Nonfiction Monday: Ancient Egypt

Leo's second grade class has been studying ancient civilizations this spring, beginning with Imperial China in February.  They recently wrapped up (pun!) a unit on Ancient Egypt.  Here's a small selection of the Egypt books we read at home:

Mummies, Pyramids, and Pharoahs: A Book About Ancient Egypt by Gail Gibbons (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2004).  A Gibbons book is always a great place to start.  Leo read this one to Milly; it was her favorite.

The following three books are each part of a series that includes titles about other ancient civilizations, medieval Europe, and/or peoples of the Americas.

• Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt by Joanna Cole; illustrated by Bruce Degen (Scholastic, 2001).  Ms. Frizzle is an old friend of ours; here she shifts her focus from science to social studies.  There are two other titles in this series (Imperial China and Medieval Castle); we hope there will be more.
• How to Be an Egyptian Princess by Jacqueline Morley (National Geographic Children's Books, 2006).  The books in this series address the reader in the second person and conclude with an "interview" to determine his (or her, in this case) qualifications for the job.
• The Egyptian News by Scott Steedman (Candlewick).  The History News books are very clever; Leo loves them all.  [Aside: I wonder how long the newspaper format will be recognizable to kids?  At least we still take a print copy of the Washington Post and read it over breakfast.

Finally, we highly recommend The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt by Claudia Logan; illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Melanie Kroupa, 2002).  Fiction and nonfiction intersect in both text (a fictional family joins an archeological expedition to Giza, 1924) and illustrations.  I love Melissa Sweet's work; here she combines "acrylic and watercolor as well as collage including stamps, postcards, and archival documents and newspapers" (from back flap).  This book was produced with the cooperation of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, whose collection of Egyptian art includes artifacts from the same expedition to Giza.  Maybe we'll visit this summer (the MFA, not Giza!).

[N.b., I'm not an Egyptophile.  And Leo, while interested in all the ancient civilizations (he now wants to be a history professor), definitely prefers the Greeks and Romans.  Thankfully, because I think I've read enough about Egypt for awhile.]

Nonfiction Monday: Frogs!

Milly's preschool class is learning all about the rain forest.  A few weeks ago they went on a field trip to the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall in Washington, DC to see Frogs! A Chorus of Colors.  The field trip itself was an expedition to rival any of National Geographic's, but the exhibit was worth it.  There were live frogs from around the world (our favorites were the tiny jewel-like poison dart frogs) in terrarium habitats right at the kids' eye level.  We also saw this exhibit of frog photography by Mark W. Moffett (the images were blown up so that in many cases the frogs were bigger than the kids, which was fun).  If you're not local, you can check out Moffett's excellent Face to Face with Frogs  (National Geographic Children's Books, 2008), part of NGS's Face to Face series of kids' nonfiction.  If you are local, the frogs are here til May 11.  After reading the book, Leo wants to see them, too.  Ribbit!

[We also like Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley; photographs by Nic Bishop (Scholastic, 1999).  This one tells a day-in-the-life of a tree frog story with short, simple text (one or two sentences per page) and amazing close-up photos. Perfect for preschoolers.]

Nonfiction Monday: Mia Posada's egg book

When Leo was little he was obsessed with eggs.  We still read a lot of egg books.  Lately we've been enjoying this one, Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg by Mia Posada (Millbrook, 2007).  It's an especially good choice for reading aloud to kids of different ages (like mine, who are 7 and 3).  Milly still likes to guess what's in each egg, on the basis of a close-up like the one on the front cover and a little riddle like this one (from the back cover):

Under this feathered belly, it's cozy and warm.
The egg is safe from the icy Antarctic storm.

"It's a penguin!" she tells me excitedly, every single time.  When we turn the page, Leo can hear or practice reading aloud a short paragraph about penguins (or alligators, ducklings, sea turtles, spiders, or octopuses) while Milly patiently (or not) looks at a longer shot, taken in watercolor collage, of the newly-hatched penguin chick (alligator, duckling, etc.) in its natural environment.  Posada's other books are about dandelions, ladybugs, and robins--she knows what we like!

[Nonfiction Monday Round-up at Anastasia Suen's blog Picture Book of the Day.  Thanks, Anastasia!]

Nonfiction Monday: A New Beginning

I just ordered A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox by Wendy Pfeffer; illustrated by Linda Bleck (Dutton, 2008).  I couldn't resist, not with the gorgeous early spring weather we're having today.  Milly even saw a robin!  I like Pfeffer's other books about the seasons, We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season (also illustrated by Bleck; it's in our fall book basket) and The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice (illustrated by Jesse Reisch; I posted about it here).  A New Beginning offers the same combination of scientific information about spring (when the days get longer, the growing season begins, and animals have their babies); and historical or cultural background about springtime celebrations around the world (including the Chinese New Year, Passover, and Easter).  Activities, crafts, and recipes at the back of the book.  I hope we have time to try some of these before spring arrives!