Fatty Legs: A True Story byChristy Jordan-Fenton & Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, Annick Press, 2010, 104 Pages.

Human Body Theatre: a nonfiction revue by Maris Wicks. First Second, 2015. 234 Pages.

Anatomy and Human Body for kids. In appealing graphic style-- well written and accurate, easy to understand and lots of fun. Circulates like crazy too.

The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming. Scwartz & Wade Books, 2008. 181 pages.

Nonfiction the way it should read! Fleming created this beautiful look at Abraham and Mary Lincoln as a 19thcentury scrap book complete w/ period photos, newpaper articles, letters, and other related bits of art, objects and ephemera -- and yet continues to tell the biographies of the 2 people and the times in a well written, easy to read and magnificent to look at oversized book. Something for everyone, complete w/ index and timelines and source list of books, websites and photos to satisfy the most enthusiastic young historians. Stands with the best Lincoln bios and photobooks. YES!

Black Potatoes: the story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Houghton Miffin Company, Boston, 2001 180 pages.

Bartoletti is a well known and highly respected writer and researcher of History for  children. Social history of the Irish Potato Famine. Good scientific explanation and first person account of famine, as well as explaination of British political policies that caused the famine and caused mass exodus from Ireland.

Superman Versus The Ku Klux Klan: the true story of how the iconic superhero battled the men of hate by Rick Bowers. National Geographic, 2012.160 pages.

First, the bad news-- the sexy title promises a lot more than it delivers. We get a social history of the US in the early/mid 20th century, we learn about the young men who created Superman, about the publishing and ad business, ww2 homefront, propaganda, etc. We also learn about the KKK history and mid 20th century resurgence. But the stories are presented side by side and do not intersect-- and then only slightly, until the last chapter. AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS... Once I got over that, I enjoyed the book. I never expected to be interested in Superman-- I am not a big graphic person and i do not read superhero DC comics at all, but the book is so readable and well written, and the format enhances the text -- text blocks, photos, bold graphics in black and white. And as a quality informational work it also includes an index, source list by chapter and bibliograhy, as well as an afterward detailing what happened to the seminal characters after the final chapter. Recommended with caveats.

Balloons Over Broadway: the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011.

Fascinating story of Tony Sarg and the origins of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons. Light on the dates--always an issue for librarians and teachers-- but rich in narrative-- always a plus for kids. Makes this nonfiction informational book very, very readable and accessible to all. i loved it. pair with holiday books, art, engineering, inventions, and any puppet program you may have. Look for the Jim Henson connection. Caldecott Honor. Siebert winner.

Bodies From The Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii by James M Deem. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 2005. 50 pages.

Deem retells the story of the devastating eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and subsequent destruction of Pompeii in 79 A.D. using lots of photographs, primary sources and side bars and lively text. Very well done and fascinating-- archaeology, science, social history and adventure-- all at once. In addition to photos, includes timeline, bibliography, and maps. Final chapter details the current precarious state of the ruins and raises the question of what would happen if the volcano erupted today. Loved it. Kids do too.

Ain't Nothing But A Man: my quest to find the real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson. Washington DC: National Geographic Society, 2008

The youth version of Nelson's highly acclaimed work Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry: the untold story of an american legend, Ain't Nothing BUT A MAN is fascinating, well written and very accessible to upper elementary and middle school students. Nelson follows clues in the John Henry folksongs to separate legend from history and uncover the real man. John Henry's story is the story of african american men in the mid nineteenth century--the civil war, reconstruction, railroads, and prison labor. Highly recommended for kids who love history and for those that think they don't. Includes Aronson's excellent overview of the research process, Nelson's appendices and suggestions for further research and multimedia sources. Summer Reading List, myths and legends, middleschool. Loved it.

Me Llamo Celia: the life of Celia Cruz by Monica Brown. Luna Rising-Bilingual Edition. 2004. 32 pages

A Second Is A Hiccup Hazel Hutchins Arthur A. Levine Books (2007), Hardcover, 40 pages

Clever and child friendly explanation of measuring time--second, minute, month, year --easy to read and very well done--picture book -ish nonfiction makes a difficult subject very accessible to even young children

Women of the Harlem Renaissance (We the People) by Lisa Beringer Mckissack. Compass Point Books (2007), Paperback, 48 pages

Text introduction includes a brief, cursory explanation of Harlem renaissance with strong focus on social history of women. The bulk of the work, however, consists of brief but well written biographies of five (often)lesser known but important women of the period. Includes period photos and ads. Includes a brief glossary, timeline, additonal facts, and websites list. Epilogue is clunky and seems like an afterthought--Bessie Coleman has nothing to do with Harlem. Still, a very good social history and collective biography for elementary aged children for school reports or general information. Very little exists on this topic for elementary aged children

Campy: The Story of Roy Campanella by David A. Adler. Viking Juvenile (2007), Hardcover

Brief but well written biograpy of baseball legend Roy Campanella who broke the color barrier of major league baseball and played with the Brooklyn Dodgers along with Jackie Robinson. He is equally famous for a car accident at the height of his career that left him almost killed him and left him a quadriplegic and almost killed him. Very well written and beautifully illustrated, the back pages of the work include a timeline, quotes of note and a short list of suggested readings. Very well done.

David Ortiz (Amazing Athletes) by Jeff Savage. Lerner Publishing Group (2006), Library Binding, 32 pages

The baseball life-story of Red Sox star David Ortiz. Lots of pictures, large type, lots of white space. Glossary, with words in text highlighted and additional resource/web link section at back. approximately 2nd grade level text. Attractive and informative for younger readers and sports fans.

Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum. National Geographic Children's Books (2005), H

Excellent overview of civil rights freedom riders w/ forwards by 2 of the participants. great photos, enough white space to be enjoyable to read and easy on the eyes while still packing in lots of facts and information; well written. has it all...research guide, mug shots and citations.