Non-fiction | Page 2 of 9

Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals makes the Bill of Rights interesting, for real

I just had an Arsenio Hall moment. During his talk show, he had a catch phrase where he’d say “Things that make you go hmmmm.” As best I can remember, Hall would pause his monologue or joke and say his phrase. He wouldn’t directly state the implication that he was going for, because that’s to be determined by the audience. In my “hmmm” moment, I was reading about the Dred Scott decision. It’s just one of the multiple dozens of court decisions that are discussed in a common-sense manner in Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals: The Story of the Bill of Rights.

Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals looks at one of the simplest, yet confusing documents in United States history and makes in interesting for ages ten and up.

The nat geo effect, but with government for middle school

The Music Inside Us, a look at the life of Yo-Yo Ma, with takeaways for all

As a younger man I was always skeptical of biographical movies because you always know how they end. Since then, my thoughts on entertainment have evolved somewhat as to what makes a movie entertaining. That same qualifier has never existed for books, even when it came to children’s literature. The Music Inside Us is the story of world-renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma. It’s a safe bet most elementary school ages don’t know Yo-Yo Ma, much less what a cello is or can isolate its deep, soul searching sounds were they to hear it. As an illustrated book, The Music Inside Us is not a typical biography. Instead, it opens the book by asking a question about the purpose of music. This soft introduction works in partnership with the art that is realistic, painted, and muted in all the right ways.

The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma & His Gifts to the World is the life story of the world’s most famous cellist, but has life applications for those who are a prodigy.

The life story of Yo-Yo Ma, but with a takeaway for everyone

Letters to Misty is a ballet-centric, self-help Q & A for girls aged 8-12

If you are an elementary school aged girl, or otherwise that age and in ballet, Letters to Misty is your jam. From its soft pink and purple cover to the lovely ballet dancer on the cover this book knows its target audience. This is self-help for those young people (mainly girls) who are navigating soft social skills and personal interactions that have the potential to vex people of any age. It might be helpful if you know that Letters to Misty is written by Misty Copeland with Nikki Shannon Smith, but it’s not mandatory.

Letters to Misty features letters from kids to ballet dancer Misty Copeland about a variety of issues concerning ages eight through twelve.

Dying to Ask: 38 Questions From Kids About Death delivers the dead goods

Death happens. It’s a scary, unknown thing that is an absolute final, unless you see a ghost, then that’s scarier. Kids have many questions about death and that can be frustrating because nobody really has the answers. Adults try to avoid the topic. Kids can become frustrated because they’ve had contact with it through a family member. Dying to Ask: 38 Questions From Kids About Death is exactly what its name entails and is so much more than you think it is. It accomplishes this through a combination of the questions, the illustrations that accompany each question, and the tone in which they’re answered.

Dying to Ask: 38 Questions About Death From Kids manages to be respectful, funny, insightful and heartfelt on this sometimes taboo subject that touches everyone.

Let’s talk about death, no really

The Sun and the Planets: A 3-D Solar-System with Pop-Ups!

There are known unknowns. I love that quote from Donald Rumsfeld. It made perfect sense to me because I’m wholly aware that there are numerous fields I know nothing about. My inner-home repair guru might enable me to give it a shot, but most of the time, unless it’s a paint job, I’ll grudgingly call in someone to do the job. The Sun and the Planets: A 3-D Solar System with Pop-Ups!, from the title, would seem to be a very basic children’s book. It’s a pop-up book. What could be higher-level learning about a pop-up book?

Pop-up to lock down outter-space 411

Teaching Resilience: Life Lessons from ‘The Girl Who Figured It Out’

When I teach middle school or high school I sometimes use the phrase “I don’t care” to reply to some students who are making excuses for them or someone else. They don’t speak. I/They never do their work. I/they am not/aren’t smart. After the student is done watering down my expectations I’ll tell them that “I don’t care…about that unrelated issue they were trying to distract me with and that they are capable of doing the simple, age-appropriate task that I’ve asked them to do. There are some students who get momentarily put-off by what they deem as a rude comment, but then they’ll think about it and hopefully internalize that they need to raise the bar of what they can do. The Girl Who Figured It Out got that message, albeit in a kinder, elementary-age package with colorful illustrations and a can-do message about overcoming obstacles that life throws your way.

The Girl Who Figured It Out is inspiring non-fiction that relates to any audience ages six and up.

More youth would benefit from adopting her manta

Bird Girl: Inspiring Young Minds through Nature and Art

Why should students care about the life story about a woman who lived more than a century ago and studied birds? Gene Stratton-Porter is well-known in ornithology, but outside of that arena you probably haven’t heard of her. This is one of the things about well-made illustrated books that make the genre so much more than it appears to be. Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World doesn’t break any new ground in regards to the story, even though it’s one young audiences don’t know. At it’s core, the book is about finding your way and exploring what you love. Instead, this is a great book because of the unknown variable (Gene Stratton-Porter) and the illustrations by Rebecca Gibbon that are used to tell her life story.

Bird Girl is an illustrated book about a woman that kids won’t know, but whose topic they’ll love and is in a package they’ll enjoy.

Birds, passion, nature and photography

Rube Goldberg’s Big Book: STEM Fun for Young Builders

For a children’s concept that’s seemingly so simple, it took me years to understand it. In theory I should love Rube Goldberg. I love books and the idea of engineering, tinkering with things, plus what’s not to love about Rube Goldberg? It’s like steam punk. You’ve rig up everyday objects and arrange them so that their energy will make an impact on something, like opening a door or squeezing toothpaste out of the tube. It’s a simple act made needlessly, but entertainingly, complex. Rube Goldberg’s Big Book of Building solves the issue that I had with the process on the very first page.

It took Rube Goldberg’s Big Book of Building to finally get it through to me how it works. This oversized, reference book is funny and loaded with can-do, simple machines for all ages.

It’s rubetactular and done with things that already have in the house