I have given many book talks for the spooky season in the past few weeks. I always like to include some nonfiction books. I tell the kids how the truth can be stranger than fiction. I always love when the kids ask, “Wait, this really happened?”. I found the author Don Brown and his collection of nonfiction graphic novels. I am going to have to find more of his books!
Fever Year
Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
This was so crazy to read! This was about the 1918 flu. I couldn’t get over how similar it was to all that went on as COVID-19 started to spread: the fight over masks, the overwhelmed hospitals, the fear over when it would end. You could read parts of this aloud, which could easily be mistaken for a graphic novel about COVID-19. As the flu spreads, most assume it is just another flu and that the very young or very old are the only ones at risk. But lots of people get sick, and lots of people start dying. People are dying faster than they can dig graves! It is a terrible flu!
It is a very quick read as it is a graphic novel. This would be an excellent book for kids (or adults) who want a short explanation of the 1918 flu and aren’t ready for a heavily detailed history book yet.
Drowned City
Three out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
This book is about Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It covers the best and the worst that happened during this hurricane. I like this book for students because of the format. I felt like the graphics would make a much more significant impact on students than words alone. I think this format will help students understand how big of a disaster this was. I asked my students what they knew about this event and then I remembered that they weren’t even born! Many knew nothing.
Dust Bowl
Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
This was the event I knew the least about. I had heard about the Dust Bowl, but I never did much research beyond what I was taught in school. I couldn’t remember much of what I learned back then. I picked this book up, having very little background knowledge. Like the other books in this post, there is a good amount of information, but it is not overwhelming. The illustrations would be the real selling point for putting this in the hands of a student. I think this would have helped me remember more of the school lessons.
I’m off to find more nonfiction graphic novels by Don Brown!
Literary Coffee 