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Children's Nonfiction Reviews:
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February 7, 2012

Announcing the 2011 Sonderbooks Stand-outs! I'm ranking my favorite books read in 2011 and will be giving each review page a special seal. I already announced the titles and my reasoning on my blog, but now I've got the permanent page up.

My #4 pick for Children's Nonfiction is Drawing from Memory, by Allen Say, in which the Caldecott-winning artist tells about his apprenticeship to a master cartoonist which began when he was only 13 years old in Japan.

Happy reading!



The Arts
I Dreamed of Flying Like a Bird
I Dreamed of Flying Like a Bird
by Robert B. Haas

A Is For Art
A Is For Art
by Stephen T. Johnson

Artist to Artist




Biography
Drawing from Memory
Drawing from Memory
by Allen Say

Erika's Story
Erika's Story
by Ruth Vander Zee
illustrated by Roberto Innocenti

The Day-Glo Brothers
by Chris Barton
illustrated by Tony Persiani

A River of Words
by Jen Bryant
illustrated by Melissa Sweet

The Trouble Begins at 8
by Sid Fleischman

The Lincolns
by Candace Fleming

Amelia Lost
by Candace Fleming

Rosa
by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek
by Deborah Hopkinson
illustrated by John Hendrix

Me . . . Jane
by Patrick McDonnell

Me, Frida
by Amy Novesky
illustrated by David Diaz

Knucklehead
by Jon Scieszka

Sandy's Circus
by Tanya Lee Stone
illustrated by Boris Kulikov

Smile
by Raina Telgemeier

Wise Guy
by M. D. Usher
pictures by William Bramhall

Queen of the Falls
by Chris Van Allsburg

All the Way to America
by Dan Yaccarino

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau
by Dan Yaccarino



Folklore & Literature
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal
by Paul Fleischman
illustrated by Jane Paschkis


History
Energy Island
Energy Island
by Allan Drummond

Sugar Changed the World
Sugar Changed the World
by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos

14 Cows for America
by Carmen Agra Deedy
in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
photographs by Andy Comins

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Philip Hoose

Truce
by Jim Murphy

We Are the Ship
by Kadir Nelson

Pale Male
by Janet Schulman
illustrated by Meilo So

The Wall
by Peter Sis

Almost Astronauts
by Tanya Lee Stone

The Secret of Priest's Grotto
by Peter Lane Taylor with Christos Nicola



Mathematics
You Can Count on Monsters
You Can Count on Monsters
by Richard Evan Schwartz

If America Were a Village
If America Were a Village
by David J. Smith
illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong

The Cat in Numberland
by Ivar Ekeland
illustrated by John O'Brien
Greater Estimations
by Bruce Goldstone



Poetry
Guyku
Guyku
by Bob Raczka
illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Won Ton
Won Ton
A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

by Lee Wardlaw
illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

My People
by Langston Hughes
photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.

I Heard God Talking to Me
by Elizabeth Spires

Why War Is Never a Good Idea
by Alice Walker
illustrations by Stefano Vitale



Science
Hatch!
Hatch!
by Roxie Munro

The Periodic Table
The Periodic Table
Elements With Style!

created by Basher
written by Adrian Dingle

Just the Right Size
by Nicola Davies
illustrated by Neal Layton

Never Smile at a Monkey
by Steve Jenkins

Dogs and Cats
by Steve Jenkins

The Frog Scientist
by Pamela S. Turner, photographs by Andy Comins