Anita Silvey

I've complained about how hard it is to find easy nonfiction to read aloud, and now I'm going to lament the lack of really booktalkable (yes, that's a word. As of right now) nonfiction for the middle grade crowd. Specifically for sixth grade, since that's mainly the group I do booktalks for.

The books have to be long enough and formatted so they don't look like "books for little kids" (which is a huge problem since most nonfiction books are formatted to look like extra-thick picture books) show more but they also can't have "too many words". They have to have a hook so I can booktalk them quickly and easily. I'm picky, but so are the sixth graders!

This one is an unlikely choice, but as soon as I started reading it I knew it would work.

"What's so important to you that you'd risk getting eaten by a tiger, falling off a cliff, attacked by bears, freezing to death, killed by bandits, or all of the above?"

*pause for raucous responses, hopefully all school-appropriate*

"For these daring hunters, the most important thing in the world was...plants!"

Anita Silvey tells the story of the men and women who risked their lives, sanity and freedom to collect rare plants. Some of them were stalked by jaguars, went on dangerous undercover missions to steal seeds and plants, or struggled on after being attacked by a grizzly bear to discover a new species of pines. Plant hunting continues today (did you know there's a super-secure vault for seeds?) along with its dangerous and adventure. Be prepared to add botany back to the curriculum after kids read this one!

The book is illustrated with historical photographs and botanical drawings and includes notes, a bibliography, illustration credits, and index. At a little under 100 pages it's brief enough not to discourage struggling readers and has a nice, readable large font. Silvey packs an astonishing amount of information into the pages of these book, from historical botanical expeditions, biographical sketches, reflections on the environmental impact of plant hunting, and botanical and scientific information.

Verdict: This is an unusual subject, but with some catchy booktalking it could be a very popular nonfiction selection for middle grade readers and might even inspire them to try a little botanical research of their own.

ISBN: 9780374309084; Published April 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library show less

I've determined to finally tackle the biography section of my juvenile fiction next year, which means, of course, that I've been thinking about it on and off all this year. Biographies are hard. There are so many picture book biographies being released and yet they very rarely circulate. Middle grade readers do ask for biographies, but it's so difficult to strike a line between the same old dead white males who have been done a million times and names so obscure no one will ever look at show more them.

So I was quite pleased when I saw that National Geographic was releasing a new biography of Jane Goodall. Goodall is well-known, but not so much so that another biography is superfluous. She's a woman in the sciences, with a powerful legacy that adds diversity to the field.

The biography itself is well-written in a way that will attract the reader's attention without sensationalizing or sentimentalizing the subject. The book begins with her childhood, the all-important research in Gombe that changed her life and the way chimpanzees were researched, and her transition into a public figure and fight for conservation. The final chapter talks about the way Goodall's research and continued advocacy has changed not only the way animals are researched and studied, but also treatment of animals in labs. It discusses modern methods and technology, several of the groups she started or sponsored, and some of the people she has influenced, both young and old.

Extensive back matter includes information about chimpanzees, photographs and specifics about some of the chimps of Gombe, a time line of Jane Goodall's life, maps, organized resources to read more about Jane and her work, detailed notes and index, and an author's note. The book is laid out in a large chapter book format with plenty of photographs, quotations, and additional facts and interesting highlights of Jane Goodall's life and contemporaries. National Geographic is really good about putting their nonfiction into attractive formats and this is no exception.

From an adult perspective, it was interesting to read this after having read Primates, which gives a more nuanced view of Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas. This biography focused more on inspiring and informing the reader than discussing the more controversial aspects of Goodall's life and while I'm usually a little leary about biographies that gloss over issues, I thought this handled her life very well in a way that's accessible and appropriate for middle grade readers.

Verdict: Even if you're not currently updating your biography collection, this is a must-have for any juvenile biography section. Thoughtful, informative, and will interest a wide range of children as well as teens and adults. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781426315183; Published 2015 by National Geographic; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library; Purchased for the library show less

"I had never heard of--or even thought about--the women who fought in the war" (Silvey, 95). Anita Silvey's thoughts echo my own when first seeing the cover of her work, I'll Pass for Your Comrade. On her own journey of discovery, Silvey explores why women joined the military and fought during the Civil War, how they managed to join and stay in the first place, and what happened to them. I'll Pass for Your Comrade makes use of first hand accounts of women in battle, including letters, show more journal entries, memoirs, and pictures from the era. The legacies of these women who fought bravely, risking and often giving the ultimate sacrifice, have sadly been swept under the colloquial rug of patriarchal history because they did not fit the image of what it means to be a woman in 19th and 20th century America. While geared to wards social studies and history in nature, this book serves as an excellent piece on gender studies and censorship, as it reveals by example how society shapes its history and our understanding of it, presenting reality as constructed rather than definite. show less

This is a sweet collection of over 100 mini-essays by prominent folks on the children’s book that influenced them the most. Each book is profiled with a one-page excerpt, a commentary by the editor Anita Silvey on the history of the book profiled, and then words from authors, scientists, educators, actors and others and what that particular book or author inspired in them.

As an omnivore I would have a hard time picking just one title out of so many that I love but it was great to see many show more of those titles appear here. I have so many memories of reading and books. I remember distinctly the first time in first grade when I decided to stroll over to the big kid’s section and chose a big book to read—I believe it was a Hardy’s boy mystery. The book was scary to read and it took me a long time, but I felt very grown-up. I remember in third grade the first time I read Charlotte’s Web and crying at the end. I also remember the serendipity of coming home from school carrying Little House in the Big Woods and my Mom had picked up Little House on the Prairie for me at the library on the same day. I remember sitting in the mall at Waldenbooks engrossed in a Little Princess and then buying it and taking it home where I read it non-stop.

I remember my seventh grade science teacher reading Amnityville Horror out loud to our class on short days. I never did read the book myself, but he scared the bejeezus out of me and I still have him to thank that I can't sleep with my closet door open.

So many books...so many memories.

Right now I'm reading the Secret Garden to my daughter. We are just starting and she says she doesn't like it--she would prefer a book she picked out. So we read one of hers and then this one which is mine. But I've been noticing that as the story goes along she is protesting less and less so I hold out hope yet. I have so many great memories of reading to her. She is eight now and I've read to her since she was an infant. show less