Monday, January 26, 2009

*Swoon* - Did I REALLY Write That?

This appears in a review I wrote this morning for Nonfiction Monday.
*Swoon* Beautiful images and beautiful words—what better tools are there to introduce nonfiction to young readers?
Another 2008 title that still has me swooning is Nic Bishop Frogs. I must say I'm thoroughly disappointed it wasn't honored in the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal category. I think it's better written than Nic Bishop Spiders, which was a 2008 Sibert Honor book. I also thought Betsy Bird (Fuse #8) made a good point in her Caldecott predictions about the book. She said:
What would happen if a book of photographs won the Caldecott? Take a close look at the Caldecott's definition. At no point does it declare that the "illustrations" must be drawn. What is an illustration? Can a photo be one? If so, then Bishop's book should clearly be the first.
So, there you have it. That's me swooning over works of nonfiction, and darn proud of it. What nonfiction books have you read lately that are swoon-worthy? (Yes, I just made that up and rather like it.)

2 comments:

  1. Nic Bishop, Steve Jenkins. The last one I remember swooning over (ninjas don't really swoon, but you know what I mean) was An Egg Is Quiet...

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  2. I like swoon-worthy, too.

    My current swoonful (and that's mine!), is Baby Bilby, where do you sleep? by Narelle Oliver. It's a marvellous nonfiction picture book that reaches out to the very young and up. Simple, rhyming, interactive text coupled with amazing detail of Australian wildlife has me swooning. Oliver includes each animal's tracks, along with a peephole to peek into their habitat, and some "hidden" creatures to find.

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