These exciting nonfiction titles have been published in February.
PRIMARY NONFICTION
A Book of Bridges : Here to There and Me to You by Cheryl Keely (ill. by Celia Krampien). 9781585369966. 2017. Gr K-3.
The author takes a look at real-life bridges, describing how they connect places and bring people closer together. She also uses more fanciful examples, such as rainbows and backbends and even holding hands.
Dorothea Lange : The Photographer Who Found the Face of the Depression by Carole Boston Weatherford (ill. by Sarah Green). 9780807516997. 2017. Gr K-2.
Photographer Dorothea Lange who took images of people deeply affected by hunger and poverty during the Great Depression, and helped shed light on the human suffering that resulted from the economic crash of the 1930s.
My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis by Paul Meisel. 9780823436712. 2017. Gr K-2.
Follow a fictional praying mantis through his summer from his birth in May, through the close calls and encounters with predators, and into October when the insect lays its eggs and lies down for one final, long nap.
What Will Grow? by Jennifer Ward (ill. by Susie Ghahremani). 9781681190303. 2017. Gr PK-1.
Rhyming text and fold-out pages highlight what various seeds will grow into, and includes details about each plant included and a step-by-step look at how a seed becomes a plant.
INTERMEDIATE NONFICTION
Grand Canyon by Jason Chin. 9781596439504. 2017. Gr 3-5.
A father and daughter take a vacation to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, where they study the amazing geology of the area, as well as the animals and plants that have called it home from prehistory to the present.
Let’s Eat! : Sustainable Food for a Hungry Planet by Kimberley Veness. 9781459809390. 2017. Gr 4-7.
The author, who grew up on a farm, explains agricultural issues and the results of various farming practices, including family farming, aquaponics, skyscraper farming, industrial farming, and the raising of edible insects. She also discusses the environmental aspects of food manufacturing.
Malala : Activist for Girls’ Education by Raphaelle Frier (ill. by Aurelia Fronty). 9781580897853. 2017. Gr 1-4.
Frier describes the Pakistani village Malala was born into, and how the Taliban gained control and took away technology, freedom, and women’s rights, including that of an education. She details Malala’s rise to prominence as an activist, the attempt on her life, her recovery in England, and her continued activism for women’s rights and girls’ education.
Soldier Song : A True Story of the Civil War by Debbie Levy (ill. by Gilbert Ford). 9781484725986. 2017. Gr 3-5.
During the Civil War, songs were used for many reasons by the military. They called soldiers to bed and woke them up again. Music was used to send messages on the battlefield and to mark their enemies as wrong and themselves as right. But there was one song that was sung by both sides after the battle of Fredericksburg that proved to both sides that they were all humans, alike in their yearning for home.
Strange Fruit : Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio (ill. by Charlotte Riley-Webb). 9781467751230. 2017. Gr 3-6.
The song “Strange Fruit”, created by Billie Holiday and Abel Meeropol, was about injustice. A powerful song, it became a challenge to racism and opened the way to the civil rights movement.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NONFICTION
Dogs at War : Military Canine Heroes by Connie Goldsmith. 9781512410129. 2017. Gr 6-9.
Soldiers have often worked and bonded with military service dogs. Learn how the military selects these special dogs for training and the kind of danger such dogs face on the battlefield.
The Secret Project by Jonah Winter (ill. by Jeanette Winter). 9781481469135. 2017. Gr 4-8.
Winter traces the true story of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government’s secret mission to develop the first atomic bomb in a hidden laboratory in New Mexico.
HIGH SCHOOL NONFICTION
Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights : From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment by Deborah Kops. 9781629793238. 2017. Gr 9-12.
Born a Quaker and graduating from Swarthmore College, Alice Paul traveled to England where she was drawn into the women’s suffrage movement. After her return to the United States, Paul became a leader in the movement, often arrested and jailed. After women were given the right to vote, Paul then devoted her life to fighting for an equal rights amendment.
Beastly Brains : Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and Feel by Nancy F. Castaldo. 9780544633353. 2017. Gr 7-12.
Castaldo explores the minds of animals, including animal empathy, communication, tool use, and complex social societies. In addition, she discusses the history of research into how animals’ brains function and how similar the minds of animals are to human brains.
The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. Tyson. 9781476714844. 2017. Gr 11-Adult.
Tyson describes the events surrounding the murder of Emmett Till, beginning with the history of the Great Migration of African Americans north from Jim Crow south. He relates the Till’s funeral, the apprehension, trial, and acquittal of the murderers, and introduces many people involved who have been forgotten. He also describes an interview with Carolyn Bryant, the woman who accused Till of unwanted attention, and her shocking admission.
Girl Rising : Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone. 9780553511475. 2017. Gr 8-12.
The Girl Rising campaign helps girls around the world receive an education and avoid poverty, child marriage, slavery, and sex trafficking. Stone features the true success stories of over 30 girls in the program, including the nine girls in the film of the same name.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. 9780393609097. 2017. Gr 10-Adult.
Fantasy author Neil Gaiman retells the stories of Norse folklore, from the birth of the gods to their bloody ending.
Rescuing Penny Jane : One Shelter Volunteer, Countless Dogs, and the Quest to Find Them All Homes by Amy Sutherland. 9780062377234. 2017. Gr 10-Adult.
How do volunteers go about the business of finding homes for shelter dogs? Sutherland, a volunteer herself, answers that question through the stories of unfortunate dogs who have found forever homes, including tales of rescue dogs that have been important in history.
