Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 6-7-17

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.

I noticed years back that my classroom library was heavy on fiction. Since noticing the imbalance of fiction to nonfiction, I've remained on the lookout for engaging and diverse nonfiction titles. Here are some recent finds!

John Deere, That's Who! by Tracy Nelson Maurer

Illustrated by Tim Zeltner

Henry Holt & Co., 2017

Biography

38 pages

You probably already know all about John Deere. How he invented the tractor, painted it bright green, signed his name in yellow, and called it a day. You probably can't walk into a Home Depot or a Lowe's without letting your kid detour the family over the the eye-catching riding lawn mowers in that same signature green and yellow paint. You know all about John Deere. If you have a young kid in the house you probably don't have to look far to find the name John Deere.

You can find John Deere equipment for your farm or yard, you can find toys, clothing, cups, hats, eating utensils, anything you can think of, you can probably buy one with a John Deere logo. Because about the only true thing I've said about John Deere so far is that the company is incredibly well known, which makes sense, since it's one of America's oldest manufacturing companies.

So how about this for a mind twister: John Deere never so much as touched a tractor in his life. Mainly because he lived long before tractors were out doing the hard work of tilling the soil. John Deere did work his tail off making improvements to the plows of his time (think blade pulled by horse), and went on to begin his company, the one still thriving today. It's quite amazing, though not at all what I was expecting to learn from this biography.

Ask your kids what they know about John Deere before reading, and then delight in how wrong they are ;) 

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

Roaring Brook Press, 2017

General Nonfiction

48ish pages

If you've ever read a Jason Chin book before you know how stunning they are. This book is an absolute visual masterpiece. The pages have so much detail that you would need to read it multiple times to take it all in. I kind of feel bad reviewing it after only one reading. It's that kind of book. The text takes readers on an exploration of the canyon today, while flashing back to the stages of formation. This is one to add to your collection!