Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Look What Came From ... Series

The nonfiction picture book challenge (#NFPBChallenge) is one of my favorites, as it is a great way to find out about valuable nonfiction resources for kids. This week I wanted to share a series that I use to get my kids thinking about the history of inventions and where certain objects, foods, and animals come from.

Look What Came From series 

The Look What Came From series  by Miles Harvey and others contains books focused around individual countries or continents. Each picture book features the inventions, innovations, and items that were native to that country. These book are also great for pointing out or studying nonfiction picture book structures including a Table of Contents, To Find Out More (bibliography), Glossary, and an Index.

The chapters vary from book to book, but you can expect to learn about a wide variety of contributions including inventions, fashion, food, toys, music, art and more. The books often contain a recipe native to that country as well as a language section including major phrases with both spellings and pronunciations.


Last week I shared selections from Look What Came from Egypt and Look What Came from Africa with my third graders. Beyond the more commonly known contributions, like mummies, papyrus, and pens, the kids were delighted to discover that both pancakes and wigs originated in Egypt around 5000 years ago. The invention of Egyptian candy 3000 years ago was another big hit.

I love these books because they get kids excited about other countries and get them thinking about the fact that many things that we take for granted as "normal" today originally came to us from somewhere else. These books are also great for the fact-loving type of kid who wants to wow others with obscure knowledge and cool bits of trivia.


Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday Challenge is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and is a weekly roundup of educator blogs that are sharing nonfiction picture books. Click the link to check out other nonfiction posts.

9 comments:

  1. Wow, we have to pin this list, as my little girl has just started to ask the questions about where things came from. A great recommendation on the Kid Lit blog Hop

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    1. Thanks so much! This is a really fun series for just that kind of kid, so I am sure she will enjoy them.

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  2. I have a few of these in our library. Great series!

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    1. Thanks, Crystal! I really find this an appealing series.

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  3. Pinned it! I have a third grader, but this series is really for everyone. =0) Love it.

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  4. I love coming here and discovering new titles- and better when they're themed or part of a series. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks for the comment! I love finding great book sets too.

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  5. What a great idea! My oldest son was always eager to learn where things were from when he was little. These books are perfect for inquisitive little ones. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks, Stacie! These will answer a lot of kids' questions - and even some they haven't yet asked.

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