Module 4: Nonfiction and Biography
Title: Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras
Bibliography:
Tonatiuh, D. (2015). Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras. Harry N. Abrams.
ISBN 978-1419716478
Plot Summary:
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras is a nonfiction book about Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, the creator of “las calaveras”. Calaveras are famous in Mexico, especially around “Dia de Muertos”. The book explains how calaveras came to be and the difficulties Jose Posada, better known as Don Lupe, had as he popularized them. Throughout the book, we learn about his life, his challenges, and about the meaning of these amusing figures.
Critical Analysis:
Duncan Tonatiuh tells the life of Jose Guadalupe Posada in this wonderful book. Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras explains how Don Lupe creates his wonderful sketches of calaveras and is inspired by events such as, “El Dia de los Muertos”. Don Lupe’s drawings of skeletons doing everyday activities were usually fun but the ones he drew during a difficult time in Mexico, “La Revolucion”, were scary and aggressive. He not only created calaveras of people from different economic statuses, but he also created drawings of politicians.. These became controversial at times, but at the end of the day Don Lupe just wanted to prove that we are all calaveras on the inside. Through amazing illustrations, the book shows an accurate representation of the culture and the people. This is a great book to celebrate Hispanic traditions.
Review Excerpt(s):
"Befitting its subject, the book communicates through its visual aesthetic. Tonatiuh integrates images of Posada's old-school calaveras with his own illustrations, done in the sophisticated style that has won him acclaim…It's wonderful to see the nuts and bolts of an artist's work presented so that children can understand the painstaking work involved in anything that looks cool and effortless."―The New York Times Book Review
"Playful but informative, this picture book offers a fascinating introduction to the artist and his work."―Booklist
Connections:
Excellent book to teach Hispanic traditions.
Book can be integrated in when teaching about holidays and traditions.
Title: Move!
Bibliography:
Page, R., & Jenkins, S. (2018). Move! Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
ISBN: 978-1328895738
Plot Summary:
In this nonfiction book, the reader takes a journey with animals that move in different ways. The reader learns how animals move and what makes them move that way.
Critical Analysis:
Move! takes the reader on a journey through the animal kingdom. The text in this book is amazing and very eye-catching. From words in bold and bigger font size, to words arranged in different ways, this nonfiction book draws attention to each animal and helps the reader make connections between the illustrations and text. I love the illustrations by Steve Jenkins. Each illustration has a unique texture that makes them stand out and represents Jenkin's illustration style. Move! is an excellent book to introduce animals. The students would be able to observe different types of animals and their movements, as well as some of their habitats. Some onomatopoeia is also present in the book which could make this book a great resource for other types of lessons as well.
Review Excerpt(s):
"Jenkins's cut-paper collages stand out against the white background, reinforcing the action and begging listeners to identify both the creatures and the verbs." --Horn Book Horn Book
The authors' astonishingly lifelike collages have animated an animal kingdom of reptiles, mammals and birds in books like "What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?" (which received a Caldecott Honor). Their new book is equally mesmerizing The New York Times Book Review
Connections:
Excellent book to teach students about animals, their habitat, and the way they move.
Great book to show examples of onomatopoeia.
Title: A Home for Mr. Emerson
Bibliography:
Kerley, B. (2014). A Home for Mr. Emerson (E. Fotheringham, Ed.). Scholastic Press.
ISBN: 978-0545350884
Plot Summary:
A Home for Mr. Emerson is a biography about Ralph Waldo Emerson. Mr. Emerson grows up in Boston but he longs to live closer to nature. He wished for open fields and the deep woods out in the country. As a young man, he became very interested in books, ideas, and people. As an adult, he goes into the world to build a life around all the things he wished for and loved.
Critical Analysis:
This picture book is perfect when wanting to learn about Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Barbara Kerley presents Mr. Emmerson as an intellectual, but also as someone who cared about everyone around him. He wanted to listen, learn, and be surrounded by books. He also wanted to be the best neighbor, friend, husband, father, and writer he could be. Mr. Emmerson is portrayed as an amazing man who loved life and wanted to build his own world around what he loved. This inspiring book is full of fun, yet warm illustrations. The caricature images make it fun to see Emerson fall into oversized books as he flies through the sky on them. The beautiful quotes included in the book give it the extra touch. Kerley does an amazing job of sharing Emerson’s life with us.
Review Excerpt(s):
From Booklist
Kerley and Fotheringham are known for their upbeat picture books about famous historical figures. This work about Ralph Waldo Emerson—someone who is probably not known to many children—is a tale of deep love for his home and community in Concord, Massachusetts. After a fire destroys Emerson’s house, neighbors rally around him, returning some of the generosity and affection received from his family over the years. This has the same format and style of Kerley and Fotheringham’s earlier works, with colorful illustrations featuring cartoon-style figures in a pleasing, open layout. The brief text focuses on the story of Emerson’s community life and doesn’t bother much with why he was famous, which works well for the storytelling even as it may leave some readers wondering just who he was. Some of his famous quotes are placed in the endpapers and woven into the story. Back matter includes a helpful author’s note and a page of suggestions to encourage readers to examine their own lives and values. Grades 2-4. --Randall Enos
From School Library Journal
Gr 2–4—This introduction to the life of Ralph Waldo Emerson will help readers begin to understand the thoughts and values of this great American thinker. Emerson grows up in Boston, but yearns to make a life closer to nature where he can surround himself with books and friends. He finds a perfect home in Concord, Massachusetts, where he and his wife raise a family. Emerson eagerly becomes a part of the community, even playing the role of hog reeve, gathering up the town's runaway pigs. After collecting his thoughts in journals, Emerson begins traveling across the country to lecture, attracting visitors from around the world to his doorstep. A house fire later in his life devastates Emerson, but allows the town to demonstrate their affection for him as they rebuild his home. Emerson, who is likely little known to younger students, is brought to life in an approachable biography. The colorful depictions of Emerson are warm, cheerful, and full of movement. Children will love the cartoonlike illustrations that make Emerson seem like a superhero as he dives into oversized books and flies through the sky on another giant tome. Quotes from his writings are liberally used to illuminate moments of his life, allowing readers to get to know the man through his own words. The author's note provides further information about Emerson and his philosophy of thought. An eye-catching, kid-friendly biography that is a wonderful addition to any collection.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT
Connections:
Since journaling is a theme throughout the book, students can start a journal in which they think and write about the world and other thoughts they have throughout the day.
Compare and contrast Emmerson’s life to someone else’s.
Title: My Big Book of Outdoors
Bibliography:
Hopgood, T. (2022). My Big Book of Outdoors. Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 978-1536215335
Plot Summary:
My Big Book of Outdoors introduces young readers to the four seasons and things you can find outdoors in nature during that time. This marvelous picture book includes numerous facts about nature and multiple activities that promote exploration.
Critical Analysis:
My Big Book of Outdoors is arranged in four sections, one for each season. Starting with Spring, Tim Hopgood takes us through the four seasons of the year celebrating the delights to be discovered in each one. Facts, poetry, activities, and beautiful illustrations, are presented in a way that captures the reader’s attention from beginning to end. The information is uniquely presented and this makes it easy for the reader to understand and retain. The illustrations catch the mood of the seasons so well that they make this book much more interesting and special. The vibrant colors represent each season in a very creative way.
Overall this is an excellent book for children which will not just teach them about the magic of the four seasons but will hopefully promote the exploration of nature.
Review Excerpt(s):
Eye-catching. . . Hopgood’s occasional questions and personal reflections, like identifying some of his favorite butterflies, further encourage youngsters to ponder their environment. If children had coffee tables of their own, this would be the book they’d leave out, dipping in and out to marvel at nature’s beauty all year long.
—Booklist (starred review)
Hopgood seamlessly blends the informational, poetic, and creative elements into an appealing package that will keep readers engaged. . . . one can almost feel the change of temperature from season to season. A handy, comprehensive, and delightful look at the wonders of nature throughout the seasons, this is a recommended purchase for every collection.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Connections:
Excellent book to teach the four seasons.
This book can be integrated in many other science lessons.
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