[LM_NET] Nonfiction Stories

[Alison Gray <alisong8279@YAHOO.COM>]

Thank you for all of your suggestions! They were a big help!
~Alison
 
 
 
I've read these:
the butterfly section of: The Journey: Stories of Migration (Rylant) 
Bug Safari (Barner) 
Big Storm (Hiscock) 
 
Try Owen and Mzee ... It also has a website
 
Look at Boss of the Plains by Laurie Winn Carlson. It is the story of the Stetson 
hat.  

This week I'm reading "One World, One Day" by Barbara Kerley.  It is a National 
Geographic Book and the photos are gorgeous!  The text is minimal, but it shows how 
children around the world pretty much follow the same pattern every day (get up, 
eat breakfast, etc.).  Here's the Amazon link:  
http://www.amazon.com/One-World-Day-Barbara-Kerley/dp/1426304609

Alison,  we use the term "literary non-fiction" to describe non-fiction
books that read almost like fiction.  Maybe you could use the Magic School
Bus books (especially effective to read with a group if you have a document
camera (ELMO)).  Balto and the great race could work, as could Hachiko, the
true story of a loyal dog. What about the books the Hatkoffs have written
(Owen and Mzee; Looking for Miza; Winter's Tale)?
 
How about "What to do About Alice?"... The story of Alice Roosevelt, president 
Roosevelt's daughter
 
Balto
What do you do with a tail like this? 
Owen and Mzee
Rosa (caldecott honor)
It's a spoon not a shovel
 
There are several versions appropriate for 2nd graders of the story of Balto, the 
dog that led the last leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome. You could also show 
pictures of the statue of Balto in NYC's Central Park, as well as talk about the 
Iditarod, the famous dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome which starts very soon 
(first week of March) and has its roots in the 1925 serum run.
There is also a picture book about Togo, another dog that did much of the running 
in the 1925 serum run but is less famous than Balto. Look for "Togo" by Robert J. 
Blake. 
The SLJ review of Togo on Amazon suggests pairing it with "The Bravest Dog Ever: 
The True Story of Balto" by Natalie Standiford.
 
Honk! Honk! Goose: Canadian Geese Start a Family by April Pulley Sayre is one of my 
favorites from 2009.  Narrative style and great backmatter.  We've had lively 
discussions about whether or not this was nonfiction and why.  Kids seem to think 
this format doesn't look like an information book so you have to teach them. In 
Titlewave, here's a link to the book information with reviews:

http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=a201e38f1264feab2d9e6f56bc1c9785

The Two Bobbies....lovely story with a surprise.  My 2nd graders loved it (its 
nominated for the NC Children's Book Award and looks like it will win for my 
school).
 
What to do about Alice, by Longworth
Martina the beautiful cockroach : a Cuban folktale / retold by Carmen Agra Deedy ; 
illustrated by Michael Austin.
Pale Male : citizen hawk of New York City / by Janet Schulman ; illustrated by 
Meilo So. this one may be a little long for them, but a great story.
 
My 2nd graders loved Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
 
How about:
The Dinosauers of Waterhouse Hawkins
Snowflake Bentley
D'Aulaire's Greek Mythology
Balls by Michael Rosen
Picture book biographies: My Name is Georgia, Rosa (Nikki Giovanni) and others
 
have been reading Abe Lincoln Crosses A Creek to 2nd graders.  It is a wonderful 
way to share a little known fact about Abraham Lincoln in a fictionalized way. 
 There has been controversy about how to classify this work.  I've put it under 
biography but it was originally under fiction.
 
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein.  It reads like a 
picture book, but it's real. :)

Cheeper by the dozen i a great nonfiction book that reads more like ficton because 
it is an autobiography.

 like to read Chibi by Brenner to my second graders. We use Google maps on the 
Satellite view, Images found on the Internet, etc. So we also research the area we 
read about.

There is a Jean Craighead George book called The Wolves are Back that is one of my 
very favorites. It is about the balance of nature.

Brave Norman
The Bravest Cat
Balto and the great race
Ryan and Jimmy and the Well that brought them together (long-you could do excerpts)
The faithful elephants
Listen to the Wind (children's version of three cups of tea)

Hi Alison
The two that I think of immediately are:

Snowflake Bentley by Briggs

Mighty Jackie:The Strike-out Queen by Marissa Moss--About an amazing
female pitcher who struck Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig out in an
exhibition game.
 
K-4 Library Media Specialist
Chappaqua,NY
alisong8279@yahoo.com 



      

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