By: Cathy and Louise,
on 11/11/2015
Louise and I have been focused on reviewing the best nonfiction books of the year, and it's been a while since we've shared Nonfiction News. Here are some articles and blog posts that have caught our attention lately. It's getting close to awards season. Alyson Beecher posted her Mock Sibert list on Kidlit Frenzy today. She has compiled a list of excellent titles; many we've reviewed on
By: Cathy and Louise,
on 11/7/2014
Nonfiction author, Melissa Stewart, has written a series of blog posts about the style and structure of nonfiction books. The posts are informative and definitely worth reading if you are a teacher or children's librarian. Behind the Books: Nonfiction That Reads Like a Story Behind the Books: Thinking About Nonfiction Styles What CCSS Says About Nonfiction Types Behind the Books: Nonfiction
By: Cathy and Louise,
on 9/18/2014
Have you seen the new nonfiction blog in town? The Nonfiction Minute is a project from the creators of Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. The blog features high interest articles and essays written by various nonfiction authors. There's also a page that provides educators with ideas for how to use the articles with students. Be sure to read Pamela S. Turner's post Why Crows Peck Eyeballs.
By: Susan E. Goodman,
on 10/1/2009
Milton Meltzer died September 19th at 94, after a long and wonderful career. One hundred books, the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his contribution to children's literature, five books designated as National Book Award finalists. Not too shabby for any writer, but especially noteworthy for a nonfiction author at a time when this field was a true stepchild.
In fact, Meltzer was one of the pioneer of the "new" nonfiction for kids. His research into original materials was impeccable, his style lively. He never talked down to his audience. He wrote about things that mattered.
Edward T. Sullivan is writing a biography of Meltzer. In a note of memoriam, he included a wonderul quotation of Meltzer's from an article originally published in Wilson Library Bulletin in 1969. Something for all us to remember.
"You may ask, what is the relevance of all this history to the
young? It has the meaning of all true history, the meaning of
what it is to be American. We cannot endure as a people, as a
nation, unless we can distinguish between that which is true
and that which is false about this country. Ours is not a past
of sweetness and light, no matter what the textbook tells us.
Textbooks avoid conflicts and the disorders that have taken
place in our past. No wonder they bore students. In the
recounting of our past we have been the victims of censorship,
a censorship more disastrous by far than any brought about
by the hunters of the obscene and the pornographic. For when
we have not learned the truth about our past, we cannot find
the truth in the present."
By: Linda Salzman,
on 9/14/2009
Vicki Cobb is speaking on Tuesday at the University of Kentucky School of Education. Her topic is "Science That's Fun to Read and Teach." Her audience is elemmentary education students as well as interested faculty and area teachers and librarians.
Rosalyn Schanzer will be talking about her book WHAT DARWIN SAW; THE JOURNEY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD at George Mason University’s enormous Fall for the Book festival in the Greater Washington D.C. area. It’s free and open to the public. Here’s the schedule and site information about her presentation:
What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World
Sunday, September 20 from 2 to 3 P.M.
Prince George’s Memorial Library
Hyattsville Branch
6530 Adelphi Rd.
Hyattsville, MD 20782
301-985-4690
You can find out more about the author by clicking here:
http://www.fallforthebook.org/participants-detail.php?participant_id=53
You can find out all about the book festival and see the entire speakers’ list by clicking here: http://www.fallforthebook.org/
From Barbara Kerley: I'll be co-teaching (with Highlights Sr. Editor Kim T. Griswell) a class in writing narrative nonfiction as part of the Highlights Foundation Founders Workshop Series. The class runs from Nov. 5 - 8. For more information, go to http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/FWsched_nonfictionStorytelling.html
From Deborah Heiligman: Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith has been named to:Booklist's Top 10 Romances for Youth and Booklist's Top 10 Biographies for Youth
Melissa Stewart will be speaking at the New England Reading Association Conference in Warwick, RI, on September 25 and the New England Environmental Education Association Conference in Ivoryton, CT on September 27.
Booklist Webinar: The Scoop on Series Nonfiction: Best Uses, Best Practices, and Best New Books for Fall
September 22, 3PM-4pm cST
Need help engaging reluctant readers, promoting reading success, and keeping your library relevant in this era of accountability? Attend "The Scoop on Series Nonfiction" Webinar and come away with a wealth of information and ideas for enhancing your collection and engaging young readers with series nonfiction. Booklist youth editors will moderate as four top series nonfiction publishers—Lerner Publications, ABDO Publishing Company, Norwood House Press, and Cherry Lake Publishing—share their expertise and introduce a selection of their fall titles. Webinar participants will also get a sneak peek at Booklist's October 1 Series Nonfiction Spotlight, including a focus on a new trend: series nonfiction and early literacy. Reserve your seat today!
By: Linda Salzman,
on 4/6/2009
As you've probably noticed, we have news of our own-- a new logo! We're all so happy with it that we've made it a full page, at least for now. All of the credit for spearheading the logo campaign goes to Loreen Leedy. She did a terrific job of getting everyone involved and pushing us to forge ahead. Many thanks to Steve Jenkins for giving of his time and talents to design a logo that we all love. Don't be surprised to see our distinctive ink splot on bookmarks and T-shirts in the near future.
Two of Vicki Cobb's books from her new Millbrook series, Your Body Battles a Cold and Your Body Battles a Broken Bone, were named as Junior Literary Guild Selections for Spring 2009.
Dorothy Patent reports that her book, When the Wolves Return: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone, is an IRA Teachers’ Choice winner for 2009. Dorothy will be traveling to Cody, Wyoming this month, to complete her residency at the Cody Institute for Western American Studies. On April 23, she will give a presentation there about her current project, a book on the relationships between Indians and horses through time.
Kathleen Krull will be speaking and signing at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival on Sunday, May 26, and at the San Diego Children's Book Festival on Saturday, May 9.
April Pulley Sayre's new book, Honk, Honk, Goose: Canada Geese Start a Family (Holt) is being released April 14th and has already received starred reviews in Booklist and School Library Journal.
In the last two months, she has traveled to 8 states, presented programs for 16,000 students, and snorkeled with 6 manatees.
Susanna Reich has been elected to the Board of Trustees of PEN American Center, an association of writers working to advance literature, defend free expression, and foster international literary fellowship. Among PEN's many activities are the World Voices Festival of International Literature, which this year welcomes 160 writers from around the world to New York City, April 27-May 3. Panels, readings, performances and public conversations will center on the theme of Evolution/Revolution, including three panels of children's and young adult writers, featuring Neil Gaiman, Mariken Jongman, Shaun Tan, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Mary Ann Hoberman, Francine Prose, Vera B. Williams, Tijs Goldschmidt, and I.N.K.'s own Vicki Cobb and Deborah Heiligman. For details visit <http://www.pen.org/>
From Susan Goodman: PEN New England's Children's Book Committee is holding it's 11th Annual Children's Book Discovery Evening (The Susan P. Bloom Award presentation). This year, one of its winners is a nonfiction entry, Maria Gianferrera for her picture book, Terrific Tongues. Come hear Gianferrera and the other winners read on Sunday May 3 at 6:30 p.m., at Lesley University's Amphitheater in University Hall, 1815 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. The winning manuscripts will be read by editors from Candlewick, Houghton Mifflin and Knopf Books for Young Readers.
From Deborah Heiligman: A few nice things recently for CHARLES AND EMMA: THE DARWINS' LEAP OF FAITH. AARP featured it in their March issue on line as books that Grandparents should know about. http://www.aarpmagazine.org/books/books_for_grandparents_march09.htmlAudiocommentary.com named the audio version Editor's Pick of the Month. Both of these things were especially nice because the book is non-fiction and it's lovely to see non-fiction next to the more usual fiction choices. The audio version has a nice review coming in Horn Book, too, which makes me very happy for the fanstastic reader, Rosalyn Landor, who gives voices to all the characters, in her lively British accent. It is so much fun to listen to my words by someone who is an actor and also knows how to pronounce the words in the correct British way. We got to know each other, though, becasue she called me a number of times while recording to ask how various scientific words are pronounced. (Which sent me scurrying to dictionaries and experts. One doesn't think of the pronunciation while writing YA non-fiction.)
From Barbara Kerley: My book, WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? just made the Capitol Choices 2009 list.
http://capitolchoices.com/displaybooks.asp?parent=2622&sort=102&list=2624&curpage=2
If you missed Tanya Lee Stone's CSPAN/BOOK TV presentation to 5th graders at Politics & Prose on her new book Almost Astronauts, it can now be viewed anytime on the BookTV website
Thank you for writing this!! If I could have pulled it together in time for my blog, I might have written about Milton, too. I heard him speak just once, and was dazed and amazed by his work. Incredible person, incredible contribution.