Young readers of French non-fiction have been lucky to have
Savait-tu...? books (from Éditions Michel Quintin) available since 2001 with at least 50 different titles available. But since 2013, Fitzhenry & Whiteside has been publishing the series in English, called the
Do You Know...? series, with the same authors and illustrator together. I
reviewed the first in September 2013 but here are volumes 9-12 and I'd like to remind readers about these non-fiction gems. Non-fiction can be so...o...o dry but there are only a few authors that consistently present it in informative and entertaining formats. Some key youngCanLit authors of non-fiction include Elizabeth MacLeod, Monica Kulling, Susan Hughes, Rob Laidlaw, Bill Swan, Keltie Thomas and Helaine Becker with each having their own specialty. History, biography, animal rights, justice, sports and trivia are usually well-covered but the trio of
Alain M. Bergeron,
Michel Quintin and
Sampar bring a refreshing perspective to animal non-fiction and young readers love it. I'd love to get more teacher-librarians, teachers, parents and readers as excited about this series as I am!
Do You Know Dinosaurs?
Written by
Alain M. Bergeron, Michel Quintin and
Sampar
Illustrated by
Sampar
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
64 pp.
Ages 7-11
May, 2014
Do You Know Hyenas?
Written by Alain M. Bergeron, Michel Quintin and Sampar
Illustrated by Sampar
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
64 pp.
Ages 7-11
May, 2014
Do You Know Komodo Dragons?
Written by Alain M. Bergeron, Michel Quintin and Sampar
Illustrated by Sampar
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
64 pp.
Ages 7-11
May, 2014
Do You Know Praying Mantises?
Written by Alain M. Bergeron, Michel Quintin and Sampar
Illustrated by Sampar
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
64 pp.
Ages 7-11
May, 2014
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From Do You Know Hyenas?
by Alain M. Bergeron et al., 2014 |
The integration of key facts about the animal within a double-spread illustration of a humourous situation depicting that fact works so well for both verbal and visual learners who will remember that information better for that pairing. For example, in the illustration to the right, the hyena's very thorough feeding on a carcass is depicted by the few bits left over for the vulture who sarcastically thanks the hyena for, like, nothing! Eating habits, morphology, reproduction, behaviour, mobility and more are covered within these graphics. And, as a teacher, I appreciate the subtle humour that provides me with a perfect vehicle for looking at inferencing skills.
Don't read these because of their educational value, though it is there. And don't purchase them because they're new and unlikely to be in school or children's collections. But do purchase them for their unique presentation of information and the laughter that will have your little ones easily remembering and sharing what they've read with pleasure.
Thank you, Helen K. ! :-)
ReplyDeleteAlain M. Bergeron
My pleasure! Looking forward to more of this series. Hard to believe you've already had over 50 of "Savait-tu?"
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