It's So Amazing

Harris, R. H. (1999). It's so amazing: a book about eggs, sperm, birth, babies, and families.  Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Harris approaches the often taboo subjects of sexual development, reproduction, love, adoption, sexually transmitted diseases, and families in a straightforward manner using child friendly yet accurate text. Her comfortable explanations are nonjudgmental or stereotypical and provide opportunities for parents to share their family values with their children.  The organization of this book gives parents the option to use only the parts they are ready to share with their child or to utilize the whole book.  Emberley's cartoon illustrations help to avoid some of the awkwardness that these subjects could produce while his simple drawings provide a visual to benefit the understanding of the child.  This book is written for children ages 7 and up, although as a parent, you may choose to use this book to only answer the questions they are asking at that young age.

Book Trailer:  https://youtu.be/RBnbtbBR0Ms

Available for purchase through Amazon.

The Underneath

Appelt, K. (2008). The underneath. NY: Simon and Schuster.
Ranger, a lonely, abused hound dog lives chained underneath a house in the forests of East Texas, just West of the Sabine River. His owner, Gar Face, is a man filled with hatred who barely gives him what he needs to survive. Ranger takes in an abandoned Calico cat, who is pregnant and they become a family.  One day, one of the curious kittens leaves the safe area under the house and sets off a series of events that attest to the power of love and the destructive power of hate. Appelt weaves in another story - one of magic, family, and revenge from the Caddo Tribe. Deep in the forest, there is a bowl, buried under a tree, containing a serpent known as Grandmother Moccasin. Throughout the book, we learn why she is in the bowl and eventually her story intertwines with the rest of the characters.  Appelt uses descriptively beautiful language and themes of abuse, abandonment, death, and revenge to create a dark, sad tone. David Small's pen and ink line drawings contribute to the tone of despair the the author has created. Despite the overwhelming sadness the reader feels, this is a book that you can't put down because you are hopeful that the characters will find a happy ending.  Through it all, the love of a family remains. This heart wrenching, beautifully written story is written for children ages 10 and up and would be a good choice for a reading group and discussion.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/eZ4Ds1Yub3Q

Available for purchase through Amazon.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

Bragg, G. (2011).  How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous.  NY: Bloomsbury.

This book is an informational nonfiction read about how nineteen famous people died.  It can be a bit gory, but at the same time it is humorous and keeps the reader engaged and wanting to know more.  It makes one very grateful for the advancements in medicine we have today. Between the individual stories, Bragg has included various explanations of historical medicine, common ailments, procedures, and interesting tidbits of information.  She discusses the "awful ends" of well known people such as George Washington, Albert Einstein, Christopher Columbus, Cleopatra, and Pocahontas, among others.  Kevin O'Malley's quirky black and white, cartoon drawings complement Bragg's lighthearted take on the subject. If you like the disgusting details, then this is the book for you.  Children ages 10 and up will definitely get a kick out of this book!

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/v_g1DKSH6T8

Available for purchase at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/How-They-Croaked-Awfully-Famous/dp/0802727948

Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow

Bartoletti, S. C. (2005) Hitler Youth: growing up in Hitler's shadow. NY: Scholastic.

In her award wining, nonfiction book, Bartoletti tells the true stories of the youth in Germany during Adolph Hitler's regime and World War II.  Her focus is the young people that were exploited by Hitler to create a strong military.  Bartoletti utilizes books, diaries, letters, photographs, and interviews of survivors to explain history through the eyes of the youth who were there. She tells how they felt about their lives, school, Hitler, and the war.  Not only does she explain why some children chose to follow Hitler, but also why some resisted.  Bartoletti personalizes the war by following the lives of these children, making it a great addition to a study on World War II, racism, conformity, and peer pressure.   It would be a excellent nonfiction book to pair with Lois Lowry's Number the Stars or The Diary of Anne Frank.
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/cQzIQQcsXcE

Available for purchase through Amazon.

Magic Windows / Ventanas Mágicas

Garza, C. L. (1999). Magic windows. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.

Carmen Lomas Garza honors her Mexican heritage through the traditional folk art of painting and paper cutouts.  Photographs of her art show the reader that family life and culture are important to her.  Through this how-to book, Lomas is passing on these traditions to the next generation.  She explains the art of picado (cut paper projects) in an easy to understand format in English and Spanish.  Children ages 9 and up, as well as adults, will enjoy creating these beautiful, tissue paper designs which include banners, tiles, and fans.

Visit the artist's website at http://carmenlomasgarza.com

Available for purchase through Amazon. 

The Secrets of Animal Flight

Bishop, N. (1997). The secrets of animal flight. Boston, MA: Houghton.

Bishop has created a nonfiction book that explains the mysteries of flight in birds, bats, and insects in terms for children.  It uses scientific terms to explain what we know about flight, what scientists have yet to learn, and is full of fascinating facts, diagrams, and photographs. Children are sure to love the beautiful high speed photography of animals in flight that accompany the well written text.  This book is sure to lead budding scientists into the backyard to observe nature for themselves.

Visit the author's website: http://www.nicbishop.com

Other books by Nic Bishop:

Bishop, N. (2012). Frogs. New York: Scholastic.

Bishop, N. (2011). Butterflies. New York: Scholastic.

Bishop, N. (2012). Snakes. New York: Scholastic.

Balloons Over Broadway

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade. New York: Houghton.  

Tony Sarg loved to figure out how things moved in order to create new items.  As an adult, his most well known creations are the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is a nonfiction book that is accurate, easy to read, and will inspire children to observe and create things. Sweet's mixed media illustrations of collage and paint as well as diagrams, photographs, and newspaper clippings add interest to the story and complement the chronologically organized text. While you won't find pictures of modern day parade balloons, this story is fun and engaging for all readers.  

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/FnfW3MdNpOU

Available for purchase at Amazon.