Back from Nashville with two books to add to the "Nonfiction Books That Kids Really Love"
Nancy Johnson who teaches at Western Washington University said that her students report that 6th graders loved--and learned a lot from--Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley by Sally Walker. I picked up a free copy of To Dance A Ballerina's Graphic Novel, a memoir by Siena Cherson Siegel with artwork by Mark Siegel. Although I am not typically a comic book/graphic novel(in this case novel is a misnomer because the book is a true story) reader, I was captivated by the harmony and energy of text and illustrations. It has a highly readable design accented by chiffon swirls. I haven't "tested" it with young reader I will and post the results on my blog. As is true in K-12 curricula and classrooms fiction books dominated the conference--fiction book, fiction authors--but we nonfiction advocates hung in there!