Nonfiction: The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & The Fall of Imperial Russia

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & The Fall of Imperial Russia
By Candace Fleming

Fleming, Candace. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia. New York City, NY: Schwartz Wade, 2014. 9780375867828

Plot Summary

Tsar Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia, and the Tsarevich Alexei were the Romanov family. Nicholas, who was so mild-mannered. never wanted to rule. Alexandra, who was of English and German heritage, felt out of place in the palace life. Their children, raised away from society in the the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, knew nothing of the plight of the Russian peasants. Ignorant to the world around them and influenced by those closest to them, the Romanovs' rule was doomed from the start. A perfect storm that included the Great War, civil unrest, and a major overhaul within the government ended the three hundred and four year rule of the once mighty Russian royalty. The many peasant revolts allowed communism to grow within the country, while at the same time, the Russian people struggled to fight in a war that they were vastly underprepared for. Rasputin wormed his way into the inner circle of the Romanovs, earning their deepest trust and ultimately aiding in their downfall. Alexandra, weary from her son's secret illness, felt that she was being guided by God through Rasputin, who had healed Alexei on several occasions, and allowed his influence to cloud her and Nicholas' judgement. Throughout their struggles, the family remained loyal to each other. After abdicating the throne to his brother, Nicholas and his family became prisoners. Soon after fleeing to what would become their final prison, the royal family found themselves in the cellar, facing armed guards. The bodies of Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga, Tatiana, and Marie (according to the American forensic anthropologists) would not be found and identified until communism fell in 1991. They were laid to rest in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg. Anastasia and Alexei's bodies would be found in 2007, finally reuniting the lost Romanovs with their family. The Orthodox Church in Russia declared the family saints in 2000, giving them the lowest designation of sainthood, passion-bearers.

Analysis

Candace Fleming brilliantly combines the tragic tale of the Romanov family with the Russian peasant experience, moving between the two experiences throughout the book. She uses captivating photographs and first hand accounts of the events to help bring readers into the story. The story is organized chronologically and separated into four parts: Before the Storm, Dark Clouds Gathering, The Storm Breaks, and Final Days. Fleming includes a brief introduction titled "Before You Begin" that explains how to read Russian names and titles, and how the dates in the book have been converted from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. After this section, there is a family tree and a map of Russia. Readers might find themselves frequently visiting these pages to familiarize themselves with who is who and where the Romanovs are in the story. There is a bibliography that contains questions and answers from Fleming, as well as an explanation of her primary and secondary sources. A notes section details where each quote is cited from and an index concludes the book. 

This nonfiction book is on outstanding example of a narrative biography that does not cross the lines into fiction. Fleming does not include stories or tales to give the book any added flavor. She identifies areas of speculation in the few instances where it occurs and stays close to her sources. Occasionally, she speculates what the Romanovs might have been feeling, or what Lenin might have said in a situation, adding her own voice into the book but again, not filling in the story with unnecessary or untrue information. Her sources are well documented and the inclusion of photographs with explanations help readers to visualize the pieces of this tragic tale. This book is highly enjoyable and recommended for teens and adults alike.

Cynthia Schulz, writing for the Library Media Connection, claims "The author creates a compelling image of the growing political turmoil in Russia prior to and during World War I ... This is an engaging view of Russian history."

Schulz, Cynthia. 2015. “The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia.” Library Media Connection 33 (4): 78. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=100272218&site=ehost-live.

Awards

Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Nonfiction

Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature

NCTE Orbis Pictus Award

Robert F. Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist

ALSC Notable Children’s Books, Older Readers, 2015

Booklist Editor's Choice 2014

Booklist Editors Top of the List for Youth Nonfiction 2014

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon 2014

Cybils Award in Nonfiction for Young Adults 2014

Horn Book Fanfare 2014

Huffington Post Great Kid Books for Gift-Giving 2014

Junior Library Guild selection

Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book 2014

Los Angeles Times Literary Book Prize nominee

New York Public Library Best Books for Teens 2014

Publishers Weekly Best Young Adult Books 2014

SCBWI Gold Kite Award for Nonfiction

School Library Journal Best Book 2014

Wall Street Journal 2014

Washington Post Best Books for Kids 2014

Connections

Readers can explore the various websites that Fleming includes in the notes of this book for more information about the Romanovs. 

For further reading about the royal family, for older teens:

Rappaport, Helen: The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra. 9781250067456

Massie, Robert K.: Nicholas and Alexandra (Tragic, Compelling Story of the Last Tsar and His Family). 9780575400061

Montefiore, Simon Sebag: The Romanovs: 1613-1918. 9780307280510

Nonfiction: What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Jenkins, Steve, and Robin Page. What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. 9780618256288

Plot Summary

Have you ever wondered what an animals nose is used for? Or perhaps its ears, tail, eyes, feet, or mouth? Each animals' features are unique and can be used for many things, such as digging in the mud with their nose, "seeing" with their ears, stinging with their tail, look two ways at once with their eyes, leaping from ledge to ledge with their feet, or swallowing eggs larger than their heads! Each feature on each animal has a special purpose. So, "what do you do with a tail like this?"

Analysis

Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have pieced together facts and illustrations to bring the world of animals to readers. Using cut-paper collages to create each unique illustration, Jenkins and Page have answered some of the burning questions that readers might have about animals. The repeated question, "What do you do with a ___ like this?" accompanied by illustrations allows readers to pause before turning the page and attempt to answer the question themselves. This element adds a fun, interactive game-like quality to this book. Readers will enjoy studying the illustrations before turning the page to see if they guessed correctly. Jenkins and Page have included additional notes, with include postage stamp-sized pictures of each animal and a paragraph explaining each animal's adaptation. The notes are divided into sections: noses, ears, tails, eyes, feet, and mouths.

This informational book is organized in such a way that encourages children to explore each feature of the animals at their own pace in their own way. The only guidance that the book suggests is that readers take the time to guess the function of each feature before turning the page to check their answers. Including only a simple sentence with each animal allows readers to focus on the illustrations. If they wish to learn more, they can read the notes included at the back. This is particularly enjoyable because it gives the information in a succinct way. Younger readers will be able to learn something new, and older readers will enjoy reading the notes to learn even more. Readers of all ages will enjoy flipping the pages after each guess and studying the details of each illustration to see exactly how each animal uses their unique adaptations to survive.

One reviewer from Kirkus Reviews claimed, "Capped by a systematic appendix furnishing more, and often arresting, details—“A humpback whale can be 50 feet long and weigh a ton per foot”—this array of wide eyes and open mouths will definitely have viewers responding with wide eyes and open mouths of their own."

“WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS?,” March 24, 2003. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steve-jenkins/what-do-you-do-with-a-tail-like-this/. 

Awards

Caldecott Honor Medal - 2004

Connections

This book would make an excellent story time, where teachers or librarians can encourage children to guess what each feature is used for. Students can also try creating their own creature with a unique feature and explain how that feature helps with its survival.

Other notable nonfiction animal books:

Wenzel, Brendan. Hello Hello. 9781452150147

Montgomery, Sy: Becoming a Good Creature. 9780358252108

Zommer, Yuval: The Big Book of the Blue. 9780500651193

Nonfiction: A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

By Jen Bryant

Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Bryant, Jen, and Melissa Sweet. A Splash of Red: the Life and Art of Horace Pippin. New York City, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. 9780375867125

Plot Summary

Horace Pippin loved to draw. He delighted those around him with his pictures, using charcoal at first and then a real set of artist's paints after winning a contest in a magazine.  When Horace was in the eighth grade, he had to go to work. Horace's "big hands were always busy" working at a feed store, a rail yard, a farm, a hotel, and an iron factory. Yet, he always found time to draw. Everyone pleaded "Make a picture for us, Horace!" And he did. When the Great War began, Horace wanted to help. Despite the troubles of war, Horace still found time to makes pictures. One day, Horace was badly injured in his right arm. He was glad to be alive, but he was afraid he would never make pictures again. After coming home from the war, marrying Jennie Wade, and settling down in West Chester, Horace took odd jobs here and there. Every day he saw the beautiful colors and textures of West Chester and his fingers itched to draw again. Determined to push past his disability, Horace picked up an iron poker, thrust it into the flames until it was red-hot, and began to draw on wood, using his left hand to control his right arm. Horace could make pictures again! After working on a special painting for three years, Horace began to paint the scenes that played in his head. He hung some paintings up for sale in a shoe-store window. One day, the famous painter N. C. Wyeth saw Horace's paintings and helped him set up his very own art show, a one-man exhibition. Horace became famous and everyone loved his paintings. Once again, his big hands were always busy.

Analysis

Written in a narrative style, Jen Bryant shares the story of Horace Pippin along with Melissa Sweet and her eye-catching illustrations. Together, these two have carefully chosen pivotal moments in Horace's life to weave a tale that will delight readers of all ages. Bryant's accuracy within this picture book biography stems from extensive research into Horace's life and includes many quotes directly from himself and others including N. C. Wyeth. At the end of the book, Bryant includes a historical note that goes into greater detail about some aspects of his life, including how he received honors after the war, how many paintings he produced, and where readers can find his paintings across America. There is also an author and illustrator's note, which explain Bryant and Sweet's processes for research and development with this book. Bryant includes a section for further reading, film, and websites that readers can visit to learn even more about Horace, as well as the sources for the quotations that she used. This book is organized in chronological order, and unlike other informational books, should be read from front to back. After finishing, readers should flip back through the pages to study the detail of Sweet's illustrations.

Melissa Sweet used watercolor, gouache, and collage to create the illustrations for this book. She recreated Horace's art supplies and took great care to emulate his style for the title page, on which she illustrated an example of one of Horace's small oval paintings on muslin of a Bible scene. The illustrations in this book rely heavily on color, always with a splash of red. When the book talks about the war and how if affected Horace, the illustrations reflect his feelings by being darker and less vibrant. When he recovers and begins to paint again, the illustrations change back into being very happy and full of life, which must be how Horace felt. Because Bryant and Sweet worked closely on this book together, the illustrations are paired well with the story. According to Sweet, after Bryant finished writing the story, they traveled together to drive through the back roads of eastern Pennsylvania to talk with curators who knew his work and visit his home in West Chester.

One reviewer from Kirkus Reviews said, "Sweet's sophisticated mixed media (watercolor, gouache and collage), compositional framing, and both subdued and glowing colors pay homage to Pippin's artistic style and sometimes re-create his pieces. Bryant's text is understated, letting Pippin's frequent quotations glimmer along with the art."

“A SPLASH OF RED The Life and Art of Horace Pippin.” 2013. Kirkus Reviews, November, 46–48. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=92575725&site=ehost-live.

Awards

A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book

Winner of the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

Connections

In the back of her book, Bryant includes many websites and a film that readers might explore to learn more about Horace Pippin. The film, titled "Horace Pippin: There Will Be Peace" would be a great film to watch after reading this book.

Other biographies about American artists include:

Hartfield, Clare: Me and Uncle Romie. 9780803725201

Warhola, James: Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol. 9780142403471

Winter, Jonah: Frida (Spanish Edition). 9780439331180

Poetry: Hidden

Hidden

By Helen Frost

Frost, Helen. Hidden. New York City, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011. 9780374382216

Plot Summary

Wren Abbott sits in the car, waiting on her mother, when suddenly a shot rings out. She dives into the back of the car to hide as a man gets in and drives away. She stays hidden as he drives to his house. She eventually ventures out and decides to hide in a boat in the garage. Meanwhile, the man's wife and daughter become concerned about reports of a missing child. The daughter, Darra Weston, goes into the garage to look for her. Though she does not see Wren, she feels her in the boat and decides to sneak her some food. After two nights, Wren escapes and Darra watches as her father is taken into custody for the alleged kidnapping. Six years pass and the girls arrive at the same summer camp. After avoiding each other for much of the first week, they are forced to interact during a game of Drown Last. Darra, who has blamed Wren for her father's incarceration for all of these years, is held underwater by Wren, who still holds onto some of the trauma she experienced. The girls finally break free of each other and realize that they were both left hurting after "you know. what happened". They become friends and develop and understanding for each other's side of the story. The story ends with Darra introducing her "friend" Wren Abbott to her mother.

Analysis

Helen Frost has expanded the definition of the novel in verse in this story about self-growth and friendship. The story switches back and forth from Wren and Darra's perspectives; Wren's perspective is in free verse and Darra's perspective is in a new style that was invented for this novel. Darra's perspective is written in longer sentences, and Frost has included hidden words at the end of the longest sentences on each page. The last word of the longest sentences in Darra's first poems read, "Dad used to have a job making parts of cars". Frost details in her book that she made this decision to give further insight into Darra's story. This adds depth to the story that was previously unnoticed until I read the author's note at the end of the book. The poetry used in this book invokes emotion, both positive and negative, as readers learn more about Wren's fears that haunt her and how Darra's life was affected by "what happened". Frost has italicized the words that the girls speak out loud, so this book feels like an inner diary, exposing their thoughts and feelings to the reader. Readers connect with these characters because they see them so clearly in the words and the format of the story.

One reviewer from Kirkus Reviews wrote, "From the award-winning Frost comes a wildly imaginative, thought-provoking novel in verse that centers on the unlikely friendship that arises between two teenage girls as a result of an accidental kidnapping ... Both tender and insightful, this well-crafted, fast-paced tale should have wide teen appeal."

“HIDDEN.” 2011. Kirkus Reviews 79 (7): 589–90. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=60171316&site=ehost-live.

Awards

William Allan White Award—2014 Winner, Kansas, grades 6-8

Lee Bennett Hopkins Children’s Poetry Award, Honor book

ALA Notable Book

CCBC Choices

Bank Street Best Children’s Books, Starred

2012 IRA (International Reading Association) Teachers’ Choices

VOYA’s “Perfect 10” List

Kirkus Review’s Best Children’s books of 2011

Fuse #8 (School Library Journal)

“100 Magnificent Children’s Books of 2011”

Richie Partington’s “Best of 2011” list

Sylvia Vardell’s “Top 20 Children’s Poetry Books of 2011”

Paul Hankin’s “Top ten plus 1” list of 2011 Middle Grade Fiction

Lists

2016 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award (Illinois)

2013-2014 Young Hoosier Book Award, Indiana

2014 New York State Reading Association’s Charlotte Award

2013-2014 Virginia Reader’s Choice

2013-2014 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards

2013-14  Georgia Book Award

2014 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice

2013-2014 Mark Twain Readers Award, Missouri

2012-2013 Maine Student Book Awards

2012 – 2013 Vermont: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award

2012 Texas Lone Star Reading List (middle school)

2012 – 2013 Maryland: Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (grades 6-9)

Connections

For other books about growing up, emotions, and friendship, try:

Wolf, Jennifer Shaw: Dead Girls Don't Lie. 9780802737533.

Gephart, Donna: Lily and Dunkin. 9780553536775.

Van Draanen, Wendelin: Flipped. 9780375825446

Poetry: Shiver Me Timbers!

Shiver Me Timbers!
By Douglas Florian
Illustrated by Robert Neubecker

Florian, Douglas, and Robert Neubecker. Shiver Me Timbers. New York City, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2012. 9781442413214

Plot Summary

Ahoy, matey! Pirates are running loose in this collection of nineteen pirate-y poems. Learn about the way they dress, the way they talk, the pirate code of conduct, their buried treasure and punishments, and the yucky food they eat. Privateers or buccaneers, they "have no fear". They battle, raid, and plunder rubies, gold, and diamonds, "all that thar hands can hold".

Analysis

Douglas Florian and Robert Neubecker have brought pirates to life in these nineteen poems. Each poem has an easily identified rhythm that makes it fun to read aloud. Some of the poems have an AABB, ABCA, or ABAB rhyme scheme, so readers might be able to follow along and guess the feel of these poems easier. Though this is fictional poetry, there are some facts scattered throughout. Poems about Blackbeard and Captain Kidd and his buried treasure are sure to delight and catch the attention of any fans of pirates. Florian has used his humor to bring lighthearted and silly poems about pirates to children all over, regardless of age.

Robert Neubecker's illustrations were created with India ink on watercolor paper and then colored digitally. Reading the poems before looking at the illustrations can be a fun exercise because they reflect the imagery of the words so well. Neubecker uses thick black lines and bright colors that are engaging and full of detail despite being a more simplistic style.

A review from Kirkus Reviews states, "It’s not a stretch to say that if Shel Silverstein himself were to have dabbled in the piratical he could not have come up with a better selection of scurvy doggerel than the delicious verses found here.”

Florian, Douglas. “SHIVER ME TIMBERS!,” August 28, 2012. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/douglas-florian/shiver-me-timbers/.

Awards

Garden State Children's Book Award Nominee (NJ)

NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Connections

This book would be excellent for a story time on Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19th. Children could dress up as pirates and practice saying pirate-y words from the poems as the teacher or librarian read aloud.

Other pirate themed books to be paired with this one.

Long, Melinda: How I Became a Pirate. 9780152018481

Duddle, Jonny. The Pirate Cruncher. 9780763648763

For older children:

Captain William Lubber: Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter's Companion. 9780763631437

Poetry: Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the night

by Joyce sidman

illustrated by rick allen

Sidman, Joyce, and Rick Allen. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. New York City, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. 9780547152288

Plot Summary

Welcome to the night, when nature comes out to play. This collection includes twelve poems about the nocturnal life in the forest with accompanying factual discussions about each subject. Follow the story of the snail, the moth, the owl, the oak, the spider, the porcupette, the cricket, the mushrooms, the eft, the bat, and the moon as he laments the end of the night and the coming day as the sun begins to rise again.

Analysis

This collection of poems, written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Rick Allen, bring the darkness to life with expressive descriptions and wonderful relief paintings. The poems are printed on their pages in a way that promotes the rhythm and flow of the words. Sidman uses varied poetic forms and rhyme schemes to bring each poem its own unique flavor. The poems are playful, wistful, philosophical, and can even make readers ponder what they have just read. The opening poem "Welcome to the Night" sets the scene for the rest of the collection by declaring "The night's a sea of dappled dark, / the night's a feast of sound and spark, / the night's a wild, enchanted park. / Welcome to the night!" This lets readers know that the poems will describe the sights and sounds of the forest as the creatures wake from their daily slumber. The accompanying scientific descriptions of each subject in the poems adds to the depth of these poems by allowing readers to understand the subjects more so than they would without them. Sidman even includes a glossary at the end to further aid the reader in understanding the creatures of the forest.

Rick Allen's illustrations were created through a method called relief printing. A drawing is transferred onto a hard medium and carved away, and then the remaining areas that were left uncut are then covered in ink and printed on paper by hand or a printing press. Each of the illustrations within this collection used at least three blocks of color and were then hand-colored with a strongly pigmented watercolor called gouache. The stark lines created in this method of illustration demonstrate the textures of the forest, from the bark on the oak tree to the fur of the mouse.

A review excerpt from Horn Book Magazine states "Sidman and Allen have created a lively night world of raccoons and snails, owls and spiders, mushrooms and bats that welcomes readers into night’s “wild, enchanted park.” Allen’s gorgeous relief prints made from linoleum blocks offer luscious images to complement elegant poetry and nonfiction explorations. The book ends as night ends, the moon lamenting, “Alas. Another eternity of sunbeams to wait.” But readers need not wait; they can enter the book at will and revel in this beautiful nighttime world."

“Picture Book Honor Books.” 2012. Horn Book Magazine 88 (1): 24. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=69841636&site=ehost-live.

Awards

Newbery Honor Book - 2011

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book

Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book

Horn Book Fanfare

NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts

Bulletin Blue Ribbon

Booklist Editor's Choice

CBC Bank Street Best Book of the Year (starred)

Chicago Public Library Best book of the Year

NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book

Cybils Poetry Award Finalist

Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award

Connections

Readers will enjoy learning about the different creatures that come out at night, so pairing this book with other nonfiction books that feature these creatures would allow them to explore these concepts even further.

Other books about nocturnal creatures:

Stanek, Linda: Night Creepers. 9781607183235

Marino, Gianna: Night Animals. 9780451469540

Srinivasan, Divya: Little Owl's Night. 9780670015795