Lizzy Rockwell | There's a Book for That

I have a brand new class: a busy group of seven and eight year olds. Many of them are not used to the nonfiction read aloud. But, they love to be read to and they are fascinated when I share facts with them about the world. Nonfiction books are stories of their world and I know they will be hooked. I wandered through my collection yesterday and pulled some titles to start reading aloud.

I needed titles that are not too long. They have to have engaging photos or illustrations. Ideally, there will be some humour or an interactive element (guessing and checking). The language needs to fit and if it can be lyrical and lovely, all the better. Or punchy and action packed!

Here are the ten titles I selected as beginning nonfiction read alouds:

Nest by Jorey Hurley

A series of words and beautiful images to explore birds and their nests.

A Bird Is a Bird by Lizzy Rockwell

What makes a bird a bird exactly? A title to explore all the qualities of a bird.

Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons written by Sara Levine with illustrations by T.S. Spookytooth

A fun interactive style. What kind of animal would you be if . . . ?

Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg by Mia Posada

Clues and images lead us to the next page where we find the answer. Perfect to read a few pages at a time.

I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton

Humour, spiders and some splatting. Learning as you laugh! Perfect.

Eat Like a Bear written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Follow a bear over seasons – how and what does a bear eat?

Weeds Find a Way written by Cindy Jenson-Elliott and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

Lyrical and visually stunning. Appreciate weeds for their beauty and persistence.

A Leaf Can Be . . . by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Violeta Dabija

Beautiful nonfiction describing and hinting at all of the roles leaves can play – from “rain stopper” to “shade spiller” and many more.

Best Foot Forward: Exploring Feet, Flippers, and Claws by Ingo Arndt

Marvel at the various interesting animal feet that different animals use to walk, climb, dig, paddle, etc. There is a guessing from a photograph aspect to this book.

Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

The format is engaging – each animal is introduced with a mini letter/question and answer.

Thanks to Alyson from Kid Lit Frenzy for the inspiration to read and share more nonfiction picture books in 2015. Follow the link to Alyson’s blog to read about more nonfiction books you need to read!

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. Now that it is summer, I am not surrounded every day with little readers so . . . I am choosing moments from the year not previously shared. I love this sweet little peek into a buddy reading partnership.

From the classroom 2014/2015 archives:

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.

Less blogging and less reading this week. I was very busy working in my classroom library. I am hoping to share a few details in an upcoming post or two.

On the blog:

For Top Ten Tuesday: Ten plus Ten equals Twenty Auto-Buy Illustrators

A Celebration post about clearing out paper from my classroom!

Books I read and loved:

Taan’s Moon A Haida Moon Story by Alison Gear with felt illustrations by Kiki van der Heiden with the children of Haida Gwaii

Such a beautiful book that is a wonderfully collaborative effort. Read here for more information about the process. In the Haida language Taan means bear. This is a story of Taan’s experience of the seasons. Just so lovely.

A Bird Is a Bird by Lizzy Rockwell

The perfect nonfiction picture book for a story time with little ones or as a reference title for early primary students.

Spring Walk by Virginia Brimhall Snow

Spring flowers are my very favourite so I adored this title.

When I was Born written by Isabel Monhós Martins and illustrated by Madalena Matosa (First published in Portuguese in 2007)

I love the vibrant colours and the interesting premise of this book. Thinking about the world experienced as a variety of new experiences. Treasured sensory collections.

“These are the smells I love:

the smell of my grandmother’s lao,

the smell of warm chicken soup,

the smell of paints in school . . . “

Perfect to inspire some of our own mindful writing.

Bears Don’t Read! by Emma Chichester Clark

Bears don’t read. But what if you were a bear and you found a book and you wanted to be able to read it? This is that story. Delightful!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I liked this book in the beginning. Liked the characters. Liked the format. Liked it all around. But half way through it really grabbed me. I began to totally adore these characters. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. I finished it hours and hours ago and I already miss specific characters. Simon has a supportive family, wonderful friends and a “kind of” boyfriend he has not actually met. Oh and he’s not actually openly gay. Such a honest, vulnerable and charming novel.