Panel One whittled the field of 73 titles down to the “Spectacular Seven”. Panel Two determined the “Outstanding One” from the seven finalists.
And that book, if you have been away from the Internet this weekend is The Day Glo-Brothers by Chris Barton; illustrated by Tony Persiani, published by Charlesbridge and nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith.
I never thought much about how the day-glo paints, the ones I used senior year of high school to paint peace signs and slogans on my legs, came into being. That is until I read Barton’s book.
It’s a terrific read. First, it tells a story about the resiliency of two young men who didn’t give up in the face of adversity. When Bob’s injury forced him to abandon a career as a doctor, he and his brother, Joe, decided to invent colors that glowed.
Second, it’s a tale about the scientific process in action. Readers get a sense about of the successes and the failures in creating glowing colors. I see this book being used to pump up participation in the annual science fair.
Finally, the work that Barton put into the book, the original research, and the fact that this is the first of its kind about the brothers is genius. I have really thought a lot about this since my first reading of the book. Again, in the school world, the book can be used as a mentor text for research.
The kid factor will play in big here. How fun is it to read about two people with a somewhat zany idea? Tons of fun.
Persiani’s illustrations are genius as well… the very subtle, dull colors at the beginning of the book fall way to the day-glo we know today.
And a big thank you to my fabulous round two panel:
They worked tirelessly to declare a winner. All the CYBILS Awards can be found HERE.
Nonfiction Monday is at The Art of Irreverence. Thanks for hosting.
Happy Reading.
MsMac
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