Psst...Pass It On

How often does it happen that two favorite blogs feature the same remarkable book on the same day? Actually, more often than you might think. Sometimes this happens due to "buzz" or new releases, but sometimes it's a message from the ethernet about books that no one should miss.

With this extra post I'm just doing my part to spread the word.

Today I opened Kirsten Larson's Creating Curious Kids, and found her Perfect Picture Book Friday post (say that fast three times) featuring Vulture View. What do you get when you combine April Pulley Sayre's lyrical text and extensive research with Steve Jenkins's dynamic illustrations to tell the story of fascinatingly repulsive vultures? VULTURE VIEW, a most remarkable creative non-fiction book for all ages, a book that deserves the spotlight on Friday or any day of the week, that's what.

Then I opened a blog feed from another favorite, I.N.K. (Interesting Non-Fiction for Kids), hosted by a stellar array of non-fiction writers. Today Melissa Stewart's topic is Creative Non-Fiction, and the very first image and title to pop up is... ta-da...Vulture View.

The post is packed with sage advice and insight, including a list of some of the best creative non-fiction you could hope to find, all recent releases. High quality, multi-use, multi-age picture books like these are featured in my workshops, including most of these titles. I also recommend subscribing to I.N.K. to stay informed and inspired by the best of the best in the world of non-fiction for kids.

Melissa points out that these are books that engage, inform, generate inquiry, provide mentor text, link to content area studies, and address common core standards. Beyond all that, they are appealing! Kids (and adults) love them, eat them up, can't get enough of them...

like ice cream!

Even when there's "no room for dessert", ice cream melts and goes between the cracks, as I often insisted to my parents. In our jam-packed, digitally enhanced world, inside classrooms and out in the world, kids (and the rest of us) live tightly programmed lives. Literature in general is being squeezed out, including time to reflect, discuss, and question. But...(and you knew this was coming)... there is always room for picture books. Ice cream, when consumed mindfully, is nutritious, satisfying, comforting, readily accessible, and delightful. So, too, are quality picture books.

And they're good for us!

Just remember to share.