National Non-Fiction November (7th November National Non-Fiction Day) Part 1 Authors and Illustrators

National Non-Fiction November was set up by the Federation of Children's Book Groups in the UK as a way to highlight the importance of information books and to promote reading non-fiction for pleasure. 

National Literacy Trust research (2022), said more than half (56%) of children and young people told us that they read non-fiction. We also found that children and young people who read non-fiction are more engaged with environmental issues.

Overall, this report found that more children and young people who read non-fiction were motivated to read for educational purposes, to satisfy curiosities, to foster social connections and to support their mental wellbeing.

Each year, National Non-Fiction November has a different theme. The theme for 2024 is Why Don’t You…? and is designed to stimulate discussion around hobbies and leisure activities and to encourage young people to try something new. (More about this in Part 2)

Non-Fiction books for young children have definitely changed from the traditional non-fiction books used for research which had short tiles, photographs, a contents page, an index, a glossary and other features ideal for researching. Now some of the most exquisitely illustrated books in the library are in the non-fiction section of the library. Another difference is the amount of narrative nonfiction that now exists and it is not only biography.

Author/illustrators such as these excel at non-fiction and while the list is not exhaustive, these will make a great beginning reading-wise and display-wise.

• Jason Chin

• Nicola Davies 

• Jenni Desmond

• Candace Fleming

• Meredith Hooper

• Martin Jenkins

• Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

• Claire Saxby

• Melissa Stewart

• Yuval Zommer

22nd April World Earth Day

 

Earth Day is celebrated every year as a day of action to raise awareness of environmental challenges and issues that negatively impact our planet. It is celebrated annually on the 22nd of April. But this year, organisers are calling for three days of climate action from the 20th - 22nd April.

The theme of Earth Day 2022 is “Restore Our Earth”. 

This theme is not only about reducing the negative environmental impacts we have on the planet, but also about how we can help restore our earth after the effects of COVID-19, and about ways we can help repair the damage we have done to our planet.

Since its inception in 1970 Earth Day has only grown in popularity and observance, being recognised in over 190 countries by over 1 billion people! Today, Earth Day is widely recognised as the largest secular observance in the world. 

Recently we have added some amazingly good books to the library in support of UN SDG 17 Global Partnerships. These four stand out.

• One World, a new book by Nicola Davies and Jenni Desmond is the book for this event because it is a spectacular tour of Planet Earth with a powerful rallying cry for all children to be informed about and do something for their planet.

Here is the blurb:

Where on Earth are you, right now? It's late where I am and almost everyone's asleep, but I'm awake, looking out into the night. Wondering... As the clock strikes midnight, a little girl and her sister visit animals of every shape and size, all around the world - discovering that, in some places, creatures have just started their day, where in others they're already busy hunting for food. Turning the popular concept of time-zones on its head and combining it with a powerful climate message and delightful illustrations, this book is narrative non-fiction at its most spellbinding. 

• It 's Up to Us: A Children's Terra Carta for Nature, People and Planet by Christopher Lloyd

Here is the blurb:

We live our lives surrounded by people and other living things. Together, we are Nature. As far as we know, this extraordinary web of life exists in just one precious layer of a single planet - Earth. But today Nature is under threat, and we must demand change to save it - and ourselves. Join His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, author Christopher Lloyd, and 33 diverse, award-winning artists from around the world on a beautiful, lyrical and thought-provoking voyage through Nature, the threats we face, and an action plan for the future. It’s Up to Us is based on the Terra Carta, a roadmap to sustainability issued by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and his Sustainable Markets Initiative. More than 400 corporations have already signed on, agreeing to put the health of Nature, People and the Planet at the heart of their activities. Now it’s up to all of us to make sure our leaders keep their promises.

You can find out about the origins of this book here.

• I Have the Right to Save My Planet by Alain Serres and Aurelia Fronty

Here is the blurb:

All children have the right to learn about the world, to celebrate the water, air and sunshine, and to be curious about the animals and plants that live on our planet. All children also have the right to learn about endangered species, to be concerned about plastic in the ocean, and to understand what a changing climate means for our Earth.

Scientists tell us that every living thing is connected. When we cut down forests, we destroy animal habitats. When we throw plastic in the garbage, it never really goes away. When we spray pesticides on our fruit and vegetables, we poison the earth, animals and ourselves.

What can children do to help? Told from the perspective of a child, this colourful and vibrant book explores what it means to be a child who dreams of a beautiful future for their planet.

• Do Something for Someone Else  by Loll Kirby and Yas Imamura

Here is the blurb:

Meet kids - just like you - whose small acts of kindness are changing the lives of others. Learn about the work they do and discover how the future of our world starts here - with you.

Features a how-to-help section, with simple steps to inspire young readers to take action at home and at school. 

13th May World Migratory Bird Day

This year the theme for World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World” and it was chosen to highlight the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that support the natural movements of migratory birds and that are essential for their survival and well-being. What a great theme!

I have written about this day before, but wanted to write about it again because lately I have been reminded of so many beautiful books that do this topic so well.

Mike Unwin and Jenni Desmond's wonderful book Migration gives many examples of birds that do these great migrations, but it is the individual picture story books that heighten our awe and empathy for both the birds and the sheer vastness of the journeys.

Jeannie Baker's Circle  tells the migration story for the Bar-tailed Godwit which makes the longest unbroken migration of any bird, a total of 11000 kilometres, all the way from Alaska to New Zealand. The illustrations allow the reader to follow the journey very closely and to marvel at the ingenuity and tenacity of such a small bird. New Zealand authors have also written about this bird and a new book  Little Godwit Finds His Wings was published this year.

Two books that look at migrating cranes are Grandfather's Dream by Holly Keller and Lotus and Feather by Ji-Li Jiang. Holly Keller's book, set in Vietnam tells the story of Nam and her grandfather who is constantly harking back to the days when the cranes came to the delta as part of their migratory journey.  Jiang's story, set in China tells of a crane that fails to finish a migration because of a hunter's bullet. The discussions elicited by classroom readings of these two books. Lotus and Feather could be read along side Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacca as there are similarities in that Rechenka is an injured goose who also needs to be nursed back to health.

Another two books for comparison are about hummingbirds. Look for Tiny Bird by Robert Burleigh and Wendell Minor and Hummingbird by Nicola Davies and Jane Ray. Both of these chart the long journey from Mexico to Canada that this tiny bird that is smaller than you thumb makes each Spring.    

In Is this Panama? by Jan Thornhill and  Soyeon Kim,  a young Wilson's warbler wakes up one day knowing this is the day to start a long journey from the Arctic Circle to Panama and because this bird is named, Sammy you cannot help but get involved in his plight. He is no longer, just any bird!

I noticed there is a new book coming called The Sea Swallow and the Humpback Whale by Catherine Barr and Gerry Turley which tracks two migratory journeys across sea and sky. I look forward to seeing this.

While each of these books tells an amazing story of persistence, resilience and sheer determination it is the illustrations in each that make them very special. The illustrations do much more than give a map or track a journey. They personalise, imbue wonder and allow the reader to marvel.

15th September Choose Your Favourite Colour Day

What a wonderful day to celebrate with very young children. (You don't need to mention Crayola.) This question elicits so much passion and fervour, everyone championing their own favourite colour and certainly not listening to what other children are saying. Last week I was reading Mozzie and Midgie to a kindergarten class and there are many colours mentioned as the two spoonbills try many disguises in a quest to make themselves 'more special', but they are not colours that children hear often. There was emerald, russet, aqua and crimson. We had fun defining them and then trying to think of other things that were that colour. Next children thought of other colours that were less common like maroon, mauve, violet and lemon.

This inspired me to put together a display of books about colour. There were so many and I was surprised how many were quick to leave the library. Of course there are old favourites like Ella Doran's Colour, Leo Lionni's Little Blue and Little Yellow and Ellen Walsh's Mouse Paint but there have been so many books more recently with a colour in their title. See:

* The Sun is Yellow by Kveta Pacovska (Amazing. Full of hidden treasures and very different)

* Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (How many shades of green did you pick?)

* Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

* Blue Chicken by Deborah Freeman (The children are fascinated by the way the colour is absorbed by the chicken)

* Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff

* The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle

* Red Cat, Blue Cat by Jenni Desmond

* The Red Lemon by Bob Staake