How to Make a Universe with 92 Ingredients: An Electrifying Guide to the Elements by Adrian Dingle
(OwlKids, 2010)
I
grew up thinking elements were boring and their whole purpose was to be
memorized from the Periodic Table of Elements. This book destroys that myth by giving
examples—celestial and terrestrial—that are made up of those elements. It’s
also filled with little silly jokes and asides and fun activities that help
make the rather abstract concept of elements very relatable.
Full
disclosure, Melissa is my go-to nonfiction author, and I love basically
everything she has ever written. This book is an irresistible combination of
intriguing structure, riveting information about a delicious topic, and
laugh-out-loud humor provided by the tiny bookworms at the bottom of each page.
To push this book right over the edge, Melissa has great videos about her
process of writing the book, making this a perfect mentor text for writing as
well.
Welcome to the Neighborwood by Shawn Sheehy (Candlewick, 2015)
This
gorgeous pop-up nonfiction book focuses on animals people might find in their
backyards. I love the way it elevates common animals as well as the way it
transitions from one animal to the next by connecting something about their
setting, behavior or some other feature to the next animal. While it’s written
for K-2, older kids also enjoy reading it and it makes a wonderful mentor text
for structure.
This
book is one of my new favorites for a few reasons. Not the least of which is
that it is a rare expository text paired with poetry. Additionally, it is
organized in an incredibly classroom friendly way: each chapter explores a
different aspect of the Latino experience, something very rare to find in
children’s books. I also love that the book offers follow-up reading for each
topic it explores. A must have for those of us looking to round out our
libraries with more mirrors and windows.
Middle-grade
readers will be riveted by this fascinating combination of narrative stories
and expository background information. The author uses an extended cinematic
zombie metaphor throughout the book to describe a variety of predatory insects
that control other insects’ bodies. Warning: it is very gross. 2nd Warning: You
won’t be able to keep it on your shelf.
Colleen Cruz is an author of
books for teachers and kids, including The Unstoppable Writing Teacher and
Border Crossing, a Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award
Finalist. She was an elementary public school teacher in Brooklyn for many
years. She now works as Senior Lead Staff Developer at Teachers College Reading
and Writing Project at Columbia University where she supports schools, teachers,
and students nationally and internationally.