Nonfiction Monday: Over in the Meadow

Over in the Meadow
Written and Illustrated by Jan Thornhill
32 Pages, Ages 4-8
Owlkids Books, 2012

Jan Thornhill's rhythmic romp through the meadow begins:

Over in the meadow
in the sand in the sun
lived an old mother turtle
and her little turtle one.
"Dig!" said the mother.
"We dig!" said the 1.
So they dug all day
in the sand in the sun.

This delightful sing-song rhyme introduces young readers to animal families they would encounter in the meadow and helps them practice their counting skills, too! If that weren't enough, the illustrations are bold and unique. Thornhill builds illustrations out of common everyday objects. For instance, a baby crow is created from a radio and a pine cone. Readers will make surprising discoveries at every turn of the page.
Reviewed by Kimberly M. Hutmacher. We would like to thank Owlkids Books for providing a copy of this book for review.

Jan Thornill has led (and leads) an adventurous life! As a child she explored the woods and fields with friends while bringing home things such as birds, fossils, animal skulls and insects for their own personal museum. As an adult, she’s made contact lenses, sewn beads on Dolly Parton’s dresses, freelance work and now, she writes for children. She and her husband live in Ontario where she scours the forest looking for slime mold and mushrooms to eat.  Check out her fantastic website at www.janthornhill.com.
Biography by Laura Crawford.

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by A Curious Thing blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Sea Stars: Saltwater Poems

Sea Stars: Saltwater Poems
by Avis Harley
Photos by Margaret Butschler
32 pages, ages 4-8
Wordsong, 2006

Anyone angling for a book about marine life will be hooked by this spellbinding collection, thanks to the thoughtful pairing of eloquent poems and stunning photographs. Butschler’s snapshots capture crisp, evocative images such as a baby beluga swimming alongside its mother, a hermit crab emerging from its shell, and an otter afloat on its back blissfully enjoying its lunch. Drawing inspiration from the eye-catching photos, Harley uses a variety of poetry forms to describe creatures of the deep. A tanka incorporates word-play to describe the delicate Moon Jellyfish. “How can / this moon jelly / play host to hot shocks?—Such / sea-through beauty seems too sublime / to sting.” A rhymed couplet warns readers about the prickly Lionfish: “In every lionfish’s spine / lies a foison of poison beneath the design,” while clever terse verse takes note of the fierce Reef Shark: “Surf-slicer, ghost-glider, shadow-by-the-shore / flesh-finder, frenzied-feeder, coastal carnivore…” The "Looking Deeper" pages contain additional information about these amazing plants and animals. Sea Stars is truly a “see-worthy” collection for all ages. Book source: Orland Park Public Library—Review by Heidi Bee Roemer

Avis writes and illustrates at her desk in front of a large window which overlooks flower boxes and hummingbird feeders in British Columbia. Writing in longhand with lots of space to cross out and revise, she writes, rewrites and reads her work out loud before typing. Avis says the different stages are like a metamorphosis and enjoys the revision process. Her love of children's poetry grew out of her love of working with children when she taught her first class at age nineteen. She has been fascinated with language ever since. Her other nonfiction titles include The Monarch's Progress: Poems With Wings, Sea Stars: Saltwater Poems, and Fly with Poetry: An ABC of Poetry. –Bio by Laura Crawford.

Thhis post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Books Together blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Amazing Eggs

We would like to thank the Orland Park Public Library for providing this book for review.

Amazing Eggs:
We Both Read series (Level 1)
by Fran Hodgkins
Illus. by Wendy Smith
40 pages, ages 4-8
Treasure Bay, Inc.

Eggs can be as large as a grapefruit or so tiny you’ll need a magnifying glass to see them. They can be round or, believe it not, rectangular. They may have hard shells, leathery shells, or be shell-less and jelly-soft. Some eggs float, others sink. Some eggs are snuggled in soft nests, others are buried in sand, and some eggs have no nest at all. Readers learn that from these various eggs, hatchlings grow into birds, insects, fish, turtles, snakes, and, yes, even mammals. (Think platypus!) Color photos and detailed illustrations allow readers to view these fascinating capsules up close. See a baby reptile half-emerged from its leathery egg. Notice how the shark’s rectangular egg is tied to seaweed by its tendrils so it doesn’t drift away. Study the zoomed-in photo of tiny butterfly eggs resting on a leaf. Yes, eggs are amazing!

Designed as a joint reading experience, this book helps children practice their reading and listening skills as they learn about eggs. Left-side pages of the book contain an informative paragraph meant to be ready by an adult. Geared for emergent readers, pages on the right feature large-size, simply worded text comprised of a short sentence or two. Front matter includes a note to parents offering tips on how to encourage and help their young readers. Not only is this science and nature “book for two voices” educational, but fun for children to read aloud with a parent, teacher, or friend. Available in Spanish and paperback. To see other We Both Read books, go to www.WeBothRead.com.
—Review by Heidi Bee Roemer

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

Nonfiction Monday: African Animal Alphabet

We would like to thank the Orland Park Public Library for providing this book for review.

African Animal Alphabet
by Beverly and Dereck Joubert
48 pages, ages 4-8
National Geographic Children's Books, 2011

If you’d like to see a grinning crocodile close-up, or watch two warthogs kiss, or see three silly squirrels piggy-backed on top of each other like they’re doing cheerleading stunts, African Animal Alphabet is the book for you. As one would expect from National Geographic, this book is as informative as it is visually engaging. See striking full color photos of 26 different animals from around the world and view them in A-B-C order. And there’s more! Each animal description is a lesson in alliteration, as the text prominently utilizes the featured alphabet letter. For example, “B is for Baboon: “…boisterous baby baboons…babble and bicker…in an African baobab tree.” Each page also features a “Did You Know?” sidebar. Critter fact: “An adult male baboon’s teeth are long than a lion’s.”

After you’ve enjoyed romping with the rhinos, oooing over the baby impala, and groaning at the dung beetles’ dirty antics, check out the end pages. A colorful two-page spread featuring (what appears to be) miniature ABC playing cards, is actually the clever format used to present more fascinating animal facts: habitat, animal size, food it eats, sounds it makes, and number of babies. Glossary, book and website lists are included for more learning fun. I give this book and its creators high fives. Animal lover or not, I think you’ll be wowed, too!—Review by Heidi Bee Roemer

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Charlotte's Library blog.