nonfiction picture books

Here are some more excellent books to use with kids in various content areas. Narrative nonfiction is am important element of the new state test for kids in Texas (and elsewhere) and these will give readers some experiences with narrative nonfiction text 9and illustrations).




RESCUING ROVER: SAVING AMERICA'S DOGS by Raymond Bial (Boyds Mills 2011) will provide insight for readers into how America has come to have such a problem with too many dogs abandoned and abused. Bial discusses puppy mills, pet stores, breeders, humane societies and other aspects of this topic in clear and concise text. <1>




Catherine Clinton's WHEN HARRIET MET SOJOURNER (Amistad 2011, illustrated by Shane Evans)presents information about Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth and the roles they played in helping to free slaves and win rights for former slaves. The two women met once and, though no one was present to record the meeting, Clinton imagines what that historic meeting might have been like given the nature of the two women. <2>





A young boy asks about the mule eating the greens in a nearby garden. In response, the owner of the garden and caretaker of the mule tells him about BELL, THE LAST MULE OF GEE'S BEND (Candlewick 2011). Calvin Ramsey and Bettye Stroud (with illustrations by John Holyfield) introduce readers to the efforts of Dr. King to get the voters from Gee's Bend to the polls and the role played by Belle and other mules to transport wagons filled with African Americans to the polls. Belle was also selected as one of the mules to pull the wagon with Dr. King's coffin following his assassination. <3>