Nonfiction Fun

When it’s time to prepare for ordering books, I love exploring all of the new nonfiction books. Publishers have been putting a lot more effort into developing quality nonfiction for children, especially for emergent readers. (Whatever you think of the Common Core, this is definitely one advantage of that focus!) Today I’m featuring several nonfiction books we recently added to our collection.

How It Works: The Internet

Written by Meg Greve

This book is an excellent introduction to how the Internet works for young readers. How It Works: The Internet explains in easy-to-understand language what the Internet is and how information is carried over the Internet from a website’s server to your home computer. (In fact, I’d even recommend this book to adults who want a very basic explanation of how everything fits together.) All vocabulary is clearly explained, with plenty of diagrams to aid understanding. All of the standard nonfiction elements are present, as well (table of contents, diagrams with labels, captions, a glossary, and index, etc.), making it a good choice for teaching about nonfiction.

Machines at Work: Motorcycles

Written by Allan Morey

I am always looking for books about machines, as well as books I can recommend to our Kindergarten students, and Machines at Work: Motorcycles fits the bill. Written with just a few short sentences on each two-page spread, it brings a very popular topic to an emergent reader accessible level. As an additional benefit, the pictures feature both male and female riders, which will make the book more appealing to all readers.

Dangerous Jobs: Animal Trainer

Written by Patrick Perish

Dangerous Jobs: Animal Trainer is written at a somewhat higher reading level than the first two books I shared, but it is sure to be a popular selection. Perish shares many different aspects of an animal trainer’s job: what types of things animal trainers do, what they need to do to become animal trainers, and the danger they often face. The book also includes many of the standard nonfiction text features, such as glossary, index, etc.

Amazing Origami: Origami Bugs

Written by Catherine Ard

Out of the top 20 most circulated nonfiction books for the 2014-2015 school year, 6 of them were origami books. Origami, the Japanese art of paperfolding, is extremely popular with our students, so, of course, when I saw that Amazing Origami: Origami Bugs got a great review from one of School Library Journal’s reviewers, I knew I had to order it for our collection. The book starts with an explanation of the basic folds of origami, and then gives clear, well-illustrated, step-by-step instructions on how to make six different origami bugs. This is sure to be a hit with my origami-loving crew!