Mother's Day 2023 Gift Guide: NF Kidlit

 

"Reading to children." by San José Public Library 
is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Many women who nurture children enjoy receiving children's books as gifts. I do!  I can keep them at home so that young visitors have reading material. Or I can take these books with me when visiting young readers.  I am not yet a grandmother, but many of my peers are. (I am in my sixties.)  Mother's Day can include 

• mothers
• bonus mothers (step-mothers and other partners of parents)
• grandmothers
• aunts and great aunts
• fictive kin family members. (I am an "auntie" or "grandmother" of sorts to friends' children)
• teachers
• librarians
• and MORE!  Many people nurture children. 

I was recently invited to judge the nonfiction category for the Cybil Awards.  I have only been a judge fore one year. I read 85+ nonfiction children's books that were published between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. I loved many of them.  I am invited to continue, so I will probably do another gift guide, maybe in time for the holidays at the end of this year. 

This list from the 85 titles is not definitively "the best" of the lot.  Investigate for yourself. See my Goodreads list for all books that I read in 2022 (which includes more than just kidlit titles). It was hard to choose just eight books! 

Younger Elementary School Readers (or listeners)

Ford, Bernette G. with Ilustrator Frank Morrison.  Uncle John's City Garden. 

Bernette G. Ford writes a story inspired by true events. The main character of her book is a young girl who spends a summer helping her Uncle John maintain a garden plot in the city. The book provides an overview of the gardening basics: preparing the soil, planting seeds, watching things grow, harvesting, and sharing the yield with friends and family.  

The book's target audience is probably students in the lower elementary grades (K-3 or 5 to 8 year olds).  But adults can read this aloud to preschoolers, and older readers will find the project of urban gardening interesting. 

Frank Morrison's illustrations are rich and lush and show vibrancy and community in an urban area. Too many children watch TV shows that only depict Black neighborhoods and the projects as a site of decay and crime. The photos complement the story in showing a good work ethic and strong family ties. These are depictions that need more visibility.

Kaner, Etta with Illustrator June Steube. Dig, Dance, Dive: How Birds Move to Survive. 

The book dedicates two pages to describing an action that birds can perform.  For example: 

"Birds Twist. How far can you twist hour neck? Like many owls, a long-eared owl can turn its neck nearly 270 degrees in either direction. That's all most all the way around! Why does it do that? To see better." 

The accompanying illustration depicts a family of owls: three adults and four babies sitting on a tree. Some of the owls have their heads twisted--15 degrees, 45 degrees, 180 degrees from upright.

 

After highlighting an action per page, the book ends with smaller illustrations next to seven more actions: climb, dig, walk, run, dance, stalk, and dive.

Older Elementary School Readers

McGeachin, Jess (author / illustrator). Deep: Delve Into Hidden Worlds.

I love this book! I am interested in categories / schemata. 

McGeachin presents a great overview of various realms  by using the word DEEP as a way to find commonalities: ocean, forest, earth, time, space, inside. 

This book is probably the best fit for readers ages 9 through 13; however, the illustrations make it accessible for younger readers, and the concept of "deep" appeals to high school readers who might thumb through a younger siblings' book or books on grandma's coffee table.  

Smith, Amanda with Illustrator Aaron Cushley. If the World Were 100 Animals: A Visual Guide to Earth's Amazing Creatures. 

This is a great book to teach children about biodiversity while also foregrounding the tools of math and logic.

Miranda Smith wrote the book with Aaron Cushley as the illustrator. Every two pages (open recto and verso pages) presents a question about animals that is answered by ratios.

For example, "How many mammals still live in the wild?" Only 5:100. 36:100 are humans and 59:100 live on farms. These two pages have images of wild animals, people, and domesticated animals such as dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, goats, working animals (such as horses, oxen, donkeys, and sheepdogs), and animals raised for their fur (small ones such as a rabbit and large ones such as a llama).

Younger Middle School Readers

Gholz, Sophia with Illustrator Xiana Teimoy. A History of Toilet Paper (and Other Potty Tools) 

On the surface, this book looks like something for kids to giggle about, but it's sneaky! While discussing the taboo topic of cleaning one's behind, Gholz brings readers through a number of countries, cultures, time periods, and technologies.

I can see readers ages 4 to adult enjoying this book. The illustrations are detailed enough that prereaders can thumb through it and learn some things about toilet paper and the cultures depicted from various time periods.  The best age range is probably 8 to 11.  Some of the sentences are difficult because of puns and other tools employed to make the narration funny.  Nevertheless, I have an adult friend who was delighted when I gave her my advanced copy as a holiday gift. 

Poliquin, Rachel with Illustrator Clayton Hamner.  The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers. 

Poliquin's book describes the process of (mainly) human evolution by focusing on the vestigial aka leftover parts such as tails, the hiccup mechanism, thicker body hair, goosebumps, and various muscles in our limbs for climbing.

I can visualize young readers 6-8 focusing on the silly pictures and the fun facts such as "people used to have a third eye!" and "people had tails!" But I can also see readers 9-12 reading the text, which explains the processes of natural selection, survival, and evolution. Some of the vocabulary or concepts are challenging, but--again--I can see a young reader owning this book and then getting greater understanding as they reread it over a few years' time.

Older Middle School Readers and High School Readers

Jarrow, Gail. American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South (Medical Fiascos). 

Jarrow writes an engaging book about a widespread health crisis that affected thousands of Americans in the South--if not a million plus: hookworm infestation in the colon. The book explains how cooperation among scientists, medical professionals, the government, journalists, and non-government organizations (charities funded by wealthy Americans) all worked together to help reduce cases dramatically.  

The book is well-designed for adolescent readers ages 12 to 17: It has a lot of short sections with clear headings, several images, and clear language that is not patronizing.  I enjoyed this book. I see it as a great example of a public health issue parallel to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, reading about this crisis allows readers to be more objective when looking at policies and interventions taken by various institutions.  You readers might go on to be scientists, politicians, public health officials, or healthcare workers.  Or historians! 

Greenfield, Amy Butler. The Woman All Spies Fear: Codebreaker Elizabeth Smith Friedman

I was delighted to learn about cryptographer Elizabeth Smith Friedman and the work she did for decades on codebreaking. Her husband also was a cryptographer, which often meant she lived in his shadow. However, this book does a great job of describing her contribution to the world of codebreaking. 

This book appeals to readers ages 14 and older particularly those with an interest in computer science, codebreaking, World War II, and/or women in STEM. As a college instructor, I would assign this book in 100-level courses.  I was riveted, but it's not too technical.