Nonfiction Monday: Flying Eagle

Flying Eagle
Written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Charlesbridge, 2009
Reviewed by Kim Hutmacher
Book Source: We would like to thank Charlesbridge for donating a copy of this book for review.

Father eagle has a job to do- find dinner for his baby chick. Set at dusk in Africa’s beautiful Serengeti National Park, Bardhan-Quallen's rhythmic terse verse text follows him on his long tireless flight. Father isn’t the only animal searching for food, though. This book takes a look at many predators and their prey. Crocodiles eye hippos and a lion makes an attempt on a pack of zebras. Father eagle makes failed attempts to catch a cobra, dik-diks and a hare. The hunter becomes the hunted when he makes a narrow escape from a poacher’s arrow. Finally, he meets with success when he catches a bird for baby chick’s dinner. That’s all for today, but tomorrow will bring yet another flight.
Readers will find back matter containing more information about eagles and the Serengeti National Park.
This book is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Practically Paradise blog.

Nonfiction Monday: About Penguins

About Penguins: A Guide for Children

Written by Cathryn Sill

Illustrated by John Sill
Ages 4-8, 48 pages
Peachtree, 2009

Reviewed by Heidi Roemer

Bio by Laura Crawford

Book Source: This book was borrowed from Elmhurst Library for review.

Many second and third graders know that penguins cannot fly and that these birds do not live on the North Pole with Santa. But there is still much to learn about these fascinating creatures, and Cathryn Sill’s About Penguins offers a solid introduction. Some readers may be surprised to learn that a few penguin species prefer warm weather. For example, the Humboldt Penguin lives along the coasts of Chili and Peru. Here cactus grows and the climate is hot and dry. The Galapagos Penguin lives on the Galapagos Island at the Earth’s equator. Illustrations reveal that the penguin shares this tropical climate and rocky landscape with crabs and iguanas!
What other surprising penguin facts might readers learn? Unlike the nest-less King and Emperor Penguin that prefer to incubate its egg on its feet, the Chinstrap Penguin builds makes a nest of rocks and pebbles, while the Megellanic Penguin nestles its egg in a burrow under the ground. Amazing!
Appealing, full-page watercolor renderings by wildlife illustrator John Sill reveal penguins in their natural settings. Accompanying each detailed illustration, the opposite page offers a brief single-sentence statement about some aspect of the penguins’ behavior, geographic preference, diet, nesting habits, or survival techniques. This husband and wife team introduces all seventeen penguin species, inspiring young naturalists to learn more. Bird lovers will enjoy poring over the additional facts noted in the Afterword. A glossary, list of recommended books, and related websites are included. Teachers may find this book a delightful paring with fiction favorites such as Helen Lester’s Tacky the Penguin and Newberry Honor book, Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
For additional informative reads, check out other titles in Peachtree’s acclaimed ABOUT… series.

Cathryn Sill, a former elementary school teacher, and her husband John live in North Carolina. They are the author and illustrator of About Penguins: A Guide for Children by Peachtree Publishing. Carolyn has written several nonfiction children's books including About Rodents, About Marsupials and About Birds. Her husband John is a freelance artist who shared his love of birds with his aunt and his artistic ability with his father. John's work is frequently on exhibit and is featured in various books, magazines and calendars. Cathryn and John live in North Carolina.

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Simply Science blog.

Nonfiction Monday: It's Cloudy Today

It’s Cloudy Today
Written by Kristin Sterling
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Lerner Publications Company
Lightning Bolt Books, 2010
Reviewed by Kim Hutmacher
Bio by Laura Crawford
Book Source: We would like to thank Lerner Publications Company for donating a copy of this book for review.

One of my favorite things to do is cloud watch from a grassy patch in my backyard. I love to watch them move and take on different shapes. I’ve seen clouds in the shapes of tulips, rabbits, castles and marshmallows. Each shape has its own story. Feathery, wispy cirrus clouds tell a story of lovely weather to come. Dark low hanging stratus clouds tell the story of a storm. This book describes and defines individual clouds. Readers learn about the people who study clouds- meteorologists. We also learn about the man who named the clouds and the origins of each name. There are bright vivid photographs, which seem to be a constant with Lerner’s Lightning Bolt Series books. When readers are finished with this book, they should easily be able to go outside and know what kind of clouds are painting the sky. If that weren’t enough, the back matter even includes a fun shaving cream cloud activity!

This book is part of Lerner’s What’s the Weather Like? series. Other titles in this series include:

It’s Rainy Today
It’s Snowy Today
It’s Sunny Today
It’s Windy Today

Kristin Sterling is a busy woman! Not only is she an accomplished Lerner author with 27 published books, she is also a Title I teacher in Minnesota where she conducts intervention groups for both reading and math. As an employee of Lerner for six years, her jobs included staff writer and curriculum developer. She now writes on a freelance basis. Her Lerner titles include biographies, books about simple math concepts and basic social studies topics.

This book is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by In Need of Chocolate blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Apples for Everyone

Apples for Everyone by Jill Esbaum
Ages 4-8, 16 pages
National Geographic Children's Books, 2009

Reviewed by Heidi Bee Roemer

Book Source: We would like to thank the author, Jill Esbaum, for providing a copy of this book for review.

“An apple a day…” is what they say! But have you ever wondered where apples came from and how they grow? Apples for Everyone, the fifth title in National Geographic’s Picture the Seasons series, offers a basic introduction to the life cycle of an apple, from blossom to bud to ripened fruit. Readers will also learn a few historical tidbits and practical uses of the famed seasonal fruit. Thanks to the early colonists and a pioneer nicknamed Johnny Appleseed, apple trees have been growing in America for hundreds of years—and for good reason. Crisp, crunchy apples are one of autumn’s most tantalizing treats! Young readers may be surprised to learn that Americans eat more apples than any other fruit. Beautiful full-color photographs compare apples of various colors and shapes: red, yellow, green, stripped, spotted, round and lumpy. Cut one open, and you’ll see seeds snuggled in its star-shaped center. Ripened apples that fall to the ground will eventually rot and enrich the soil.
In addition to capturing the wonder of the maturing apple, lively, lyrical text and gorgeous glossy photographs highlight the ap-peel-ing sensory delights of juicy apple-eating. Apples may be enjoyed in many different “apple-icious” ways: plucked fresh from the tree, dipped in caramel, baked in pies, cooked into applesauce or crushed to make hot apple cider. Yum!
Informative, visual, and engaging, Apples for Everyone, is the perfect selection for primary students and serves as an excellent addition to the science curriculum. Check out the other seasonal/nature books in this popular series:
· APPLES FOR EVERYONE
· SEED, SPROUT, PUMPKIN PIE
· A TREE FOR ALL SEASONS
· INSECTS
· PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH

Laura Crawford conducted an email interview with author, Jill Esbaum:

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.
I live on a working farm in eastern Iowa. I’ve been writing for kids for thirteen years and am the author of seven picture books and numerous magazine pieces. Four more picture books are in the pipeline, and I'm just beginning to market a chapter book (fingers crossed). You can read more than you’d ever want to know about me on my website, http://www.jillesbaum.com/
When National Geographic Kids asked me to author their Picture the Seasons series, I jumped at the chance, partly because it was National Geographic (!), and partly because I’m a big nonfiction fan and was happy to be published in that genre.
WHERE DO YOUR IDEAS FOR NONFICTION COME FROM?
Nonfiction ideas zing me randomly. For instance, last July I was reading a conservation magazine in my dentist’s waiting room when I came upon the short and fascinating biography of an Iowa artist I’d never heard of before. His story – and his unique, never-duplicated artwork – gave me goosebumps, which seemed like a good sign. I’ve begun researching his life for a picture book biography. When it comes to the Nat Geo books, they pick the topic. Then I get to research, which I thoroughly enjoy, and write.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE HARDEST PART ABOUT WRITING?
Beating procrastination. It’s much easier to think about writing than actualy sit down and do it.
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST FACT YOU HAVE LEARNED?
I was always taught that Johnny Appleseed planted seeds far and wide so that other settlers would have apples to eat. Nope. He planted them so people would have fruit from which to make hard (alcoholic) cider.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR LATEST WORK.
The third book in the Picture the Seasons series, Everything Spring, will be released in early February. It’s more poetic than Apples for Everyone and Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie, so I’m eager to see how that goes over. Meanwhile, I’m working on the fourth book, Winter Wonderland. I took notes on blustery days last winter, and I’m enjoying revisiting those icy times from the warmth of my office.

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Rasco from RIF blog.