Nonfiction can be fun

It's easier than you might think to get kids interested in factual information. The first step is to introduce them to awesome books that make learning such information fun. Once that seed is planted, the longer, more tedious materials are more eagerly absorbed. Check out the titles reviewed below to prove the theory. There's a good chance that you and the child in your charge will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Books to Borrow

The following book is available at many public libraries.

"The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain" written and illustrated by Peter Sis, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 52 pages

Read aloud: age 9 — 10 to adult

Read yourself: age 10 — 11 to adult

In 1948, Peter Sis was born in Czechoslovakia. That same year, the Soviets took control of his country and closed the borders. "I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side — the Communist side — of the Iron Curtain."

In school and outside of his home, young artist Peter was told what to draw and what to think. At first, he didn't question what he was being told, but later, "he found out there were things he wasn't told. This was the time of brainwashing." Throughout, there were many people who wanted to be free, and as Peter grew, he was one of them.

A deeply personal memoir of the author/artist's life in communist Czechoslovakia and his ultimate defection is brought forward through his rich, complex art and never-before-seen private photos and journal entries. A cautionary tale, "The Wall" provides deep reflection on freedom and subtly teaches what transpires when freedom is compromised.

Librarian's Choice

Library: Sutter County Library, 750 Forbes Ave., Yuba City

Library Director: Roxanna Parker

Children's Librarian: Chalese Valdez

Choices this week: "Are You My Mother?" by Dr. Seuss; "The Napping House" by Audrey Wood; "Summer Reading is Killing Me" by Jon Scieszka

Books to Buy

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.

"Hot Diggity Dog: The History of the Hot Dog" by Adrienne Sylver, illustrated by Elwood H. Smith, Dutton, 2010, 32 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 5 — 6 and older

Read yourself: age 8 — 9 and older

"How did hot dogs become such a popular treat? The answer to that mystery is a fun journey through history and a peek into cultures around the world. The story begins thousands of years ago in Europe."

If that doesn't whet your appetite, just wait. From the ancient Greeks and Romans, Germany and Austria in the 1400s, America in the 1860s and all the variations of the hot dog we know today, all of this and more is here in this fascinating, hilariously illustrated book on the history of one of our favorite American foods.

"Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum" written and illustrated by Meghan McCarthy, Simon & Schuster, 2010, 36 pages, $15.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 4 — 9

Read yourself: age 8 — 9

In the 1920s, there was a chewing gum and candy factory where young Walter Diemer worked as an accountant. Although chewing gum had been around for centuries, Walter began to wonder what it would do for gum sales if the chewers could blow bubbles with their gum.

A lot of experimentation later, Walter discovered the secret to making bubble gum. Using a mixture of flavors and the only coloring he had available — pink — Dubble Bubble was born, and chewing gum was never the same again!

Fascinating, fun and loaded with facts, "Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum" will ignite the next generation of would-be inventors.

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