Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Jenny Lussier

Animals
by the Numbers: A Book of Infographics by Steve Jenkins (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016)

My students could not stop looking at this one. The
infographics are fascinating and when you add Jenkins’ unique artwork, it makes
for a very special book. We learned about what animals really are dangerous
(not what we thought) and that there are a LOT of insects in this world. Really
I could have picked anything by Jenkins. His books continue to be some of the
most popular each year. 

Frogs
by Nic Bishop
(Scholastic, 2008)

Nic Bishop’s book are extraordinary. My students
and I cannot get enough of them because his photography is stunning. Coupling
the amazing photos with interesting facts, these books are some of my favorites
for getting kids to wonder and ask questions! One of my favorite pictures has a
frog with a mysterious item coming out of his mouth. Many kids thought it was a
tooth, but no, it belonged to a critter!

Plants
Can’t Sit Still by Rebecca Hirsch (Millbrook
Press, 2016)

I love the slightly different take the author
has on plants. When I first saw it, the book really connected with me because I
had been fascinated (while mowing the lawn) by weeds that burst when you
touched them and their seeds went EVERYWHERE! Amazing pictures too!

Toilet: How It Works by David Macaulay (David Macaulay Studio/Macmillan, 2013)

If you have kids who just have to know how
things work, here you go. Castles, jet planes, toilets—all fascinating! I love
Macaulay’s books because they are illustrated, which is a little different. This
new series is for a younger age level than Macaulay’s previous titles, which I
appreciate. 

Thunderbirds: Nature’s Flying Predators by
Jim Arnosky (Sterling, 2011)

Jim Arnosky continues to amaze me with his
attention to detail and gorgeous illustrations. He packs so much information
into this book and, of course, readers love the pages that open up to really
give a sense of how big the predators are. 

Jenny
Lussier is a teacher librarian
for grades PreK-4 and formerly a fifth/sixth grade teacher in Regional School
District 13 in Durham & Middlefield, CT. She has a passion for research,
children’s literature, and technology and loves to share and learn with kids
and adults! You can find her hiking, biking, gardening, and of course sharing
favorite books wherever she goes.

3 Responses

  1. Wow! Definitely well chosen, Jenny! Powerhouse authors represented here with Steve Jenkins, Nick Bishop, David Macaulay, and Jim Arnosky. I think I will have to check out "Plants Can't Stand Still". It sounds so interesting!

    Thanks for such a great list!

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