Awesome nonfiction will fascinate kids

There is a lot of competition to garner the attention of children. When it comes to books, you might think fiction would outshine nonfiction any day. That's not necessarily true. The key is to find nonfiction books that dazzle, amaze and have kids saying, "Wow! I didn't know that; that's really interesting!"

Children are, by nature, interested in almost everything. In answering their endless questions, the one thing kids don't want is a long, boring, drawn-out explanation, whether it's from you or a nonfiction book. If you think about it, you don't like those kinds of explanations, either.

Enthusiasm, fast facts and cool, interesting information will attract a child's attention, and today's reviewed books hit that nail precisely on the head.

Books to Borrow

The following book is available at many public libraries.

• "Home at Last — A Song of Migration" by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Alix Berenzy, Henry Holt, 36 pages

Read aloud: age 4 - 5 and older

Read yourself: age 8 and older

This selection is as beautiful and gentle to read as it is to look at.

Sayre and Berenzy have created a most unusual book that celebrates the courage, determination and instinctual drive of migratory animals in their pursuit to reach their home. For some, the journey may only be a few miles. For others, it may be thousands of miles or even halfway around the Earth.

In spare text and soft, almost dream-like illustrations, readers learn about the migratory patterns of sea turtles, arctic terns, wood frogs, warblers, salmon, monarch butterflies, gray whales, caribou and lobsters.

There is something very reassuring about this book as it gently demonstrates that "home" is a special place for all creatures.

Librarian's Choice

Library: Butte County Library — Gridley Branch, 299 Spruce St., Gridley

Library Director: Derek Wolfgram

Branch Librarian: Cynthia Pustejovsky

Choices this week: "Mr. Wizard's Supermarket Science" by Don Herbert; "Album of Horses" by Marguerite Henry; "What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?" by Jean Fritz

Books to Buy

The following books are available at your favorite bookstores.

• "Micro Mania: A Really Close-Up Look at Bacteria, Bedbugs & the Zillions of Other Gross Little Creatures That Live In, On & All Around You!" by Jordan D. Brown, photographs and illustrations various credits, Imagine Publishing, 2009, 80 pages, $19.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 9 — 10 and older

Read yourself: age 10 — 11 and older

Prepare to be amazed and — yes — very possibly grossed out. From the billions of tiny creatures that crawl all over your skin to the trillions more that live inside of your body, the mites that live in the follicles of your eyelashes, the more than 500 kinds of bacteria that live in your mouth, fleas, ticks, bedbugs and the disgusting amount of bacteria and fungi that grow in your kitchen sponge — these are just a small fraction of what you'll encounter in this fascinating book.

If you want to get kids interested in science, this book is an excellent start. Loaded with information that's written in such a way that not only engages readers but will also make them laugh, "Micro Mania" is guaranteed to educate and fascinate, with just enough gross stuff to keep even reluctant readers zipping through the pages.

• "The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair" by Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley, illustrations from various sources, Charlesbridge, 2009, 117 pages, $15.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 11 — 12 and older

Read yourself: age 12 and older

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most celebrated composers of all time. Many admirers of his work know that while Beethoven composed extraordinary music throughout his life, he suffered poor health, including complete deafness. What many never knew, until recently, was why his health was so compromised.

As readers will discover in this fascinating book, the trail of discovery began immediately following Beethoven's death in 1827, when 15-year-old musical protégé Ferdinand Hiller clipped a small lock of Beethoven's hair. The lock of hair was passed from Hiller to his grown son many years later, and continued its journey during WWII and beyond.

Finally, the lock of hair was auctioned in London and purchased by two owners who contracted the help of leading scientists to perform forensic tests on Beethoven's hair. What they finally discovered shocked the world.

Captivating from the first word to the last, "The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair" guarantees to astound readers in every way.

Kendal A. Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached at kendal@sunlink.net.