Non-Fiction – Mom Read It

Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

Making Light Bloom sheds light on the Tiffany Lamps provenance

Posted on June 10, 2025June 7, 2025 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps, by Sandra Nickel/Illustrated by Julie Paschkis, (June 2025, Peachtree Publishing), $18.99, ISBN: 9781682636091

Most folks know what a Tiffany Lamp looks like: bold, black outlines, luminous colors that bring incredible flora and fauna to life. Did you know that Tiffany wasn’t the creator of the Tiffany Lamp? I sure didn’t until I read Making Light Bloom and learned that a woman named Clara Driscoll and her “Tiffany Girls” were the creators of the lamps – and that no one knew about this until after both Driscoll’s and Tiffany’s deaths. Born in Ohio in 1861, Driscoll grew up surrounded by nature and sketched her surroundings. When she moved to New York City to “turn her talent for drawing into a skill that could help” her family, she was taken aback by the crowds and towering buildings, but she was in the right place at the right time. Securing a job with Louis C. Tiffany, she joined a team of artists that created pictures and shapes for stained glass windows. Eventually, her talent got her promoted to leading a team of women in her own workshop. Driscoll, receiving inspiration from flowers and butterflies sent from home, worked with the Tiffany Girls to create a stunning lampshade that won a bronze medal at the World’s Fair. Despite sexism from the male craftsmen, Tiffany continued having Driscoll make lamps, but they were referred to as “Tiffany Lamps”: people believed Louis C. Tiffany made them. Clara Driscoll went unnoticed and uncredited until her last sister passed away and letters from Clara were discovered, shedding light on the true architect of the Tiffany Lamp. Ink and gouache illustration created in the style of a Tiffany Lamp adds a breathtaking beauty to this picture book biography. An excellent STEM/STEAM addition to collections, with a bibliography and notes on the Tiffany Lamp and Driscoll’s letters.

Now you need to know more about Clara Driscoll, don’t you? Visit the New York Historical Society’s webpage for Tiffany Lamp coloring pages, where Clara Driscoll receives her due credit as the maker. The Georgia Museum of Art has some coloring sheets made from photos from their collection, too.

★“Alongside delicate, design-oriented text by Nickel, Paschkis combines black outlines and luminous colors to make the pages glow like stained-glass itself.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★“The illustrations, drawn with india ink and then painted with gouache, marvelously mimic the motifs, shapes, and heavy black outlines of the stained glass. A terrific blend of art and social history set in an absorbing biography about an unacknowledged genius.” —Booklist (starred review)

Sandra Nickel is an award-winning author of picture books and has two new books coming out in Spring 2025: Seven, A Most Remarkable Pigeon, an uplifting tale that celebrates differences, and Making Light Bloom, Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps, where Sandra continues her mission to celebrate extraordinary individuals who have been nearly forgotten by history.

Sandra holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and has presented workshops throughout Europe and the United States. She is honored to be the winner of a Christopher Award, the winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Crystal Kite Award, a finalist for the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Younger Readers, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection honoree, and a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended author. To learn more about Sandra, and to download free curriculum materials and activity sheets, visit sandranickel.com.

Julie Paschkis is an award-winning illustrator of more than 25 books for children. A graduate of Cornell University and the School for American Craftsmen at RIT, she taught art to grade school children for a number of years before turning her full attention to painting, textile design, and creating illustrations for her books.

Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction

Jackson’s Wilder Adventures 2: Dentistry and Dreams

Posted on April 11, 2025April 10, 2025 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Jackson’s Wilder Adventures Vol. 2: Dentistry and Dreams, by Sarah Davidson, (June 2025, Papercutz), $9.99, ISBN: 9781545818350

Ages 6-10

Jackson and his dad have moved from their house into a smaller apartment and are enjoying a quick lunch after unpacking when Jackson realizes he’s got a loose tooth! As he starts stressing about losing a tooth, his imaginary thylacine friend Irwin takes him on a journey to meet animals who loose dozens of teeth, from Nile crocodiles to bull sharks; he even gets to see the capybara, an animal who has to file its teeth down because they never stop growing. When Jackson’s tooth finally falls out, he asks Irwin to show him animals who sleep to help him fall asleep as he waits for the Tooth Fairy; Irwin takes Jackson to visit Yakushima Island in Japan, where they encounter the Ussuri Tube-Nosed Bat, who sleeps through the winter in a deep sleep called torpor; the Kenai Fjords in Alaska, where they see a Wood Frog, who can can create a protective film that keeps their internal organs safe as they freeze into a layer of ice for the winter, and Joshua Tree National Park, where they discover the Little Pocket Mouse, who also enters torpor to sleep. It’s a fun and educational look at animals and habitats, with activities like mazes and rebuses throughout.

Jackson’s Wilder Adventures is a fun graphic novel series that combines fiction and nonfiction with great success. Jackson and Irwin are illustrated as cartoon characters, but the animals and habitats are drawn more realistically, making this a good graphic novel series to keep in your collections.

Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

Whazzat? You want MORE book suggestions? Happy Holidays, I got you.

Posted on December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

You need kids’ books? I have recommendations!

For the kid who loves cars and trucks and things that go:

Big Bertha: How a Massive Tunnel Boring Machine Dug a Highway under Seattle, by Amanda Abler/Illustrated by Katy Wu, (Sept. 2024, Little Bigfoot), $18.99, ISBN: 9781632173065

Ages 7-10

Have an emerging middle grader who loves reading about heavy machinery and vehicles? Big Bertha is the book for them: an earthquake rocks Seattle, Washington in 2001, damaging an elevated highway by the city’s waterfront. If another quake were to hit, the roadway could be at danger of collapsing. The decision was made to replace the highway with a double-decker tunnel running underneath the city. Bertha is the huge tunnel boring machine – the height of a 5-story building! – built in Japan and brought to Seattle to dig and build the tunnel. Named for a former Seattle mayor, Bertha is depicted as massive; readers will be amazed at her scale and power. Deputy Project Manager Greg Hauser and his crew, dedicated to the project, took sleeping shifts and stayed with Bertha all the way, even sleeping in shifts to stay with her as she worked. Do you know kids who love building with LEGO and blocks? Do they construct cities in Minecraft and Roblox? Readers interested in engineering and heavy machines will be fascinated by Bertha, who “chewed up dirt and boulders, removing the earth ahead of her” while her “red erector arms pieced together arcs of concrete to form the outer walls” of the tunnel. Back matter includes a photo of Bertha and her crew; numbers, and facts about the machine and the construction.

Big Bertha has a starred review from Booklist.

For the future marine biologist:

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic, by Candace Fleming/Illustrated by Deena So’oteh, (Oct. 2024, Anne Schwartz Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593377789

Ages 4-8

Is there anything Candace Fleming can’t do? She writes picture books, novels, fiction, non-fiction, and she’s a conservationist, making her a super human being in my book. Fleming’s newest work is a lyrical piece about a year in the life of a narwhal. Fleming combines nonfiction description with storytelling verse, with playful descriptions – “You are… . shy, / swift, / small (for a whale)” and detailed: “your tusk… / a single / twisting / rod of ivory / that sprouts from your upper left jaw”. The narwhal moves with his pod through the seasons, following food and avoiding danger. So’oteh’s digital illustrations bring the clear cold of the Arctic to beautiful life, with brilliant blues and greens and murky blues showcasing the underwater world. A gatefold displays an incredible narwhal pod dive that will delight readers, and near escapes from a pod of killer whales on the hunt, being stuck under the ice, and discovery by a polar bear! This is picture book nonfiction done spectacularly well and is perfect for readers who love animal stories.

Narwhal has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and Horn Book.

For the stargazer:

The Mathematics of the Universe, by Soledad Romero Mariño/Illustrated by Renee Hao, (Oct. 2024, Schiffer Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9780764368387

Ages 5-9

Verse, quotes, and beautiful illustrations come together to explain the patterns of our universe, from the spiral of a snail’s shell to the swirl of a galaxy. It’s a beautiful introduction to STEM and mathematics, inviting readers to explore concepts like spheres and hexagons, symmetry and spirals, and inviting readers to look closer at nature and unpack the mysteries they see: “The universe seems in such disarray, / but it follows an order, not one thing astray”.

Want to show your readers more about mathematics in nature? The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has some great photos that explain these concepts, too!

Reaching for the Stars: A Mission to Space, by Roxanne Troup, Amanda Lenz, (Aug. 2024, Schiffer Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764368172

Ages 4-8

A space exploration story in rhyming verse! A group of explorers head to the stars in this fun story with dynamic illustration that blends art with actual NASA space photographs. “What will we find light-years away, / beyond the expanse where our planets play?” Constellations, nebulae, and meteor showers, for starters! The group introduces new space vocabulary to readers and features a diverse cast of explorers. Great for a STEM storytime or a space storytime, and excellent to pair with Roda Ahmed and Stasia Burrington’s Mae Among the Stars (2018).

Intermediate, Non-Fiction

That’s the way the ball bounces: Bounce! is a history of rubber

Posted on November 5, 2024November 4, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Bounce! A Scientific History of Rubber, by Sarah Albee/Illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen, (Oct. 2024, Charlesbridge), $18.99, ISBN: 9781623543792

Ages 6-9

Learners who love the “why” of things will enjoy this one: illustrations and history pair with scientific explanation to deliver a concise and fascinating history of rubber. Entertainment in Europe wasn’t terribly exciting in the early days: to play ball, one had options like leather stuffed with feathers or an animal bladder stuffed with dried peas. You know where there were bouncing balls, though? The pre-Columbian Americas, where the rainforest had trees that yielded latex. The Spaniards “discovered” the balls along with everything else they “discovered”, leading to centuries of experimentation and innovation and culminating with simultaneous discoveries by American Charles Goodyear and Englishman Thomas Hancock; they discovered how to “vulcanize” rubber, making it moldable, shapable, and less likely to melt in the summer or freeze in the winter. Illustrated scientific explanations appear throughout the history, and pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations show people through the ages bicycling, sitting on inner tybes, splashing through puddles, and swimming underwater. Endpapers show a variety of balls bouncing across the spreads. Notes on history, details about rubber, a timeline, and a bilbiography round out the back matter. An excellent nonfiction resource.

Bounce! A Scientific History of Rubber has a starred review from Kirkus.

Sarah Albee is the New York Times best-selling author of more than 100 books for kids, including Troublemakers in Trousers: Women and What They Wore to Get Things Done and Accidental Archaeologists: True Stories of Unexpected Discoveries. Prior to being a full-time writer, Sarah worked at Children’s Television Workshop (producers of Sesame Street) for nine years. She played basketball in college, and then a year of semi-professional women’s basketball in Cairo, Egypt. She lives in Connecticut.

Eileen Ryan Ewen is the illustrator of many books for children, including H is for Honey Bee, Jonas Hanway’s Scurrilous Scandalous Shockingly Sensational Umbrella, and Nature’s Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story. http://www.eileenryanewen.com

Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

Colossal vehicles keep the world moving

Posted on July 24, 2024July 22, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Colossal: Heavyweights of the Vehicle Universe, by Stéphane Frattini/Illustrated by Studio Muti, (Aug. 2024, Twirl Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9782408052478

Ages 5-8

Learn about the world’s largest vehicles and machines in this oversized book filled with facts and figures. There are 28 different machines included in here, including Cadillac One, trusted with carrying the President of the United States, Bagger 293, an excavator and heaviest land vehicle, and the International Space Station. Detailed illustrations are accompanied by interesting, easy-to-read facts and diagrams to show scale and detail. Did you know that Bigfoot 5, the biggest monster truck, weighs about the same as two elephants Or that a cruise ship like Harmony of the Seas has 18 decks, a helipad, and 20 restaurants, cafes, and snack bars? Colorful drawings feature cross-sections to show interior areas like the inside of a passenger airliner and spacecraft crew module, and readers will be amazed scaled illustrations that show a tractor and 30 cars weighing the same thing on a scale. An exciting addition to elementary nonfiction collections.

Colossal is the companion to Incredible: Stars of the Plant World by Benjamin Flouw and Spectacular: Miracles of Nature by Philippe Nessmann and Alex Asfour.

Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

When Beavers Flew: Geronimo!

Posted on July 23, 2024July 20, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

When Beavers Flew: An Incredible Story of Rescue and Relocation, by Kristen Tracy/Illustrated by Luise Uribe, (July 2024, Random House Studio), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593647523

Ages 5-8

In 1948, the town of McCall, Idaho was growing and coming up against beavers. They were everywhere. Idaho Game Warden Elmo Heter came up with a plan to relocate the beavers to an area where they could develop a wetlands habitat unmolested. After multiple attempts to transport the animals via horse and mule, he landed on a solution: parachute-drop the beavers in boxes made to pop open when they hit the ground. Tracy’s narration is light, even playful; sensitive to animal lovers by concentrating on Heter’s desire to relocate the beavers to a place where they will flourish and the care he took to create boxes that would keep them safe. Digital illustrations are soft, with earthy colors and include sketches of Heter’s journal entries. Back matter includes an author’s note, sources for additional reading, and a photo of Heter. A positive story about a little-known moment in conservation and environmental history.

Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

Else B. in the Sea: A Naturalist’s Picture Book Biography

Posted on June 19, 2024June 18, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep, by Jeanne Walker Harvey/Illustrated by Melodie Stacey, (June 2024, Cameron Kids), $19.99, ISBN: 9781949480283

Ages 5-8

Scientific artist Else Bostelmann’s story begins in 1930, when she ventures into the sea off the coast of Bermuda to discover the world underwater. Charged with painting what scientist William Beebe may have seen from his bathysphere, Else discovers an entire world below; fascinated, she dedicated herself to finding ways to accurately depict the colors and sights she encountered. Using a microscope, Beebe’s notes, and her talent as an artist, she brought these creatures to life on the page. Harvey tells Bostelmann’s story in verse, with Stacey’s watercolor, gouache, pastel, and pencil illustrations giving new life and bringing a new audience to Bostelmann’s work. Stacey captures Bostelmann, clothed in her red swimsuit and diving helmet, sitting underwater while Harvey explains the process: “Her weighted palette with dabs of apint / and attached brushes / floated within reach”. Back matter includes an author’s note, photos, and samples of Else’s paintings, with notes on the underwater color spectrum and sources for more reading. An excellent addition to picture book biographies and artist collections. Else B. in the Sea has a starred review from Booklist.

The Smithsonian Magazine has an article on Bostelmann. Author Jeanne Walker Harvey has a variety of free downloadable resources to extend a lesson or reading of Else B. in the Sea available on her website.

Intermediate, Non-Fiction

Dogs Do Science: a graphic nonfiction series for intermediate readers

Posted on June 18, 2024June 17, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

This is such a fun series with recurring characters and fun, smart science know-how. For readers that may be a little young for Science Comics, Dogs Do Science fits the bill nicely. Read on for more.

Dogs Do Science: Sound, by Anna Claybourne/Luke Séguin-Magee, (March 2024, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684647804

Ages 7-10

Meet Professor Pooch: a learned and fluffy Bichon Frisé, they’re also the main character fo the Dogs Do Science graphic novel series. In Dogs Do Science: Sound, Professor Pooch is here to explain how sound works, using dogs and their superior hearing as examples for readers. Explained through a series of graphic novel sections featuring different breeds of dogs, readers will love the fun comics and easily understandable explanations of sound: why do dogs go berserk when the postman arrives? Why do our dogs come running when we think we’re shaking that food quietly? Why do chihuahuas have that sharp little bark? It all comes down to science! (By the way: tiny dogs have tiny vocal cords, hence the squeaky barks.) A “Sound Roundup” and pop quiz in the back matter help summarize and test readers’ knowledge. Cartoon illustrations keep things moving.

Dogs Do Science: Forces, by Anna Claybourne/Luke Séguin-Magee, (March 2024, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684647798

Ages 7-10

This volume is all about force: “pushes, pulls, and other forces make things move – or stop, or change direction, or fall over”, as Professor Pooch puts it. A trip back in time with Dr. Whoodle the Poodle introduces readers to Sir Isaac Newton and a discussion on gravity; other comic strips teach readers about centrifugal force, air pressure, and intertia. A section called Spot the Spaniel’s “Spot the Difference” offers a fun activity where readers can search before and after pictures for signs of gravity. A “Force Roundup” and pop quiz summarize and reinforce readers’ knowledge.

Dogs Do Science: Light, by Anna Claybourne/Luke Séguin-Magee, (March 2024, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684647811

Finally, we have Light, which starts off with the bright shiny thing that comes through the windows and wakes our dogs up every morning… and sometimes, shiny things blink outside the window. Professor Pooch and their amusingly dull Doberman assistant are here to help, shedding light on the mysteries behind shadows, reflections, and how dogs see colors differently from humans. A recurring “Dogs in Space” comic takes how light travels in space. Spot the Spaniel has a fun shadow matching activity, and Professor Pooch’s Light Roundup and Poodle’s Pop Quiz complete the volume.

All in all, the Dogs Do Science series is fun, and works well with graphic novel collections where nonfiction is helpful and popular, aka History Comics and Science Comics.

Fiction, Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

It’s AANHPI Month!

Posted on May 11, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

What’s AANHPI? It’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and May’s dedicated to recognizing the contributions and influence of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have and continue to have on American culture and history. Here are some books to think about when putting together collections and displays.

If Lin Can, by Richard Ho/Illustrated by Huynh Kim Liên & Phùng Nguyên Quang, (Apr 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $18.99, ISBN: 9781623543723

Ages 7-10

Posed as both a narrative and a series of thought-provoking questions, this picture book biography of basketball star Jeremy Lin touches on the obstacles Lin encountered on his way to becoming the first Taiwanese American to play in the NBA and inspiring “Linsanity” among fans. The story emphasizes Lin’s perseverance over racism and those who underestimated him, paralleled with Asian-presenting children encountering similar obstacles and connecting with Lin, who they see on TV or in the newspaper: “Have you ever tuned in to a radio, / turned on a television, / or opened a newspaper, / and discovered someone who looks like you?” Liên and Quang’s expressive illustrations show Asian-presenting children being ignored or bullied by light-skinned children, adjacent with Lin’s similar experiences. An inspiring addition to sports biographies and picture book biographies.

Read more about Jeremy Lin at the Jeremy Lin Foundation webpage, his Basketball Reference page, and his Instagram.

Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding, by Mitali Banerjee Ruths/Illustrated by Parwinder Singh, (Apr 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623544188

Ages 4-8

The second Archana (her nickname is Archie) story focuses on Archie and her family preparing to celebrate her Uncle Poppy’s wedding to Julie. Archana, an Indian girl, helps acclimate Julie’s niece Emma, to the excitement of an Indian wedding and helps calm Julie. Emma is a stand-in for the reader, who Archie guides through the wedding celebration, explaining food, clothing, henna painting, and customs like the ceremony and stealing the groom’s shoes. Vibrant art captures the lively atmosphere, and Emma and Archie become friends as they become cousins after the wedding. A fun additional purchase for picture book collections, Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding is the companion to Archie Celebrates Diwali (2021). An author’s note about Indian weddings and a glossary complete the book.

Raising World Children has more fun facts about Indian weddings.

Other books to display/read/purchase:

Continental Drifter, by Kathy MacLeod,
(Apr. 2024, First Second), $14.99,
ISBN: 9781250813749

Fried Rice & Marinara, by Mike Yam/Illustrated by Laura Dong,
(Apr. 2023, VOOK Books), $17.99,
ISBN: 9781737726951

Pie in the Sky, by Remy Lai,
(May 2019, Henry Holt & Co), $21.99,
ISBN: 978-1-250-31410-9

Jhupli’s Honey Bee Box, by Achintyarup Ray/Illustrated by Shivan Choudhary
(Oct. 2023, Amazon Crossing Kids), $17.99,
ISBN: 9781662514678

Anni Dreams of Biryani, by Namita Moolani Mehra/Illustrated by Ghaaya Prabhat,
(Sept. 2022, Two Lions), $17.99,
ISBN: 9781542030410

Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction, picture books

Category: Non-Fiction

Making Light Bloom sheds light on the Tiffany Lamps provenance

Jackson’s Wilder Adventures 2: Dentistry and Dreams

Whazzat? You want MORE book suggestions? Happy Holidays, I got you.

That’s the way the ball bounces: Bounce! is a history of rubber

Colossal vehicles keep the world moving

When Beavers Flew: Geronimo!

Else B. in the Sea: A Naturalist’s Picture Book Biography

Dogs Do Science: a graphic nonfiction series for intermediate readers

It’s AANHPI Month!

More Earth Day Reading!