Once again, it's time to pick ten nonfiction books that have really impressed me this past year. There are so many to choose from, that it's really tough. This year I am going with biographies, because I just love to read about the lives of people that inspire me to be creative. Books about those who write books and music and create art really help inspire my own creativity. So here are ten biographies that you should check out, if you'd like to give your own creativity a boost!
This fascinating picture book biography tells the life story of Elizabeth Cotten, one of our country’s greatest folk singers. As a little girl, she loved music and would sneak into her brother’s bedroom to play his guitar. But because she was left-handed, she flipped the instrument up and around and learned to play it backwards. As an adolescent, she wrote the song “Freight Train”, which became one of her most famous songs. Even though it took many years and a chance encounter with a member of one of America’s most famous folk music families, she never gave up the music she loved so much. Beautiful illustrations rendered in graphite and digital color, along with an author’s note and a good bibliography, make this a terrific nonfiction resource to have on your bookshelf.
This picture book biography tells the story of Zaha Hadid, an architect from Iraq. She had a unique way of looking at the world around her and incorporated lines and structures that she found in nature into her designs for buildings. This book would be great to share with kids to help develop a growth mindset, as she never stopped entering her strange and controversial designs into contests, even though her work was frequently rejected. Notes at the back make this a nice nonfiction resource for further research.
While lots of kids enjoy going to school, I think many of them don’t realize how fortunate they are to live in a country where their right to get an education is vigorously defended. Malala Yousafzai’s story is so inspiring and I think kids will enjoy it because she is young and relatable. This is a terrific story to help develop a growth mindset and also a great mentor text to help young writers make changes in the world around them with their own pens and pencils.
This picture book biography tells about Virginia Lee Burton, the children's author. The most amazing part of this book is the stunning illustrations. John Rocco created paintings that are in the exact same style as Burton's in her famous books. There is an author's note that gives more detail about Burton's life and photographs of her. This would be a terrific book to include with her other works if you were doing an author study.
This rhyming picture book biography had my mouth watering as I read about how Joyce Chen introduced some of the most delicious food from her homeland to friends and neighbors in her new hometown. Joyce Chen grew up in China, but war forced her family to come to America to live. In Cambridge, her food was so popular that she opened a restaurant and starred in her own cooking show on TV. There is a timeline and a list of resources at the back of the book for further research. This would be a great nonfiction resource to have in an elementary classroom library.
This picture book biography uses lyrical text and beautiful illustrations rendered in watercolor, oil pastel, china marker, printing ink, and newspaper collage to tell the life story of McKinley Morganfield, or Muddy Waters. Raised by sharecroppers in the Deep South, Muddy grew up playing the type of soulful guitar music that became known as the blues. He moved to Chicago in order to one day make recordings of this music. He didn’t have an easy time of it, and young readers will enjoy finding out how he eventually succeeded. There is an author’s note and a list of suggested records to listen to. I would suggest listening to his music along with sharing this book. It could be a great starting place for further research, or just a nice book to help develop a growth mindset.
This fascinating and beautifully illustrated picture book uses poetry to share the story of Arturo Schomburg. Schomburg grew up in Puerto Rico during the late nineteenth century, being told by teachers that he had no history. When he grew up and came to New York, he read and studied as much history as he could. He collected thousands of books that shared the achievements of people of African descent. This book is itself a treasure of African American history and would be a wonderful resource to have in any classroom library.
The books of E.B. White were among my favorites when I was growing up, especially Charlotte’s Web. I would read those books over and over again. This wonderful picture book biography of one of my favorite authors is one that should be in every classroom library. Not only would it pair well with Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and Trumpet of the Swans, but it could be an inspiring mentor text for young writers to find their own stories in the world around them. The kid-friendly text, along with Lauren Castillo’s wonderful artwork, make this a terrific nonfiction resource.
This picture book biography tells the story of the man who's responsible for children's literature as we know it. John Newbery grew up at a time when there wasn't anything pleasant for children to read, just strict religious rules and lessons. He became a printer dedicated to publishing great things for young people to read. The text in this book is down-to-earth and kid-friendly and the illustrations are colorful and fun. This would be a great nonfiction resource to have on any bookshelf!
With lyrical, poetic narrative and beautiful illustrations, this wonderful picture book tells the life story (in verse) of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. I think Cervantes’ story is relevant to kids’ lives today, because we live in such a chaotic world where young people sometimes pay the price for choices the grownups in their lives make. Cervantes’ father struggled with a gambling addiction, and as a result the family was constantly struggling to survive and had to move around a lot. Through all of this turmoil, Cervantes continued to dream and to imagine stories that would one day come to life in his writing. This is an awesome book to have as part of any classroom library.
I love the look of Big Machines, and am still waiting for Malala's Magic Pencil. Wonderful list. I also shared the E.B. White book, love it too. Thanks, Jana!
ReplyDeleteYou have such an interesting group of people in this post! Everything from cooks to musicians to artists to authors to architects. I was a judge for the nonfiction division of the CYBILS this year, so I have read a few of these, but I don't know LIBBA or DUMPLING DREAMS or MIGUEL'S BRAVE KNIGHT. I'm anxious to track those down.
ReplyDeleteThese are just biographies, they are diverse biographies! Quite a few for me to get to know. Thank you for joining us.
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