Books of Information
Books of Information
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
Weatherfold, Carole Boston. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. illus. by Floyd Cooper. 88p. 2021. Tr. $17.99. ISBN 9781541581203.
In this gripping tale, Carole Boston Weatherford recalls the horrific events surrounding the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Weatherfold has dedicated her career to sharing Black history with readers through her countless and celebrated picture books. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, masterfully informs readers about the events that took place on May 31st and June 1st of 1921, while also using powerful illustrations to accompany the text. As evident in the Author's Note, Weatherford took the time to research and study this event before making it the subject of her book.
This book would best be suited for intermediate elementary grade to middle school grade readers. The content is presented in a manner that is not too advanced or graphic for this demographic, while still giving important and factual information. The story-like narrative that leads the reader through the event in a chronological order also makes the story easy to follow and understand.
Along with the inclusion of photos taken in the aftermath of the massacre at the very end of the book, each page is covered in illustrations by artist Floyd Cooper. Cooper's emotion striking drawings were inspired by his grandfather's first-hand accounts of the tragedy. With the stories of a survive to inspire him, Cooper's illustrations bring another element of reality to this non-fiction text.
Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild
Thimmesh, Catherine. Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild. 60p. 2018. Tr. $17.99 ISBN 9780544818910.
Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild, by researcher and author Catherine Thimmesh, informs readers about the crucial reintroduction and conservation efforts by scientists in China to prevent the extinction of Pandas. This book is sure to appeal to the animals lovers among intermediate elementary and middle grade readers. While younger readers may be enticed by the title and cover photo, the language used in the book is better suited to more advanced readers.
This non-fiction book is interlaced with the narrative tale of mother and cub pair Cao Cao and Tao Tao, which the readers follow as they learn about the tireless efforts being taken by humans in China to preserve this species. This back and forth between the story of the humans and the pandas keeps the readers engaged, as they want to find out how this little family is going to be effected by the humans' interactions.
Thimmesh uses a variety of images, captions, graphs, sidebars, and maps to give her readers additional, yet necessary, information related to her topic. The author also includes quotes and interviews from prominent conservation experts and scientists to bolster the credibility for her work, and provide meaningful contributions to the book. Thimmesh concludes her book with a glossary, index, and acknowledgement section, providing the reader with some final pieces of information to consider and consult.
Earth: by The Numbers
Jenkins, Steve. Earth: by The Numbers. illus. by Steve Jenkins. 40p. 2019. Tr. $14.99. ISBN. 9781328851017.
This colorful book of infographics gives elementary and middle age grade readers fascinating statistics and facts about this planet we call our home. The comprehensive glossary, captions, and labels support the reader's understanding of the infographics and illustrations, and gives additional information as needed. All of the illustrations and text features are relevant to the text, and enhance the information being presented.
The author has clearly done his research, proven by his comprehensive bibliography full of reliable and insightful resources. The addition of this important text feature provides credibility to the author, and highlights his thoughtful research.
While the book begins with an easy to navigate table of contents, there is no clear rhyme or reason to the way the author has outlined the topics. However, since earth science is the overall theme of the book, the order of topics is not detrimental to the experience of the reader.
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation tells the story of the historic 1947 Mendez v. Westminster court case through the eyes of young Sylvia Mendez. Told in narrative form, this story teach readers about the events that transpired leading up to, during, and after the ruling of the monumental court case.
This book would be best suited for elementary and middle grade age readers, with one stipulation. If being read to primary grade readers, it would be necessary to pre-teach them information surrounding school segregation and integration. Specifically, the terms "segregation" and "integration" are rightfully used many times throughout the book, but they lose their impact if younger readers are not familiar with their meaning.
Based on Duncan Tonatiuh's author's note, it is clear that he is passionate about this topic, and did worthwhile research to accurately tell the Mendez family's story for a new generation of readers. His illustrations also elevate his text by providing additional insights into the hurt experienced by the Mendez family as they face blatant injustices and racism, the conditions of the schools, and how the children being separated were identical to one another expect for the mere color of their skin.
Commenting success! Thank you for the change. Some strong comments on the NF titles this week and you're leaning into more professional phrasing. As you look at the formal nonfiction review, think about what would be the most valuable information to a potential purchaser and focus your additional content efforts there.
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