Information, please! Favourites of 2018

Two posts in one month? A December miracle. Here’s some of my favs of the year in the “informational” category. There sure are some gorgeous non-fiction books out there, folks! My whole list is RIGHT HERE, and I can’t possibly tell you about all of them, so here are some highlights.

First, Bloom : a story of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli  by Kyo Maclear ; illlustrated by Julie Morstead. What a team, Maclear and Morstead. Look at the cover! It is so pretty, it invites me right in. And there’s great information in there. I learn so much from these books. In fact, when I found myself at the Victoria & Albert Museum,  standing in front of a black velvet evening gown, I said, “Hey, that’s a Schiaparelli!” . Kid-lit makes me smarter.

In The elephant by Jenni Desmond, short text and lovely illustrations give you a quick natural history lesson on elephants. Did you know that tusked elephants favour a right or left tusk? They wear down the one they use most. Wow!

The cover gives you a hint of the gorgeous art inside this book. Wab Kinew celebrates his heroes, from astronauts to hockey players, from well-known names to many unsung. Take a look at Go show the world : a celebration of Indigenous heroes  by Wab Kinew,  illustrated by Joe Morse, and discover the heroic folks inside.

I love Giselle Potter‘s style, so when I see a book illustrated by her, I always take a second look. I’ve heard Temple Grandin’s story before, and this version for kids is just right. Enough information to build empathy, and to let kids who feel like Temple know they are not alone. What an interesting story! –How to build a hug : Temple Grandin and her amazing squeeze machine by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville ; illustrated by Giselle Potter.

This book is just , well, lovely. Just like the title says! Lovely beasts : the surprising truth by Kate Gardner ; illustrated by Heidi Smith will make you take a second look at spiders, gorillas, and more. Take the “scary” out of animals and look for the lovely with this book.

Do you know who made polka-dots famous? After you read this book you will. There’s a lot of picture-book artist biographies out there these days, and I love finding out about them from kid’s books! Check this one out and try your own dot art. Yayoi Kusama : from here to infinity by Sarah Suzuki ; illustrated by Ellen Weinstein ; with repoductions of works by Yayoi Kusama.

That’s all for this year! Enjoy these books, and more from your local library . If you are reading this in the Annapolis Valley, place holds on the books right from this post. And if you want to come see stacks and stacks of awesome books in January, I’ll be at the Bridgetown Library on January 25, from 6:30-8:30 for a Caldecott Pre-Game Party. Books, cookies, and tea. How can you resist?