Alyson Beecher of Kid Lit Frenzy and Michele Knott of Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook are hosting a Mock Sibert. I’m thrilled to join, remembering my favorite nonfiction picture books from 2016. My nominations are:
Esquivel! Spage-Age Sound Artist (my post about the book coming soon)
I loved the lively language and the great onomatopoeia in this book. The back matter extended the information in the text. Quotations were elegantly woven into the text. The distinctive art captures the spirit of the time.
This is a fascinating story about a technology that didn’t catch on. The story involved science, technology, and the politics of Tammany Hall, and I was impressed at how Shana Corey provided scaffolding for what kids need to know to understand her book. Red Nose Studio’s art is unusual (and uses orientation turns to great effect).
I love the trend of nonfiction picture books about recent events, and I was particularly moved and inspired by this story. Like most of my favorite nonfiction picture books, this one has fascinating back matter.
Simple, powerful language tells the story of an urban predator. The art, done in shades of dark, is gorgeous, and the back matter helps me as a reader know how this story connects to my own neighborhood.
This biography takes a simple but profound idea–that dissent can be collegial and productive–and shows it throughout Ginsburg’s life. The book weaves together archival and legal research elegantly.
This book celebrates slaves without celebrating slavery. It uses both front and back matter to contextualize the book–I especially liked the back matter.
This book has an ambitious structure that covers Gershwin’s childhood, his composition of Rhapsody in Blue, and performance history of the piece. It has a rich back matter that is a joy to explore.
Giant Squid (my post about this book coming soon)
This book gives the natural history of the giant squid while making the bigger point that scientists need to draw conclusions about the whole from small parts. The back matter is written directly to the child reader and expands on that idea. The book uses (and sometimes subverts) the conventions of picture books brilliantly.
There are three books I would have liked to nominate, but they’re not eligible.
Pink is for Blobfish
Beautiful book design gives all the facts about pink animals while making larger points. But the author, Jess Keating, is Canadian.
Cloth Lullaby
I thought this was the most beautiful and lyrical book of the year, but its artist is Canadian.
Are You an Echo?
An ambitious and untraditional picture book biography, but most of the contributors are Japanese.
I loved the story of Ada’s Violin, am in awe of those who create beauty where there seems to be none. And I enjoy The Music in George’s Head, too, loved the way the illustrations were done. I just put the others on hold, will have them soon. I waited too long for Coyote Moon. We too have a few in our city neighborhood! Thanks, Annette!
Totally agree with Pink is for Blobfish. It’s one of my most heavily checked out nonfiction.
I just checked out The Music in George’s Head from the library. The author lives in the town I went to high school!
Thanks for joining in on the Mock Sibert fun!
BTW… I’ve got Mountain Chef pulled to use with my students for Sibert Smackdown when we come back from holiday break 🙂
Thanks so much, Michele, for sharing Mountain Chef with your students. The Sibert Smackdown is such a great project! I can’t wait to see posts about how kids respond to it.
What a great collection. I too loved Freedom Square and Are You an Echo is one that is simply amazing. I Dissent and Ada’s Violin are others I really enjoyed along with Esquivel. I still need to get to some of the others.