10 Who Stood Up and Made a Difference #nf10for10

Hooray, it's time for Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10! Get your library card out, because this is a great opportunity to find out about new nonfiction books.

I had a lot of different themes bouncing around in my head this year (most inspired by the current political situation), but I finally settled on Ten People Who Stood Up & Made a Difference, especially when facing unfair or discriminatory situations.

Now in its fifth year, Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10 (#nf10for10) is co-hosted by Mandy Robek of Enjoy and Embrace Learning, Julie Balen of Write at the Edge, and Cathy Mere of Reflect & Refine.  This year all activity is collected on the Picture Book 10 for 10 Community.

Previous #pb10for10

• Top 10 Picture Books Featuring Diverse Characters (in books that are not just about diversity) #pb10for10
• Top 10 Diverse Picture Book Biographies of Artists #nf10for10 
• Top 10 Must Have Picture Books to Read Aloud #pb10for10
• Top 10 Nonfiction Folktales for Reading Aloud #nf10for10
• Top 10 Picture Books for Middle School #pb10for10

10 Folks Who Stood Up and Made a Difference

1840s: Sarah Roberts. The First Step: how one girl put segregation on trial (2016) by Susan E. Goodman and illustrated by E.B. Lewis [long listed for the Jane Addams Award]. Sarah was the only African-American girl in her all-white Boston school ... until she was thrown out. She and her parents fought all the way to the Supreme Court, becoming the very first case to challenge the legality of segregated schools (and the first case argued by an African-American lawyer before the Supreme Court). They may have lost the case, but it was the "first step" on the road towards Brown vs. the Board of Education.

1903: Mother Jones. On Our Way to Oyster Bay: Mother Jones and her march for children's rights (2016) by Monica Kulling and illustrated by Felicita Sala. This book focuses on Mother Jones and her children's march - her effort to draw attention to the plight of child laborers at a time when newspapers were in the pockets of the factory owners. Although the march was unsuccessful, in that president Teddy Roosevelt refused to meet with them, it succeeded in its goal of bringing the rights of children into the national dialogue.

1909: Clara Lemlich. Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 (2013) by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Clara may have come to the US from Ukraine without a knowledge of English or her rights under the US Constitution, but she proved a quick learner. Not satisfied with the long hours and working conditions, she helped organize the largest walkout of female workers the country had ever seen and paved the way for fairer labor practices.

1939: Marian Anderson. When Marian Sang (2002) by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Brian Selznick [a Caldecott Honor book]. I knew the story of singer Marian Anderson performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, but this picture book biography does a great job of setting the context. Plus, those incredible illustrations!

1940s: Vivien Thomas. Tiny Stitches: the life of medical pioneer Vivien Thomas (2016) by Gwendolyn Hooks and illustrated by Colin Boolman. As a research assistant, Vivien Thomas pioneered the procedure for saving the lives of "blue babies" through the first-ever successful open-heart surgery on infants. But due to the racism and discrimination of the time, these findings were published without his name attached, leading to Nobel Prize nominations - for his colleagues. This picture book and a longer academic work are seeking to bring him the credit he deserved.

1947: Sylvia Mendez. Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation (2015) by Duncan Tonatiuh [a Pura Belpré Honor book and a Siebert Honor book]. This is an important book that sheds light on a lesser known side of the Civil Rights Movement: the segregation of children of Mexican and Hispanic descent, especially on the West Coast. I think it is critical for kids today to understand that discrimination is not just a white/black issue and that many groups have been treated differently for many "reasons." The Mendez case led to the desegregation of California and helped pave the way for Brown vs. the Board of Education.

1960: David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, and Ezell Blair Jr. Sit-In: how four friends stood up by sitting down (2010) by Andrea Davis Pickney and illustrated by Brian Pickney. The Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in was one in a long string of important moments in the Civil Rights Movement, and this book is one of my favorites. Told in a rolicking poetry style, the Pickney's infuse the story with a call to action that the reader can't help but hear.

1967: Richard and Mildred Loving. The Case for Loving: the fight for interracial marriage (2015) by Selina Alko and illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. The story of Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter and their fight for interracial marriage is presented very much from today's point-of-view but also offers children background about how this fight came to be. The author's note draws the natural connection between the history of this fight and the current battle for recognition of same sex marriages and also shares some of the authors' backstory as an interracial couple. (You can read my review of the new documentary novel about the case here.)

  

1970s: Wangari Maathai (2004 Noble Peace Prize). Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson and illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler, Planting the Trees of Kenya by Claire A. Nivola, and Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter. These three biographies  focus on the incredible work on Noble Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. I used to prefer sharing  Planting the Trees of Kenya with my students because it goes a little more in-depth about her actions and some of the difficulties she faced, but Seeds of Change is my new favorite. They are all great books and emphasize the same lesson that one committed person can make a difference in their environment.

1995: Iqbal, 2012: Malala Yousafzai. Malala: a brave girl from Pakistan and Iqbal: a brave boy from Pakistan (2014) by Jeanette Winter. This book masterfully combines the stories of Malala Yousafzai and Iqbal Masih, by letting you read either story, depending on which cover you choose, and having them both meet up in the middle. This device works especially well to introduce children to Iqbal, a former child laborer, who was killed for speaking out against child slavery and debt bondage. The continuation of Malala's work and mission lend a feeling of hope to his story as well.

What will YOU stand for?

10 Diverse Artists' Picture Book Biographies #nf10for10

Hooray, it's time for Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10! Get your library card out, because this is a great opportunity to find out about new nonfiction books. This year I have decided to share a Top 10 of favorite picture book biographies featuring diverse artists across a wide range of artistic pursuits. (Looking for more? Check out last year's Top 10 Favorite Folk Tales to Read Aloud.)

Now in its fourth year, Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10 (#nf10for10) is co-hosted by Mandy Robek of Enjoy and Embrace Learning, Julie Balen of Write at the Edge, and Cathy Mere of Reflect & Refine.  This year all activity is collected on the Picture Book 10 for 10 Community.

10 Incredible Picture Book Biographies of Diverse Artists

Writers and Poets

Issa, Japanese haiku poet

Cool Melons Turn to Frogs - the life and poems of Issa by Matthew Gollub (text and haiku translations) and illustrated by Kazuko G. Stone. This biography of the famous Japanese poet Issa (1763-1827)  links his personal story to some of the many haiku that he wrote and published. The book concludes with a detailed Author's Note about the story, the illustrations, additional discussion of a few of the haiku from the book, and a description of haiku in general. These are great resources for getting students to know more about the history of haiku and to study powerful examples of Japanese haiku. (Read more Picture Books about Haiku.)

Phillis Wheatley, first published African-American female poet

Phillis's Big Test (2008) by Catherine Clinton and illustrated by Sean Qualls. In 1773, young Phillis Wheatley became the first published African American poet. The frame of this story is the day that she was called to account for herself before a group of 18 white men, and during the course of her walk to the examination, she reflects on her upbringing and path towards poetry. Sean Qualls's illustrations convey great depths of emotion in this book, particularly in the subtle expressions of Phillis. This is a great book for introducing students to Phillis Wheatley and for beginning a conversation about slavery and educational opportunities. (Find out about more picture book biographies illustrated by Sean Qualls here.)

George Moses Horton, first African-American poet published in the south

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (2015) by Don Tate. This biographical picture book introduces readers to enslaved poet George Moses Horton, the first African-American to be published in the south. I found it especially interesting that the author's note opens with a comment about his initial reluctance to write and illustrate stories about slavery.

Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet

Pablo Neruda: poet of the people (2011) by Monica Brown and illustrated by Julie Paschkis. This biography of Pablo Neruda provides a look at his life and how they influenced his poems. The amazing illustrations complement and extend the text, as they are also overflowing with English and Spanish words. This book sparked some interesting conversations with my students, particularly around the idea that Pablo Neruda had to leave his home country of Chile but was not a criminal.

Musicians

Melba Doretta Liston, trombone player

Little Melba and Her Big Trombone (2014) by Katheryn Russell-Brown and illustrated by Frank Morrison. Melba fell in love with the trombone at the age of 7, eventually joining a touring band and playing with and for many other famous jazz musicians. This picture book does a great job of laying out her childhood and inspirations with engaging illustrations.

Trombone Shorty, trombone player

Trombone Shorty (2015) by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and illustrated by Bryan Collier [a Coretta Scott King Book Award winner and a Caldecott Honor book]. This exuberant autobiography celebrates the childhood of New Orleans musical prodigy Troy Andrews (nicknamed Trombone Shorty for his small size compared to his chosen instrument). This is a great book for introducing kids to this modern musical wonder.

Performers

Josephine Baker, actress/singer

Josephine: the dazzling life of Josephine Baker (2014) by Patricia Hruby Powell and illustrated by Christian Robinson [a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Book Award winner and a Siebert Honor book]. Perhaps an unusual choice for a children's picture book, this book celebrates the life and advocacy of Josephine Baker, and the book does a good job of presenting the context of the racism and civil rights challenges she faced during her career. Extensively researched with detailed backmatter.

Misty Copeland, ballerina

Firebird: ballerina Misty Copeland shows a young girl how to dance like the firebird by Misty Copeland and illustrated by Christopher Myers. This wonderful and inspiring picture book should be beloved by dancers and ballerinas worldwide. Misty Copeland shares her meditation on power and promise, as she highlights the trail she blazed for dancers of color. I think reading the Author's Note first (or briefly meditating on the extensive subtitle) might be helpful to establish context for the story, especially for younger readers. Christopher Myers adds incredible layers of meaning with his colorful and dynamic mixed media illustrations. [This one is more of a story than a true autobiography, but I think it's a worthwhile read.]

Visual Artists

Vasya (Wassily) Kandinsky, abstract painter

The Noisy Paint Box: the colors and sounds of Kandinsky's abstract art (2014) by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandpré [a Caldecott Honor book]. This picture book biography details the childhood of Russian painter Kandinsky, and the connections between his synesthesia (ability to "see" music as colors) and his art. The significant backmatter includes some of his illustrations as well as an author's note and additional resources.

Gordon Parks, photographer

Gordon Parks: how the photographer captured black and white America (2015) by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Jamey Christoph. I am embarrassed to admit that I had not heard of Gordon Parks before learning about this biography. He was a powerful photographer of Jim Crow and Civil Rights era America, and the first black photographer at Life magazine. This picture book biography details his childhood as well as his career and its impact. Just last week, Gordon Parks won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children's Literary Work! Read more about Parks and see links to his archives over at my photography blog.

Runners Up

There were many great books to choose from, which is part of the fun of this event! One of the big questions I kept asking myself was what exactly constitutes a nonfiction picture book biography, and Alyson's timely post over at Kid Lit Frenzy (Fiction in Children's Nonfiction) helped solidify some of my thoughts on the topic. There are many great books out there that fall more into a "historical fiction" or perhaps "informational fiction" category - with more extrapolation or invented dialogue than a truly nonfiction biography. I wanted to highlight two of those books below too.

Drum Dream Girl: how one girl's courage changed music (2015) by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Rafael López. This powerful true story was inspired by the early life of Chinese-African-Cuban Millo Castro Zaldarriaga. Millo broke the Cuban taboo against female drummers and performed with her sisters as part of Cuba's first "all-girl dance band" in the 1930s. This story inspired some powerful conversations with my students about rules, especially ones about things boys or girls are told they cannot do.

Viva Frida (2014) by Yuyi Morales. My local library classifies this book as nonfiction, but it is written as if Frida Kahlo herself were speaking. In orders for kids to make sense of this book-told-as-diorama, it really helps to first provide them with some background on Frida, her actual look, and her artwork. This book is a favorite of our librarian and is growing on me.

Need more #nf10for10? Check out the rest of the posts, collected at the Picture Book 10 for 10 Community or my posts from previous years: Top 10 Favorite Folk Tales to Read Aloud and, for fiction, Top 10 Picture Books Featuring Diverse Characters and Top 10 Picture Book Must-Have Read Alouds. Or, looking for even more diverse, inclusive, and multicultural books? Check out my growing aggregated list here: Multicultural Book Lists.

Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10 #nf10for10

Somehow I missed figuring out when the date was for February's Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10 (#nf10for10) and did not realize it had come until my inbox overflowed with wonderful posts on Feb. 19th! So, alas, here is my belated addition.

Now in its third year, Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10 is co-hosted by Mandy Robek of Enjoy and Embrace Learning, Julie Balen of Write at the Edge, and Cathy Mere of Reflect & Refine.  This year all activity is collected on the Picture Book 10 for 10 Community.

Top 10 Nonfiction Folktales for Reading Aloud

Traditional tales fall under the Dewey realm of nonfiction. Since our third grade curriculum is based around world geography and world cultures, many of the books that I share aloud with students are folktales from different countries and cultures. This post brings together ten of my favorites, all of which are ideal for reading aloud to kids (and most of which are quite humorous). They are listed in geographical order, based on our units of study during the year.

African Folktales

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock (1988) by Eric Kimmel and illustrated by Janet Stevens is probably my favorite of the Anansi the trickster stories from west Africa. Last year I turned it into a quick Reader's Theater-style play that my third graders ended up performing in front of the whole school, and it was riot. Here, Anansi discovers a strange moss-covered rock with the power to knock its viewer unconscious, and he uses it to trick a variety of animals. But little does Anansi know that he is being observed, and he ends up being tricked himself. Read about all the Anansi stories by Eric Kimmel in this post.

Talk, Talk: an Ashanti legend (1993) by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate come from the Ashanti people of west Africa. Everything was going along just fine for Jumaani the farmer until his much-ignored yams decide to tell him just what they think about it! From then on, all sorts of creatures and objects begin sharing their opinions, and poor Jumaani and rest don't know what to think. Kids love the humor of all the unexpected talking - including the surprise twist of the ending.

The Spider Weaver: a legend of Kente cloth (2001) by Margaret Musgrove and Julia Cairns. This picture book relates the legend of the discovery of kente cloth by two Ghanaian weavers. Students enjoy seeing how the weavers learn from the spider and how kente cloth has become what it is today.

Asian Folktales

Goha the Wise Fool (2005) by Denys Johnson-Davies and illustrated by Hag Hamdy and Hany. Goha is the Egyptian name for the "foolish" folk hero of the Middle East also known as Nasreddin and many other variations. These short, pithy tellings of the stories are wonderful and will keep your students cracking up. The amazing artwork was hand-sewn by a pair of Egyptian tentmakers. You can read more about Goha and other "foolish" wise men in this collection of tales.

Tales Told in Tents: stories from Central Asia (2004) retold by Sally Pomme Clayton and illustrated by Sophie Herxheimer. This collection of tales includes those from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Favorites of mine include The Secret of Felt and The Bag of Trickness, featuring the well-known Central Asian trickster Alder Kose.

The Empty Pot (2001) by Demi. This retelling of a Chinese folktale is also available in a multilingual printing that includes two versions of the Hmong language. Young Ping is overjoyed when the emperor puts forth a challenge - the child who can grow the most beautiful plant will become his heir. This story highlights the importance of honesty and good character, and kids will be surprised by the twist at the end!

Tasty Baby Belly Buttons (1999) retold by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Meilo So. This Japanese folktale features Uriko-hime, the melon princess, born from inside a watermelon. She is the only one fearless enough to take on the terrible Oni when they kidnap the children of the town in order to devour their tasty baby belly buttons. The whole premise of the story keeps kids engaged, as do her rather creative solutions.

European Folktales

Squash It! (1997) retold by Eric Kimmel and illustrated by Robert Rayevsky. This absurdist tale comes from a collection of folktales from Spain and features ... a louse. Now, a louse is not normally a welcomed guest, but in this case, when a louse has bitten the King of Spain, he must be treated with respect, for he now has royal blood. The story only continues to ramp up from there, and kids will be delighted by the unexpected twists and circular ending of this humorous tale.

Latin American and Caribbean Folktales

 

Juan Bobo Goes to Work: a Puerto Rican folktale (2000) by Marison Montes and illustrated by Joe Cepeda (also available in Spanish, Juan Bobo Busca Trabajo. There really should be a bilingual version). This story introduces children to Juan Bobo or Simple John, an endearing character for whom nothing seems to ever go right. Children will be delighted by Juan's antics, as each day's problems escalate in silliness.

 

Love and Roast Chicken: a trickster tale from the Andes Mountains (2004) retold by Barbara Knutson (also available in Spanish as Amor Y Pollo Asado). Poor cuy (guinea pig) is such a small, defenseless creature, that he must rely on his wits when he is threatened by Tio Antonio, the fox. His clever solutions to difficult situations will keep kids laughing and impressed by his creativity.

Do you have a favorite folktale for reading aloud that I have missed? Please share in the comments below!