Time for A Field Trip?

        Visit Alyson Beecher on Wednesdays for Non-Fiction Picture Books at Kidlit Frenzy.  From Alyson and others, you will discover terrific nonfiction picture books!

     Many of you may know these long-time collaborators, but Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom are new to me. They are British picture book award winners and you can discover their books published over a lot of years HERE! Some are available at my library, but not all. I imagine they are good, like this one I read this week, introducing the collection of the British Library.

       With filled-to-the-brim pages of collaged art that includes original cut-out drawings, small illustrated added information overlayed by copies of actual book pages, the depth and breadth of the library shine. There are so many parts, I can imagine a class taking individual topics to research further. It is inspiring to read a bit about the amazing works the museum owns, and I did want to know more, more, more!

       From the earliest bound book, The St. Cuthbert Gospel found first in St. Cuthbert's coffin, about 687 CE, traveled around with the coffin and removed about 1100 where it fell into private hands, then bought by the museum for nine million pounds! This shows you just one of the astounding millions of books, prints, maps, drawings, stamps, etc. in the library. There are some so rare they are housed in a bombproof room. This library was built between 1988 and 1998, is the largest new public building in the U.K. It has 400 miles of shelves, 150 million items. Despite that fact, the authors acknowledge that the U.S. Library of Congress claims their collection is even larger, with more than 162 million items! It is fascinaing to search the database of the Library of Congress and now I know to search the British Museum, too.

         After the oldest books, the tour moves to showing some of my favorites, like this page above about Alice In Wonderland. Do you recognize those early illustrations? There is Shakespeare of course, Dickens, Austen, the Brontes, the Brothers Grimm and Conan Doyle. Also, Manning has not forgotten non-fiction, including pages about cookbooks, medicine, da Vinci and early issues of The London Times. The page presentations by Granstrom are varied and fascinating, highlighting some parts, pulling the reader in to discover favorites, introducing what is not as readily recognized. 

         Included are a table of contents, added information about each subject, and a glossary. I'm glad that I discovered this book. Now it's time for a field trip!