Nonfiction Monday: Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum

McCarthy, Meghan. Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010.

Gum!  Who doesn't love gum?  This is a great picture book about the invention of bubble gum in a most unexpected way.  The end papers of this book feature a bubblegum pink background with illustrations of gum balls in various colors.  This sets the tone for the storyline.  We see the story of Walter Diemer, who is an accountant at a gum and candy factory in Philadelphia.  The illustrations get more colorful as Walter gets closer to finding the correct recipe for gum that makes bubbles.  Walter gets asked to watch over a gum experiment and this leads to Walter experimenting with the gum recipe until he gets it just right.  His discovery saves the company from closing and he eventually becomes the vice president of the company.  I enjoyed the illustrations of this book, especially the bubble like eyes of the people displayed on the pages.  We also get a look at the history of gum in the world.  Did you know that even the Ancient Greeks had a form of gum?  Do you know why the famous bubblegum has its pink color?  Read this interesting book to find out!
The back of the book contains some additional information about Walter Diemer, even more fun facts about gum and a list of resources used to write the book.
Megan McCarthy's book about gum has received a star review from School Library Journal.  This book is recommended for children grades 1-4, but I think younger children would enjoy the picture book style of writing.  McCarthy has written several other books that you may be familiar with including: City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male and Seabiscuit: Wonder Horse.
Extension Activities:  This book would make a fun addition to a study of inventions and inventors.  It could also be used as a start to a fun day or program about bubble gum and candy.  You could even make your own bubble gum if you have the time or you can buy a bubble gum making kit.  You can even sing a song about bubble gum!  There are many science experiments you could perform about gum (which gum makes the biggest bubbles?  Does gum weigh more after being chewed?  etc.).  Here are some other books about the wonderful world of gum:














Be sure to check out the rest of the Nonfiction Monday posts, this week hosted by Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian!

Nonfiction Monday: The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound

Wolf, Sallie, and Micah Bornstein. The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound: A Birder's Journal. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2010.

This nonfiction book combines interesting bird facts, journaling, and poetry in a fascinating manner.  This title is aimed for children grades 4-8, but I think it could be shared with younger children as well.  The book information page tells us that the illustrations were created using watercolor, pen and ink on the author's original journal pages and on handmade paper, which were then scanned and finished using Photoshop.  The binding of the book is similar to a bound journal which is a very nice touch.  There is a table of contents to help the reader organize the information included in the book.  Much of the font used throughout the book is handwritten notes from the author.

At the beginning of the book, there is a note from the author telling the reader how she became a bird lover and avid bird-watcher.  The poem like journal entries contain facts about birds and observations the author has made.  Throughout the book are hand drawn labeled illustrations of birds mixed with watercolor pictures.  The entries begin in the Spring time and continue through all the seasons.  There are various bird lists contained on the pages.  One of the poems is about a robin making a laughing sound and another is displayed inside the shape of bird eggs (whole and hatched).
The end of the book includes a note from the author describing how she began keeping a journal when she was a young girl.  This may inspire some young readers to start keeping a journal of their own.  There is also a list of resources at the back of the book.  These include the following websites: All About Birds, Bird Watching in the USA and Around the World, and eNature: America's Wildlife Resource.
This book has received a star review from School Library Journal. You can read another review and an interview with the author at the Wild About Nature blog.  Sallie Wolf has her own blog called Learning as I Go.  The book even has its own Facebook page!
Extension Activities:  This book would be a great addition to a study of birds or journaling.  The publisher, Charlesbridge, has available on their website a free discussion guide, activity suggestions and some bird identification cards for printing.

Be sure to read the other Nonfiction Monday posts, this week hosted at Shelf Employed.

Nonfiction Monday: Ubiquitous

Sidman, Joyce, and Beckie Prange. Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors. Boston [Mass.]: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.

Joyce Sidman combines beautiful poetry with factual information about some of the creatures that have survived on our planet for millions of years.  Sidman and Prange have collaborated in the past on the award winning title, Song of the Water Boatman, which received a Caldecott Honor.  Sidman also received a more recent Caldecott Honor with her title, Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Color.  Her most recent title, Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night is due out this Fall.
Be sure to check out the author's website for more information.  Also check out the illustrator's website for more details on how she creates her illustrations.

The end papers of this book are a great introduction to the topic.  The illustrator's note at the end of the book explains that this is a graphic representation of the timeline of life on Earth.  From this illustration we can see that the Earth has been around for a very long time and that for most of that time there was little to no life on the planet and that humans have only existed for a very short amout of time in the history of Earth.
We also learn that 99% of all species that have existed at one point in time on Earth are now extinct.  This makes us think about those species that have survived and just how they have managed this spectacular accomplishment.
Each two page spread in this book is about a different creature.  Most of two page spreads contain a poem about the creature on the left hand side and some factual information on the right hand side.  The creatures appear in the order they have appeared on Earth with the oldest creatures appearing first.  Bacteria is the first creature showcased and we learn that it has been around for 3.8 billion years!  We then learn about mollusks, lichen, sharks, beetles, diatoms, geckos, ants, grasses, squirrels, crows, dandelions, coyotes, and finally humans.  Some of the poems are displayed in creative ways, for example the shark poem is written in the shape of a shark.
The colorful illustrations add to the understanding of the creature and are very well done.  The illustrations also teach the reader some additional facts.  For example, we see the life cycle of a beetle with labels, the various shapes of bacteria, lichen and diatoms, the details of an ant colony, and several different types of grasses.  On the humans pages, the poem is about a baby and we see a baby with some toys including play cars; while the humans information page shows a cityscape with real cars on a highway.
The end of the book contains a glossary of words introduced in the book.  This includes ubiquitous which means something that is or something that seems to be everywhere at the same time.  There is also a note from the author and the illustrator.  The author's note includes more information about the book, how the creatures were put in order, and resources she used when writing the book.
This book has received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, Horn Book, School Library Journal, and Kirkus and it is a Junior Library Guild selection.
You can read an interview with the author at School Library Journal's website and at the blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.
The author recommends the following websites for further exploration: Tree of Life Web Project and the Encyclopedia of Life.
Extension Activities:  This book opens the doors to many discussions about survival, extinction, and human history.  There are many poetry and creative writing activities that could be performed after reading the poems of this book.  Further research about the creatures included in this book could be carried out.  Students could also research additional creatures in relation to their place in the Earth's history.  A study of timelines could be completed after reading this book as well.

Be sure to check out the other Nonfiction Monday reviews, this week hosted by In Need of Chocolate.