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Duel!  Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words by Dennis Brindell Fradin is another one I think the kids will thoroughly enjoy.  The 1804 deadly duel of words between vice president, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.  This famous match is explained in this wonderful children's book.  This is a famous duel but one I am not sure people know much about and one, I think, kids will devour!!  Another great one for boys - it will reel them in and hook them!!

Ever wonder how Superman came to be??  Did you know that TWO men thought him up??  Did you know they scrimped and saved during the Great Depression to make their idea a reality??  If not - (or even if you did) - you NEED to read this one!  Boys of Steel:  The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman and illustrated by Ross MacDonald is just super!  I can see it being a hit with boys of ALL ages - ok, girls may enjoy it too - but this is just a "must" for boys especially.  (And those are hard to come by!!)  Loved it and the illustrations are also wonderful - they add that "comic book" feel that adds to the credibility of the story.

Making Cents by Elizabeth Keeler Robinson is a great introduction to money. This would be very useful in a unit to teach about currency and what each coin/dollar represents. I was fascinated with how the author shows that a dime, for instance, is worth ten penny nails, two wood screws or a marking pencil. I'd never have thought of a dime that way!! Bob McMahon's illustrations are very fun and add to the interest in this one. What a fun book! Definately worth a look!

April Pulley Sayre's Trout are Made of Trees is a fun look at food chains in the forest/streams. Who would have thought that if you trace it all the way back - really Trout are "made of" streams!?!? I love it!! Very neat concept and I think kids will like it too. The illustrations are very fun - Kate Endle did a super job of keeping the book fun and intriguing. Great one on ecology.

If you need a book that has an interesting way of teaching about trees - just by looking at their shape, bark, etc. - then Winter Trees by Carole Gerber might be the one for you. This is really a good look at the "winter shape" of trees. Leslie Evans has done a wonderful job of illustrating this book - I think kids will find it interesting and a fun way to learn. I enjoy tree indentification and this one intrigues me - I guess I hadn't thought of how you can identify trees even in the winter without the leaves!!

Philip Dray has written a wonderful story of the life of Ida B. Wells - as the subtitle says, "The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist." It is just that - a deeply touching story of a girl in a slave family - given their freedom - yet struggling from then on to keep it. It is a powerful story - Ida was tough and she deserves this recognition. At the end of the book, there is a beautiful timeline of Ida's life - it adds the authenticity and information that readers can use for reports and other projects. Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells is a great addition to our Civil Rights units, slavery, etc. Stephen Alcorn's illustrations add such a wonderful touch to this book.

This is a fun find!! Fabulous Fishes by Susan Stockdale has striking illustrations and even more fun?? It rhymes. This one will be great for story hour, younger ages, and any little ones interested in fish. It is a catchy, fun book that I know little ones will enjoy. The back pages are more information on each of the fish shown - I love it when authors do that!!

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen has written Ballots for Belva: The True Story of a Woman's Race for the Presidency. I have to admit - I knew nothing of the life of Belva Lockwood - but she was quite a woman! Talk about your strong female character!! Back when it wasn't conceivable to do so, Belva received a law degree, ran for president, and just plain fought for equal treatment of women. I like her spunk and it comes through in this great non-fiction read for children. It has a nice timeline in the back of the book that shows the progress of Women's Suffrage in the United States.

Nic Bishop's Frogs is simply put, stunning! Whether you like, or don't like, frogs - this book has amazing photography and makes you want more! I thought some of the reading was a bit long for younger readers, but, the pictures alone, will hold the young-ones' attention. This is one I will be showing to all of our non-fiction readers - it is fabulous!!

Sarah C. Campbell has written Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator for all of you non-fiction fans. This is a great one. The photography is MARVELOUS and there is just enough print to keep it fresh but not too many words that it gets too long for little ones. It didn't strike me at first as a book that would "catch" me and lure me in, but once you get started, you will be amazed. VERY fun and I learned all about the world of the Wolfsnail - which previously I did not know even existed!!

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery is another interesting "take" on Hurricane Katrina. This is a new-to-me story. I wasn't aware of this touching story of a friendship between a tailess dog and cat that are stranded together after Hurricane Katrina. It is quite something though - when they are torn apart to be put in separate cages in an animal shelter, you see just how "attached" they are, as they howl all night long. And the ending is a complete surprise that explains so much of the "attachment" these two have built. It is worth reading - a story that kids will enjoy because it is about animals and yet a story where they will learn a bit about the awful hurricane that crippled New Orleans.

Mom's Cancer by Brian Fies. Image, an Imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Copy supplied by publisher in support of the Cybils. Graphic Novel. Cybils long list.

The Plot: An nonfiction book about the experience of the author and his sisters as their mother battles cancer.

The Good: This was begun as an anonymous web comic; something personal that touched many people with its universal story; what happens to a family when one member is sick. How do the family members deal with it?

This isn't a Hallmark Made for TV version of illness, where by golly we all pull together and are better because of cancer! Cancer sucks. Cancer kills. And stress is hard and difficulty and can bring out the ugly.

Brian and his siblings fill roles that are familiar to anyone who has had a family member suffer thru a long illness: there is Nurse Sis (who knows it all, being the nurse); Kid Sis (the caretaker), and Brian.

Brian's role? Research Guy. "I was a ninety-ninth percentile child. In school, I read entire textbooks and retained it all. I spent months doodling. I majored in physics, worked as a chemist, journalist, and science writer. Sot there was only one thing to do when Mom got ill: read the books . . . find the resources . . . flip on the scary smart switch I was too lazy to use most of the time . . . and cure cancer."

Insight into the burden of the caretaker: "What matters is that Kid Sis lives with everything. Nurse Sis and I can go home to escape. She hears the hacking cough in the night. Listens for the sound of bone shattering on the floor. Sometimes I need to remember that."

Why does this work so well in a graphic novel format? Part of it is that the changes in the mother are more drastic because we see it; words can create a distance, as they describe; especially as they try to describe something to someone who doesn't know. It's a greater impact to see Mom in her hospital chair, hooked up to medicine, than to read about it. It's a greater impact to not realize that Mom has lost weight, lost her hair, until you see the sixth or so panel and then to flip back and notice the small changes, panel by panel.

There is humor here; the father changed from physician to hippy man with ponytail man: "Some note how easy it is to reject materialism when you have your own compound and a sizable inheritance in the bank."

Links: Kid Sis is living in Hollywood and is very, very funny.
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