Nonfiction

Nonfiction genre

Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron

One day in 1798, woodsmen in southern France returned from the forest having captured a naked boy. He had been running wild, digging for food, and was covered with scars. In the village square, people gathered around, gaping and jabbering in words the boy didn’t understand. And so began the curious public life of the boy known as the Savage of Aveyron, whose journey took him all the way to Paris. Though the wild boy’s world was forever changed, some things stayed the same: sometimes, when the mountain winds blew, “he looked up at the sky, made sounds deep in his throat, and gave great bursts of laughter.” In a moving work of narrative nonfiction, Mary Losure invests a compelling story from history with vivid and arresting new life.

What If . . .

Students in grade 5/6 at Springvale Elementary, Halifax, have written and illustrated a book to address a variety of world issues in a positive manner. They wished to raise awareness about problems faced by kids all over the world by imagining what it would be like if the problems didn’t exist. All messages and illustrations depict positive images that send a message of hope and provide concrete ways for readers to take action to celebrate and improve our world wordby word.

Lion

The story of a lion, from birth to adulthood, photographed on location in the wild by an award-winning American photographer, who specializes in work with newborn animals. The text shows all the aspects of the animal’s life in the wild, accompanied by close-up pictures of the family group in its natural habitat. A spread at the back of the book gives further conservation information, including useful websites.

Cheetah

Cheetah cubs love to play with their mom. She lets them climb all over her! Follow a family of cheetahs from birth to adulthood in this unique wildlife book for young children, photographed close-up in the wild by an award-winning photographer. See how the mother cheetah protects her cubs, washes and feeds them, and teaches them how to hunt for their own food. And watch the cubs play – chasing, tackling and play-fighting. At last, at two years old, the cubs are ready to look after themselves, and one day they will start a family of their own.

Talking Tails

From our earliest beginnings, we have shared our lives with animals. Explore the ties that people and their pets have formed from prehistoric times to present day.  With fun and fascinating facts, learn whether you are a Dog Person or a Cat Person, how to pick and care for your pet, and which animals are most closely linked to their wild roots. Discover purebreds and hybrids, rare and unusual pets, horses, birds, fish, guinea pigs, reptiles, and rodents. Part social history, part owner manual, Ann Love and Jane Drake present irresistible and heartwarming stories of pets through the ages, complemented by the captivating pen-and-inkwith- watercolor illustrations of artist Bill Slavin.

Pier 21: Listen to My Story

Nowadays most newcomers to North America arrive by airplane, but it wasn’t always this way. Between 1928 and 1971, approximately 1.5 million people passed through Pier 21, on the cusp of new lives after arriving in North America by boat. In this pictorial, fact-filled book for young readers, author Christine Welldon shares the true stories of nine children who remember well their voyages over and their first experiences in a new place.

We meet Heili, an Estonian girl whose father captained a tiny 18-person boat crammed with 347 people fleeing communist rule in 1948, and Jamie, a Second World War guest child from Scotland who later returned to North America to live when he grew up. Also included are stories of immigrants from Italy, the Ukraine and the Netherlands, and the children of war brides who came over to reunite with their husbands.

With over forty photos, a glossary, timeline, and sidebar features on the pier itself and the home countries of those who passed through it, Pier 21provides an excellent introduction for children to this key landmark in immigration history.

Gorilla

Far away, in the misty mountains of Africa, a baby gorilla is born. Follow the life of a mountain gorilla from birth to adulthood, in this unique wildlife information book for young children, photographed close-up in the wild by an award-winning wildlife photographer. Find out all about gorilla family life, including food, play, grooming, and communication, and watch one baby gorilla as she grows up until, on her sixth birthday, she is ready to have babies of her own! Also in the EYE ON THE WILD series: Cheetah, Brown Bear, Lion

Python

Python stirs and slithers out from her shelter, smelling the air with her forked tongue. It’s time to molt her dull scales and reveal the glistening snake underneath. Gliding along a tree, she stops and watches very, very closely as a bird drops onto a branch — and escapes the razor-sharp teeth just in time. But Python is hungry, so she slides on to stalk new prey. Combining informative facts, expressive illustrations, and a lyrical, mesmerizing narrative, here is a book to captivate anyone fascinated by this iconic creature.