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Best Children's Books of 2012: Nonfiction

Cover art for FIFTY CENTS AND A DREAM
CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 4, 2012
Kirkus Star FIFTY CENTS AND A DREAM: YOUNG BOOKER T. WASHINGTON
by Jabari Asim, illustrated by Bryan Collier
"An outstanding achievement and a life worthy of note. (additional facts, author's note, illustrator's note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)"
A former slave fulfills his quest for an education and much more in this superbly designed tribute to an oft-maligned African-American educator and author. Read full book review >
Cover art for TWELVE KINDS OF ICE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 6, 2012
Kirkus Star TWELVE KINDS OF ICE
by Ellen Bryan Obed, illustrated by Barbara McClintock
"Irresistible. (Memoir. 6-9)"
Winter on a Maine farm offers the joys of ice in all its forms. Read full book review >
Cover art for HAND IN HAND
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
Kirkus Star HAND IN HAND: TEN BLACK MEN WHO CHANGED AMERICA
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
"A feast for readers whose eyes are (or should be) on the prize, in a volume as well-turned-out as the dapper W.E.B. Dubois, who was "more handsome than a fresh-cut paycheck." (timeline, index, lists of recommended reading and viewing) (Collective biography. 10-15)"
Addressing the appetites of readers "hungry for role models," this presents compellingly oratorical pictures of the lives and characters of 10 African-American men who exemplify a "birthright of excellence." Read full book review >
Cover art for SPIRIT SEEKER
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
Kirkus Star SPIRIT SEEKER: JOHN COLTRANE'S MUSICAL JOURNEY
by Gary Golio, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
"Lyrically narrated, resplendently illustrated, and deeply respectful of both subject and audience. (afterword, author's and artist's notes, bibliography, discography) (Picture book/biography. 8-12)"
In attuned counterpoint, Golio and Gutierrez present a portrait of John Coltrane's lifelong quest to discover and share his spiritual truth through music. Read full book review >
Cover art for I HAVE A DREAM
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Star I HAVE A DREAM
illustrated by Kadir Nelson, by Martin Luther King
"A title for remembrance and for re-dedication to the dream, published in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Informational picture book. 5 & up)"
An award-winning artist captures the passion and purpose of this most notable 20th-century American speech in beautifully realized oil paintings. Read full book review >
Cover art for LITTLE WHITE DUCK
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2012
Kirkus Star LITTLE WHITE DUCK: A CHILDHOOD IN CHINA
by Andrés Vera Martínez, Na Liu, illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez
"Beautifully drawn and quietly evocative. (glossary, timeline, author biography, translations of Chinese characters, maps) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)"
A striking glimpse into Chinese girlhood during the 1970s and '80s.Beginning with a breathtaking dream of riding a golden crane over the city of Wuhan, China, Liu Na, recounts her subsequent waking only to discover that Chairman Mao has passed away. Read full book review >