Let the NONFICTION Celebrations Begin!

 

A FEW of the nominated NONFICTION titles for CYBILS AWARDS

This is brief post prior to the upcoming MANY review posts for nonfiction picture books that have been nominated for Cybils Awards this year. I've begun the process and MUST shout out to my local public library and its affiliated circulation partners in surrounding communities. As nominations have poured in, nearly 95% of the titles have been accessible to me through the system and it makes this process SO very successful. 

I will not review every nominee here, but many of the ones I find outstanding will appear in coming days and weeks. Don't assume that a review locks it onto my shortlist, because I don't dare put them all there-- it makes the final winnowing too difficult!  But please consider checking out the titles I'll feature here, or on my GOODREADS account, for picture books or middle grade or high school readers. 

The photo above represents only the current batch of books I'm reading and considering thoughtfully. I need to rotate them out or that sturdy hearth will collapse under the load! Here are just a few of the picture books you'll find here in the weeks ahead. 

Since I am excited to read the middle grade and high school titles, too, (have read several so far- and they have been  outstanding!) you may want to check out my Goodreads pages to learn more about the ones I record/review there. Here's a link: Sandy Brehl Goodreads.

These are only a few of the titles under current scrutiny:

So, BA-BYE for now, I'm heading to the stacks to get back to work!

NEW YORK TIMES Has Been Paying Attention, Changes its Tune About Picture Books

 A recent opinion piece in the NEW YORK TIMES is titled: 

YOUR KIDS AREN'T TOO OLD FOR PICTURE BOOKS-- and NEITHER ARE YOU!

it's not a good look to be an  "I-told-you-so" or "know-it-all", but what the heck, I'll go for it! I've been paraphrasing that NYT headline for decades as I work with kids of all ages, sharing picture books with eager audiences for many purposes. In addition to educational settings, I give picture books as gifts for every age and every occasion. And I read picture books for the sheer joy of it.

My voice is by no means the only one singing the praises of and celebrating the variety, beauty, bounty, and brilliance of picture books. 

Nearly a decade ago, a quickly disparaged New York Times article trumpeted the presumed demise of the picture book, asserting that picture books would find diminishing space and commitment in the publishing world. The piece (and its author) were objects of protest and even derision immediately after that article hit the streets and screens. It triggered a massive outcry on then-emerging social media. 

That piece provided a nudge I needed to launch this blog about the power of picture books. (First post ever: HERE)

Before that post, I had contemplated taking my mission to explore and elevate picture books into the blog-o-sphere. For several years I had been faithfully reading blogs on this topic, many focused on reviews and interviews, some providing suggested uses for educational purposes, and others aimed at guiding writers to outstanding mentor text in various picture book formats and types. I was interested in all of those. I had been leading professional development workshops, sharing ways picture books serve and develop readers and learners at every age. Writing a blog on this topic might amplify my tiny, local voice just a few decibels more power. But I was afraid to try. It felt like too great a challenge. 

That original New York Times article  (HERE) was the challenge I couldn't ignore. Such a misguided position on the value of picture books lit a fire under my intentions and burned away any hesitation. I was obviously a blogging novice, which showed, especially in my earliest posts. Now I am many weeks into my tenth year of writing this blog, I've served as a Cybils panelist for years, I've added a Goodreads review profile (HERE) that includes ratings and reviews of many of the thousands of books I read, and I feature select reviews and interviews on my website blog, HERE.

In a very real sense, I should thank that original NYT post for providing the nudge I needed.

I've change, and so has the New York Times. A quick search (above) indicates that picture books feature in their arts and opinion pages quite often in the years since that early post. During many struggles of the past decade within the publishing industry, including a year of Covid19 issues, children's publishing has been a stable and growing business. The picture book segment of children's publishing has been among the strongest. 

Major changes have happened, especially consolidation and shuffling of personnel. But specialty imprints provide boutique and focused professional services that can expand audiences and creative voices while accessing the services-at-scale for marketing and distribution within their parent organizations. 

Even more importantly, social media and activism and persistent, amplified voices have increased power among groups who are standing up and speaking up to support inclusivity, globalism, and reflections of richly varied lives. (Find links to outstanding resources HERE.) 

The need for continued effort and outreach for under-represented voices and lived experiences is undeniable. Shelves now contain some newer, better, more engaging and amazing picture books than ever before, with all indicators suggesting that this is not a "trend" but a renaissance and transformation. Picture books are here to stay, and growing in every good way.

Perhaps the recent post is just a "sign of the TIMES". 

Remarkably, this 2018 chart shows doubling and tripling of under-represented creators and images in the past decade, yet so much more progress is needed. 

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People!

Covid 19 anchor in time:
I am so sad to say that the politicization of WEARING A MASK and the self-indulgence of pretending that COVID19 pandemic is over have led to a resurgence in positive testing, increasing hospitalizations, and the shameful truth that the USA "leads" the world in cases and deaths. 
Spring school semester ended in some limping version of what once was, and most schools are planning (frantically) to reopen in fall with some form of in-person and digital hybrid, with unpredictable results. 

I've continued to read and celebrate the amazing brilliance and importance of picture books during recent months. Among them are outstanding fiction and nonfiction and poetry  and... purely remarkable offerings. Time and obligations restrict my posts here to focus on selected few of those titles, making selections here a difficult choice. 
For the sake of my diminishing memory, and for anyone who might be curious about books I'm reading, I post reviews of most things I read (some brief, some longer) on my GOODREADS account. That accumulating list becomes a useful resource me. 

In this case, it served me well to crosscheck titles I've read that are now announced as NOTABLE SOCIAL STUDIES TRADE BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE for 2020! That list also reminded of other titles I haven't yet read, making my library hold list grow.

instead of featuring a single book in this post, I want to celebrate some of the books I've read and enjoyed from that list, and provide clicks/links to what I have written about them in the past. My joy at finding such wonderful picture books honored in this prestigious list was magnified when I saw that two are titles written by personal friends, Miranda Paul, Deb Hembrook, and Kathryn Heling. Way to go, ladies!

LITTLE LIBRARIES, BIG HEROES, written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by John Parra. (Biography, activism, and inspiration)

CLOTHESLINE CLUES TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, written by Kathryn Heling and Deb Hembrook, illustrated by Andy Robert Davis. (Third in a fantastic series!)




Some of the others include:

THE BOOK RESCUER: HOW A MENSCH FROM MASSACHUSETTS SAVED YIDDISH LITERATURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, written by Sue Macy illustrated by Stacy Innerst. 

This is a remarkable depiction of a man dedicated to collecting and preserving the remnants of Yiddish literature that eventually arrived in this country after the Holocaust.


SMILE: HOW YOUNG CHARLIE CHAPLIN TAUGHT THE WORLD TO LAUGH (AND CRY) is written by Gary Golio and illustrated by the incomparable Ed Young.



CARTER READS THE NEWSPAPER, written by Deborah Hopkinson and Illustrated by Don Tate. Early curiosity and a drive to learn is unveiled in this biography of eventually acclaimed Carter G. Woodson, the founder of BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

Another portrait of a young person in history is DANCING HANDS: How Teresa Carreno Played the Piano for President Lincoln, written by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Rafael Lopez.

THE CRAYON MAN: THE TRUE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF CRAYOLA CRAYONS, written by Natascha Biebow and illustrated by Steven Salerno. 

JUST LIKE RUBE GOLDBERG: The Incredible True Story of the Man Behind the Machines is written by Sarah Aronson and illustrated by Robert Neubecker. The name conjures incredibly complex and seemingly silly sequences, but the actual life story of the man is even more impressive and delightful.

I was thrilled to see the inclusion of one of my favorite books of the year: LET 'ER BUCK: GEORGE FLETCHER, THE PEOPLE's CHAMPION . It is written with invigorating and enticing language with illustrations that will knock your socks off.

TITAN AND THE WILD BOARS: THE TRUE CAVE RESCUE OF THE THAI SOCCER TEAM is written by Susan Hood and illustrated by Pathana Sornhiran. 

A book no one should miss at any time, but especially while so many  of us are spending "Covid Home Time" in the kitchen, is FRY BREAD: A NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILY STORY, written by Kevin Noble Mailliard and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. The stories and traditions are as delightful as the varied settings and family images, with a sample recipe in the back pages. 

GOING DOWN HOME WITH DADDY is written by Kelly Sterling and illustrated by Daniel Minster. One of the loveliest, liveliest, and most tender reunion stories you'll ever read. 

HOME IN THE WOODS is the creation of author/illustrator Eliza Wheeler. It, too, has poignancy and joy, with satisfying reflections on family, home, and what matters most in your lives, love. 

These are not all of the honored picture books, but that's plenty for now. I'll close and encourage you to check out these amazing books, using your trusty library hold lists or making purchases from a local indie-bookstore.


***Anchoring this post in the BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT: 
This is mix of good news and bad. Locally and nationally there has been some rapid progress in specific municipal council changes, even overhauls, of policing practices, leadership, and accountability. It is too soon to even call this a first step, but it IS movement. 
On the flip side, federal legislation appears to be blocked by party politics, emphasizing the importance of 2020 elections.
We continue to learn about recent and past events in which police actions result in the death of Black humans, most often males, with no apparent need for deadly force to have been used. Finding information about events is easy, but finding the underlying truths about how and why and ... everything... will take much longer. And so, the MOVEMENT continues, and we cannot ignore the legitimacy of and need for it.

More Board Books: Hide-and-Seek and Non-Fiction

I launched this blog almost seven years ago with THIS POST, in which I clarify my thesis: Picture books are NOT limited to books for babies. 

All these years I've been featuring books and author interviews for a multitude of ages and interests. I've tried to shine a light on how quality picture books can inform, entertain, and engage audiences of all kinds. In making my point I've often said, 

"Remember, picture books aren't baby books!"

 I don't mean to imply that BOARD BOOKS aren't important, only that they are just one of many formats of picture books and are targeted exclusively to the infant-to-toddler age. That means they are written, illustrated, and designed with very distinct guidelines suited to that age and developmental stage.

I mentioned that books for this very young audience include many genre in the previous post about some outstanding  Board Books among the Cybils Awards nominees. As this post title indicates, I'm back now to share examples from two more categories: Guess/Search books and nonfiction. 

The guess/search/puzzle format is as natural to babies as the universally human "peek-a-boo" game. GUESS WHICH HAND, written by Hans Wilhelm and illustrated by Ilaria Guarducci, is a delightful twist on a familiar game. 

I recommend this for a litany of reasons that you can read about in my Goodreads review, here.

Next up in the seek-and-find category is HERE I AM: A Finger Puppet Book, written by Sarah McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram.

You can read some of my thoughts about this appealing and interactive book in my Goodreads review, here.




Baby games, no matter how appealing and squeal-inducing they may be, are the flip side of an emerging category of board books, NON FICTION. This extends far beyond the familiar basic concepts topics of colors, numbers, letters and animals sounds and names, although some terrific choices in that category will be featured in my next post. A growing market for informational board books with vibrant illustrations and well-written text has emerged. You really should take a look at these:

EXOTIC FRUIT is created by author/illustrator Huy Voun Lee. This book is as delightful and appetizing as the featured fruits, and the variety of text (child focused and fine print adult messages) makes it a book that could grow with the child and family. Read what I had to say about it on Goodreads, here.

BOTANY FOR BABIES is one of the BABY 101 series. I am not a fan of cramming learning into tiny heads, so I approached this one cautiously. What I found, though, is a well-designed and appealing book that works on many levels. The "story" of plants in nature is developed simply and naturally with flair and fun. The book involves enough turns and surprises to keep the shared experience lively, and there are loads of familiar critters and details for tiny fingers to point out and later name. The parts of plants presented are colorful and simply designed to emphasize important elements. Many are labeled with dark, small  print. These labels do not distract from the overall plant narrative, presented in large, interesting font and layout. 

WE ARE MUSIC is written by Brandon Story and illustrated by Nick Radford. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can imagine it being shared with music playing, then turning household items into instruments.
Read more about it on this Goodreads review, here.

I'd love to read what you think about these in the comments, and read your own suggestions for classic favorites or new board books you've discovered!

Squirrel Stories: A Character You Won't Forget

While reading fiction picture books for the Cybils awards I encountered a range of characters from animal to vegetable to fantastical to mechanical. 
Oh, and human, too.
Most were delightful; many even memorable.
Among the most memorable is Mr. Squirrel.

NorthSouth Publishing, 2015

That's Mr. Squirrel right there, on the cover of MR. SQUIRREL AND THE MOON, written and illustrated by Sebastian Meschenmoser. He appears to specialize in quirky and unforgettable characters, as you'll see here: Teaching.net.

In the midst of marathon reading, note-taking, and evaluating, this book compelled me to comment at some length. Here's what I had to say about it on Goodreads: 
"Oh, my. I can't exactly say why, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy this when only reading the title. But it won me over from the cover and endpapers and wrapped itself around my heart with each page turn. The stark contrasts throughout seemed like a perfect parable of life- conflict, worry, determination, surprises, apparent success leading to more challenges and absurdity, balanced with an earnest belief in ourselves. Mr. Squirrel's reality (*and his somber black and white imagination) contrast with the brilliant glow of the "moon". The illustrations themselves and the color palette elevate this to brilliant, in my opinion.
This is "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" flipped on its head and given a moral spine.
The somber "punishment" scenes are utterly hilarious, and the eventual final scene mirrors the hunched silhouette from those somber scenes.
In my many teaching years I often witnessed innocent, earnest kids imagining that some unexpected development in their lives could result in disproportionately negative consequences. I wish I had this book to share with them at the time." 

For a detailed description of the story, take a read of the FUSE-8 Blog post from School Library Journal, here.

Better still, check it out of your local library and read it for yourselves. Then again. Then return it and buy a copy for yourself or for someone you love.
Then sit with them and read it again.

Something for Everyone...a Polacco Christmas Collection

Penguin Putnam Books for young Readers, 2002

It was inevitable that a Patricia Polacco title would be among Holly Mueller's ten favorite picture books in her post at The Nerdy Book Club blog. The challenge must have been to choose only one from among Polacco's many titles with themes centered on Christmas. Her choice of CHRISTMAS TAPESTRY had me nodding my head in agreement, then digging out my copies of her other books.

Aladdin, 2000

THE TREES OF THE DANCING GOATS immediately 

cried out for a mention.  Offering Polacco's characteristic 

illustration and story-telling style, an abundance of ethnic details, and a high-stakes plot, it would stand up well on any "best of the holidays" list. The fact that it expands a Christmas story to engage neighbors who celebrate Hannukah gives it bonus points by my standards.

Philomel, 2004

Then AN ORANGE FOR FRANKIE caught my eye and it was a three-way race. Polacco's stories are often rooted in family history as well as American history. In this case Frankie is from a generation removed, but his story feels near and dear to my heart. 
In a previous post I wrote about my mom's Appalachian childhood. Her holiday memories focused not on gifts but on music, at church and at home with her family. When she told of waking to find an orange in her stocking, with a few nuts and a peppermint stick for good measure, the expression on her face was very much like Frankie's on the cover illustration. His acts of spontaneous generosity and the support of his large family are further reflections of Mom's stories from childhood.

Puffin Paperback, 2002

Judging only by the cover, readers are likely to feel WELCOME COMFORT is the most logical choice of all. Although set in Union City, it is firmly rooted in fiction rather than history. 
Goodreads says:
"It's not easy being Welcome Comfort-a foster child always moving from home to home and getting picked on by the kids at school. Even Christmas, the most wondrous time of the year, isn't so wondrous for Welcome, since he has no family, no presents, and no Santa Claus. But when Welcome meets Mr. Hamp, the school custodian, he finally finds a friend. And when Christmas comes around, Welcome is taken on an extraordinary adventure that changes his life forever."


Polacco is so prolific and her stories so distinctive that you may have favorites of your own. Further suggestions are always welcome. After all, they may be deliciously rich and satisfying, but they're calorie free!