Week 4: Non-Fiction

 

Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild. By Catherine Thimmesh. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. 64 pages. $17.99. ISBN 9780544818910

Ages 10 - 12. Though not an authority on pandas or with any zoological background, Catherine Thimmesh did reach out to experts for assistance in writing this book which she lists her resources. Her scope of research and writing includes the conservation efforts of an international panda rescue group, Pandas International, but also uses two chapters to discuss other endangered and extinct animals. Readers will follow along with the trial and error efforts of creating a sustainable wild panda population through age appropriate paragraphs and a large assortment of captioned, colored photographs. She discusses their dietary needs, mating behaviors, and population statistics and how the country of China has impacted these statistics both positively and negatively. Throughout the text, mother panda (Cao Cao) and baby (Tao Tao) are the book's focus in celebrating the success of the Camp Panda program and the hope they offer for not just the future of pandas, but other endangered species. The style of writing is both informative and does allow for some entertaining moments. Thimmesh also includes a chapter dedicated to the views of those in opposition to protecting the panda population which provides readers with an alternative viewpoint for further discussion. Reference aids included in this book are information on how readers can get involved in conservation, a glossary, biographies for the conservation experts researched, and an index.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. By Kathleen Krull. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Clarion Books, 2003. 48 pages. $17.00. ISBN 9780152014377

Ages 4 - 7. Readers will follow along with Arizona-native, Cesar Chavez, as he sets out from the migrant worked fields of southern California to it's capital, Sacramento, to make history. Krull begins with the Chavez's life before the Great Depression when his family owned their own working ranch and farm. She uses context clues in her short paragraphs to introduce vocabulary words such as "migrant worker." This juvenile biography spends sometime discussing his troubles with education and it's impact on his adult life. Readers will learn about the hardships of migrant farm work and the injustices put upon them by large farming corporations, specifically the grape companies. Morales' illustrations are rendered in acrylic paints and they are full of large, sweeping shapes that convey the feeling of moving through time, but also when Chavez and the National Farm Workers of America grow in numbers on their march to the capital of California. In her illustrator's notes, Morales says she followed Chavez's civil rights protest map to collect inspiration for her illustrations. There is also a full biography of Cesar Chavez located in the back of the book which includes a brief paragraph of the criticism he has also received along with his praises to offer alternative viewpoints.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga. By Traci Sorell. Illustrated by Frane Lessac. Charlesbridge, 2018. 32 pages. $17.99. ISBN 9781580897723

Ages 1 - 8. This work of non-fiction is a seasonally oriented work on how the Cherokee express "Ostaliheliga," how they are grateful for the world, people, and events around them. As an active member of the Cherokee Nation, Sorell's work includes a day-to-day perspective on the modern Cherokee life with nearly every page including a vocabulary word with pronunciation and translation into the Cherokee Syllabary. Noting a lack of published work on the Cherokee in her author's notes, Sorell's goal was also to remove stereotypes and celebrate cultural traditions without focusing on traumatic historical events. Lessac is not a First Nations member, but the author notes that she did spend a large amount of time with the Cherokee to inform her illustrations: full-colored paintings that depict a naivety style with minimal detail. The reference aids at the end of the book includes definitions of events or people depicted within the text and the complete Cherokee Syllabary complete with historical notes on its origins. As a complete item of non-fiction, the intellectual content is accessible to its intended audience by way of its organization through the four seasons and simple to follow language. 

Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History. By Schele Williams. Illustrated by Tonya Engel. Abrams Young Readers, 2021. 48 pages. $19.99. ISBN 9781419748752

Ages 3 - 11. In her author's notes, Williams says, "...I realized that I did not want to write a book about slavery. I wanted to write a book about the enduring spirit of the enslaved." She does this first and foremost as the titles suggest by speaking directly to the reader and this being the reader's personal history. This picture books covers four hundred years of African American history that begins with pre-European Africans followed by the slave trade, and then celebrating individual African Americans beginning with Harriet Tubman. The writing style is empowering to the intended audience and highlights words such as "determination", "love", and "brilliance" to express to them these gifts handed down from their ancestors own experiences. Engel's artwork comes across with this same sense of celebration and strength through her mixed media approach. She discusses in her notes how amazing it as that a book written and illustration by two Black women exists and how it is a positive, courageous portrayal of their ancestors for children today.