fun non-fiction

Some of our favorite books of late are non-fiction (at least mostly), highly imaginative, and great good fun.

In Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings, Douglas Florian combines fabulous illustration with clever rhyming text and word play. Highlighting herbivores and carnivores throughout the ages, Florian brings to life those ginormous creatures now extinct. In ways both witty and insightful, each page is illustrated with incredible detail and thoughtfulness such that we can really get an idea of the individuality of each dinosaur. Those charged with reading aloud will appreciate the pronunciation guide (especially for such creatures as the Micropachycephalosaurus).  

Uproarious laughter rang out from the lads' room one recent bedtime as my beloved read John, Paul, George and Ben to them -- one page in particular over and over and over (at their giggly request).  Charmingly illustrated and written by Lane Smith, this one introduces young readers to four (five, actually) of our country's Founding Fathers (with an obvious nod to The Fab Four from across the pond).  Smith takes some liberties (no pun intended), so there's a true and false section at the end for the sake of checking facts.

When I was in elementary school, I used to collect paint chips.  I'd type the names into a long Word document catalog I constructed.  How does one land a job naming paint colors anyway?  After school today the lads requested watercolors and paint brushes for their foray into art on the back porch.  They came up with some pretty interesting colors.  In An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers, Natasha Wing (who grew up next door to the artist in Connecticut and later studied art) chronicles the study of colors and how they interact that German artist Josef Albers made his life's work. 

I am often struck by the creativity some authors and artists are able to employ in bringing history to life for young children.  These stories are fine examples.

And while I'm in the non-fiction way, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Hill of Fire -- a perennial favorite of my elder lad's after having seen it on Reading Rainbow.  He's had a long-standing fascination with volcanoes, so this is right up his alley.  The story, by Thomas P. Lewis and illustrated by Joan Sandin, is of a poor Mexican farmer who complains that every day is the same -- nothing ever happens.  To his surprise, the ground he's tilling one hot day opens without warning one morning in February 1943...