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2011 Best Books for Children: Nonfiction

Cover art for BLIZZARD OF GLASS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 22, 2011
Kirkus Star BLIZZARD OF GLASS: THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION OF 1917
by Sally M. Walker
"Riveting. (Nonfiction. 10-14)"
A terrible explosion devastated Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a neighboring town in 1917, causing local residents and others miles away to act heroically in response to an unprecedented catastrophe. Read full book review >
Cover art for <i>TITANIC</i> SINKS!
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 10, 2011
Kirkus Star <I>TITANIC</I> SINKS!
by Barry Denenberg
"This is history at its best, an original and appealing way to mark the centennial of this familiar disaster. (author's note, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction.10-14)"
A memorial edition of an imagined magazine covers the construction and fateful voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic, Queen of the Ocean, which sank in April 1912. Read full book review >
Cover art for AROUND THE WORLD
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 11, 2011
Kirkus Star AROUND THE WORLD
by Matt Phelan, illustrated by Matt Phelan
"Three true tales of adventure as grand and admirable in the telling as they were in the doing. (Graphic nonfiction. 10-13)"
With uncommon perception and a flair for visual drama, Phelan tracks three intrepid souls' solo journeys around the world. Read full book review >
Cover art for CORAL REEFS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
Kirkus Star CORAL REEFS
by Jason Chin, illustrated by Jason Chin
"As in his earlier Redwoods, the child reader shares her reading, passing on the book to others. Real-life readers will be eager to do the same. (Informational picture book. 5-9)"
A book on coral reefs transforms the New York Public Library into a reef for its reader as she eagerly learns about those who make and dwell in those unique ecosystems, "cities of the sea." Read full book review >
Cover art for HEART AND SOUL
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Star HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AMERICA AND AFRICAN AMERICANS
by Kadir Nelson, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
"This intimate narrative makes the stories accessible to young readers and powerfully conveys how personal this history feels for many African-Americans. (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
In an undertaking even more ambitious than the multiple-award-winning We Are the Ship (2008), Nelson tells the story of African-Americans and their often central place in American history. Read full book review >
Cover art for DRAWING FROM MEMORY
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
Kirkus Star DRAWING FROM MEMORY
by Allen Say, illustrated by Allen Say
"Aesthetically superb; this will fascinate comics readers and budding artists while creating new Say fans. (author's note) (Graphic memoir. 10 & up)"
Exquisite drawings, paintings, comics and photographs balance each other perfectly as they illustrate Say's childhood path to becoming an artist. Read full book review >