Nonfiction Monday: Big, Bigger, Biggest!

Big, Bigger, Biggest by Nancy Coffelt
Ages 4-8, 32 pages
Henry Holt, 2009

Which animal is the biggest? The fastest? The slowest? The hungriest? Meet 21 competitive creatures that all share a common trait: bragging. "I’m big," boasts the hippo. "I’m large. I’m huge, I’m jumbo." The illustration on the following page shows a killer whale who is not to be outdone. "I’m bigger…gigantic… immense… enormous!" But of the three animals in the "who’s largest" contest, the mammoth dinosaur has the final say. "I’m biggest! I’m mammoth. I’m humungous. I’m colossal!" And so the story goes, as each animal is quick to verbally and expressively extol his own unique attributes, only to be out-done by another who is even bigger, smaller, slower, faster, hungrier, slimier, or sleepier than the first.

Sure to capture the imaginations of young readers, the story’s good-natured humor is further enhanced by the bold cartoon-style illustrations of the boastful animals. But parents and educators will quickly realize that the purpose of the book is not merely to introduce various animals, but rather to expose emergent readers to new vocabulary words through the expansive use of synonyms, antonyms, and comparative and superlative forms. What a fun and engaging way to bring words to life! So, think quickly: Who is tinier—a rabbit, a chick, or a bug? What words would you use to describe the comparative sizes of each one? Read Big, Bigger, Biggest and find out for yourself!

This book was reviewed by Heidi Bee Roemer. This blog post is part of Nonfiction Monday hosted this week by Simply Science.

Nonfiction Monday: Sonoran Desert

Sonoran Desert
Written by Dr. Wayne Lynch
Northword Books For Young Readers, 2009
The Sonoran Desert covers parts of Mexico, California and Arizona. It contains more kinds of cactuses, spiders, scorpions, lizards, snakes and wildflowers than any other desert in North America. In this book, Dr. Wayne Lynch introduces readers to this mysterious and beautiful ecosystem. His kid-friendly writing style and stories of his personal adventures bring the Sonoran to life. Among the many stories, he shares the heroic way in which he came to the rescue of a tortoise who found himself upside down on his shell in 115 degree heat. He also shares his close call with a Styrofoam cooler full of rattlesnakes.
The desert photographs are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. We see a close-up of the stinger of a scorpion’s tail, a honey pot ant whose body is swollen with golden nectar and the long sharp teeth of the javelina (a distant relative of the barnyard pig).
I highly recommend this title for classroom use. I have not seen a better book for the study of the Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

Dr. Wayne Lynch, author of Sonoron Desert, was once an emergency room doctor. Now he is one of Canada's most popular freelance science writers and photographers. During the last 27 years, his research has taken him to more than 60 countries, often working with his wife, Aubrey Lang. Some of his animal subjects include penguins, polar bears, owls, bears and a various birds. He has explored many wilderness areas of the world- rain forests, deserts, mountains, and the African plains. He has written and photographed dozens of books for children, but one of his best sellers was Scoop for Poop, written in 2001.

This book was reviewed by Kim Hutmacher. The bio was written by Laura Crawford.

This book is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up posted at Picture Book of the Day.

Nonfiction Monday: W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet

W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet by Roland and Marie Smith. Illustrated by John Megahan
Ages 4-8, 32 pages
Sleeping Bear Press, 2008

You won’t need to board a submarine or don a wetsuit to embark on this journey to the bottom of the sea and learn about many of the ocean’s inhabitants, mysteries, and myths. W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet, a themed ABC book from the Sleeping Bear Alphabet Science Series, is jam-packed with fascinating facts about marine plant and animal life: plankton, kelp, mollusks, seahorses, penguins, ray fish, sharks, and narwhales, to list a few. In addition to introducing readers to pertinent explorers and scientists (Christopher Columbus, James Cook, Marie Tharp, Rachel Carson, Jacques Cousteau and others), the book also contains intriguing historical, environmental, and geographical information. Beginning with the letter A, for example, readers will learn about Atlantis, the mysterious sunken island from Greek mythology. E is for Exxon Valdez, the ship that spilled tons of crude oil into the ocean, killing many plants and animals. G is for the Great Barrier Reef which is visible from the moon!

Older readers will be captivated by the informative text contained in wide sidebars, while younger readers will enjoy the brief rhymes that appear for each alphabetized topic. Rich, almost-full-page acrylic illustrations bring the ocean’s depths and its wonders to light. Who knows? W is for Waves may be just the book that sparks a young reader’s interest in oceanography or marine biology.

Roland Smith got his first typewriter when he was 5 years old, and has been writing ever since! When attending college in Portland, Oregon, Roland needed a job, so he applied at a zoo. He thought he would be working there a short time, but was employed by the zoo for over twenty years. His love animals is evident in many of his books; he wrote Sea Otter Rescue after working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1990. He and his wife Marie live in Oregon and often write together. He enjoys traveling to do research and taking photos for his books. W is for Waves was released with Sleeping Bear Press in 2008.
Teachers’ guides: http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/TeachersGuides/OceanGuide.pdf

This book was reviewed by Heidi Bee Roemer. The bio was written by Laura Crawford. This review is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up posted at All About Children's Books.

Nonfiction Monday: A Seaside Twist on Mother Goose

Mother Osprey: Nursery Rhymes for Buoys and Gulls
Written by Lucy Nolan Illustrated by Connie McLennan
Sylvan Dell Press, 2009 Ages 4-8

In this oceanic twist on traditional Mother Goose rhymes, Lucy Nolan takes readers on a trip to the seashore. We see flamingoes, sea lions, lobsters, whales and lighthouses among the many wet, sandy scenes. Many of Nolan’s rhymes are clever and fun, but my personal favorite is her lovely take on Sleep Baby Sleep:

Sleep, baby sleep,
upon the river deep.
The Mississippi rolls along;
it hums a peaceful nighttime song.
Sleep baby sleep.

Sleep, baby sleep,
the moonbeams dance and leap;
the paddle wheel sings and sighs,
it spins out gentle lullabies.
Sleep, baby sleep.

Sleep, baby sleep,
upon the river deep.
When morning comes, you’ll be with me,
your cares will drift on out to sea.
Sleep, baby sleep.

The For Creative Minds section at the back of the book includes factual information about each of the rhymes and a map of the U.S. where readers can pinpoint where they would find the creatures and sites featured in the poems along with related questions.
This book is a wonderful introduction to the beauty and majesty of the sea.

This book was reviewed by Kim Hutmacher. This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up at Mother Reader.

Nonfiction Monday: Guest Blogger Paula Morrow

Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet by Kimberly Hutmacher, illustrated by Sherry Rogers. Sylvan Dell, 2009. Ages 3-7.
Whose Nest Is This? by Heidi Bee Roemer, illustrated by Connie McLennan. Northword, 2009. Ages 4-8.
One constant in life is that small children love small critters, especially if the critters are furry, fuzzy, or feathered. Add some interesting facts the kids can learn and tell to impress each other, and they'll be fascinated.
Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet features a variety of animals, large and small, from around the world. Rhyming couplets create an insistent chant, with each pair of lines describing a different use for those important body parts listed in the title. For example, a chimp is "Curling, clinging / tree branch swinging," while a kangaroo enjoys "Hipping, hopping / outback bopping."
The illustrations tell a wordless story tying the different animals and facts together. Two children travel from water bog to ice berg, watching and interacting with the animals. Forget about a magic carpet; these kids have a flying bed, complete with elephant-printed covers that at times cushion an eagle's nest or pillow a sleepy panda. Although the art style is somewhat stiff, imaginative details provide sprightly humor.
The back of the book features a four-page "For Creative Minds" section with additional information, matching activities, and questions to ponder. Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet will give young readers a new appreciation of the many things they can do with their own hands and feet.

Whose Nest Is This? explores the ways that a baker's dozen of birds and animals (and even one fish) build their homes. Using a riddle format, the text first describes a nest in a rhythmic four-line poem, working specific details and clues into the lines. Following the description, the title question is repeated.
A full-page, realistic color painting presents the answer, showing each animal or bird in its natural habitat. The beautiful illustrations, like the text, present the exact species: not just flamingo but Caribbean flamingo, not just mouse but harvest mouse. Some of the choices are as much fun to say as dinosaur names: try shouting "threespine stickleback fish" three times, fast!
A "Fun-Fact Glossary" at the book's end provides a paragraph about each species, focusing, naturally, on the babies. "Whose Nest Is This?" is apt to inspire spirited play-acting as kids build their own nests and watch their "young" emerge.
With their kid-appealing facts and colorful illustrations, Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet and Whose Nest Is This? will be especially attractive to homeschoolers. Both books are sure to tickle any young child who loves animals.

This review was first published in the Bureau County (IL) Republican and is also posted at paulamorrow.com. Paula has been a children's literature specialist for more than a quarter century, first as a children's librarian, then as a longtime editor at Cricket Magazine Group and Cricket Books, and now as an independent editor, author, writing instructor, and sometimes publisher.

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up posted at Practically Paradise.