about Mount Rushmore — a place she says she has always wanted to see for herself.

 
I have chosen to share with you a treasure of a book I recently discovered that I know can be enjoyed as one friend put it “by children 8 – 80″ which is saying a lot for an “alphabet book.”  But Lights on Broadway:  A Theatrical Tour from A to Z is a wonderful trip through the theatre district from what else, but yes, A to Z!  Written by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by Elliot Kreloff there are additional comments by Brian Stokes Mitchell, winner of the Tony Award for Kiss Me Kate.  Published in 2009 by Blue Apple Books, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book benefits The Actors Fund. 

Break a Leg, grip, improvisation, fourth wall, understudy, and zing are just some of the terms explored.  The illustrations are exciting and colorful and help to fully explain the unique language of the theatre world.  Need more?  There is a CD that helps to set the mood….”I Was There” sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell.

I found myself reliving throughout this book the first time I attended a Broadway play;  my parents took us three girls to see Carol Channing in Hello Dolly! and I was hooked!  I actually majored in drama my first year in college and learned as much in those drama courses as any other coursework to prepare me for working in diverse situations.  Later drama proved a very useful strategy to use in working with children as I moved into early childhood and family counseling.  Studying the theatre has given me a different and exciting way of viewing what I read.

This book will be an engaging and entertaining way to introduce Broadway at various levels to the children and adults you know who have not yet experienced theatre fully!  It is even a great exploration of the many careers in the world of theatre necessary to bring us the lessons as well as the entertainment of Broadway.   

During this season of “gift giving” consider this great book for a child who has shown interest of any kind in theatre as well as your friends who might be going to New York City to explore the lights of Broadway for the first time.  Full of quotes and tidbits about favorite thespians, you’ll want a copy for yourself as well!

Happy reading!
Carol

Twitter: @RascofromRIF

Filed under: Children's Books, Non-Fiction Monday, Other Blogs, RIF Multicultural Literacy Campaign

Tags: 14 COWS FOR AMERICA, 3T News and Reviews, A Chair A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy, A Patchwork of Books, Abby (the) Librarian, Anastasia Suen, Apples for Everyone, Beatrice Hollyer, Blue Apple Books, Bookends Blog, Bookscoops, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Butterflies and Moths, Check It Out, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, Debbie Reese, Diane Chen, Down Down Down, Elliot Kreloff, Esther Susan Heller, Great Kid Books, Harriet Ziefert, In Need of Chocolate, Jean Little Library, Jill Esbaum, LibrariYAn, Lights on Broadway, Lori Calabrese, Lost Between the Pages, Menorah Under the Sea, Moms Inspire Learning, MotherReader, Mount Rushmore, Nic Bishop, Non-Fiction Monday, Oh Yikes, Oh Yuck, Our World of Water, Owl in the Library, Picture Book of the Day, Scientists in the Field, Steve Jenkins, The Actors Fund, The Stenhouse Blog, The Wonders Inside Bugs and Spiders, Wendie's Wanderings, Wild about Nature, Wrapped in Foil