Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving

Author: Joseph Bruchac

Illustrator: Greg Shed

Publisher: Harcourt Books

Publication Date: 2000

Genre: Multi-Cultural, Picture Book, Historical

Audience: 3+

Awards: ABA’s Pick of the List, Knickerbocker Award, NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

Overview: A story about Squanto and his interactions with the English settlers. While he encounters hardships and triumphs, he is able to become a peacemaker between Indian tribes and the English, and eventually they are able to indulge in Thanksgiving together.

Activity: Have students write a thank-you letter to Squanto, for keeping the peace and for creating the first thanksgiving. Then have students write cards to others whom they are thankful for.

Reviewer’s Name: Kristen

Happy, Happy Chinese New Year

Author: Demi

Publisher: Crown Publications

Publication Date: 1997

Genre: Nonfiction, culture

Audience: Gr. 1, 2, 3

Overview: This book examines the customs, traditions, and foods of the Chinese New Year. The illustrations of this book are very vibrant to show off all the festivities that go on during the Chinese New Year.

Activity: Have the children talk to their parents and see what traditions they have in their family.  Have them research it and share with the class. Bring in a poster with a tradition and what they do in their family.

Reviewer’s Name: Erin Mazzatta

Earth

Author: Kate Petty

Publisher: Franklin Watts

Publication Date: 1990

Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book

Audience: Gr. 1-3

Overview: This informative picture book gives students the opportunity to explore the properties of soil while providing experiments to supplement the material.

Activity: After reading, have students perform an experiment.

Reviewer’s Name: Alison Jacovics

Touch it! Materials, Matter and You

Author: Adrienne Mason

Illustrator: Claudia Davila

Publisher: Kids Can Press

Publication Date: 2005

Genre: Non-fiction Picture Book

Audience: Gr. K-2

Overview: A colorful and informative book showing children, animals, and adults exploring the different properties of matter. It includes hands on fun experiments to describe different facts. It is easy to understand and suitable for many ages.

Activity: After reading, have student write a reflective paragraph about what this book means to them.

Reviewer’s Name: Alison Jacovics

Wackiest White House Pets

Author: Katherine Gibbs Davis

Illustrator: David A. Johnson

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: 2004

Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book

Audience: Gr. 3+

Awards: Parents’ Choice Gold Award

Overview: How many pets do you think have lived in the White House? 2? 20? 200? This book explores the variety of pets that have lived in the White House. From grizzly bears, dogs, and elephants, this book gives a bright approach to the United States presidents.

Activity: Have the students find a life lesson or motivational quote that has an animal in the quote.

Reviewer’s Name: Alex Corbutt

A Picture Book of Rosa Parks

Author: David A. Adler

Illustrator: Robert Casilla

Publisher: Holiday House

Publication Date: 1993

Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book

Audience: Gr. 1-3

Overview: David Adler sets the life of Rosa Parks within the civil rights movement showing her accomplishments and how she made a difference. Using vivid illustrations this biography also gives a young reader background on the civil rights movement during this time period.

Activity: Draw a picture and write a brief paragraph about someone that you know who made a difference.

Reviewer’s Name: Alison Jakovics

It’s Not What You’ve Got: Lessons for Kids on Money and Abundance

Author/Illustrator: Dr. Wayne W. Dyer with Kristina Tracy/Stacey Heller Budnick
Publisher: Hay House, Inc.
Publication Date: 2007
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book
Audience: Gr. K-3

Overview: Two thumbs up for another one of Dr. Wayne’s inspirational children’s books. This book gives 10 lessons about money and abundance, but is broken down enough so that children can understand and relate. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer gives a point of view on money and abundance that most kids have at a young age, but then he distinguishes to the reader what should be important in their lives, and what should not. This is a good book for parents to read to their children because of its use of constant positive reinforcement.

Activity: Have the class write down five things they can buy that makes them happy, and then name five more things that they don’t need to buy that also makes them happy. After they are done, explain that even though both lists can make them feel happy inside, it is the things that you don’t have to buy that give you lasting happiness.

Reviewer’s Name: Staci Banks

The Down-To-Earth Guide to Global Warming

Author/Illustrator: Laurie David and Cambria Gordon
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: 2007
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. 1-5

Overview: The Down-To-Earth Guide to Global Warming is both an eye opener and a very informational science book. David and Gordon hit on every aspect of Global Warming, including steps the readers can take to live greener. With it’s easy to understand text and engaging pictures, this book would be a good teaching tool to be added to any classroom.

Activity: A good book to incorporate into science lessons. Have the students create posters on some tasks they can change within their classroom, school environment, and home to help live greener, and then hang them up where they are visible.

Reviewer’s Name: Staci Banks

Young Christopher Columbus

Author/Illustrator: Eric Carpenter/John Himmelman
Publisher: Troll Associates
Publication Date: 1992
Genre: Biography
Audience: Gr. K-3

Overview: This is a brief overview of the life of Christopher Columbus and his important contributions to history.

Activity: Have students write a letter to the King and Queen of Spain as if they were Columbus, asking for permission to sail to the Indies. Include why they want to go, what they hope to find and what the King and Queen will get in return for helping.

Reviewer’s Name: Nikki Palmer

A Faith Like Mine: A Celebration of the World’s Religions Through the Eyes of Children

Author/Illustrator: DK Publishing
Publisher: DK Publishing
Publication Date: 2005
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. 1-10

Overview: The book is made to educate children about world religions. The
pictures and stories of children who practice faith from different religions create an interest for the students.

Activity: Great to help everyone feel part of the class as different religions and beliefs are explored in the classroom.

Reviewer’s Name: Shiori Tachiwana

Beatrix Potter: A Journal

Author: Beatrix Potter
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: 2006
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. K-3

Overview: A beautiful collection of diary entries, letters, and pieces memorabilia that tell the story of Beatrix Potter’s life, in scrapbook format. Small paragraphs throughout the book, written by Potter, explain the different pieces of memorabilia and what they represent. There are many pop outs, including a copy of a letter written by Beatrix to a friend, a map of the area Beatrix summered as a child, a miniature copy of “The Game of Peter Rabbit,” and a personal copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Activity: After reading the journal, allow students to collect pictures and other pieces of memorabilia from their own lives to bring into class. Compile their own life scrapbooks, complete with mock journal entries for the different parts of their lives. An alternative is for students can research their favorite author and create a journal of the author’s life, with journal entries written by the students from the perspective of an author.

Reviewer’s Name: Mandi Kingeter

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion

Author: Loree Griffin Burns
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: 2007
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. 5+
Awards: 2007 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature honor book

Overview: Oceanographer, Curt Ebbesmeyer, tracks trash along the country’s beaches to try to learn more about ocean currents. This very informative text is about the effects of pollution on our wildlife. Includes many photographs of Ebbesmeyer’s findings, along with informative graphs, charts, and diagrams.

Activity: This book would fit in well with a lesson about the ocean and pollution. Allow students to read book, or read it collectively as a class. Consider volunteering at the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, which is held every year. Students can help clean up debris from local streams, rivers, and oceans. Visit http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_icc for more information.

Reviewer’s Name: Mandi Kingeter

My Five Senses

Author/Illustrator: Aliki
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 1962
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. Pre-K+

Overview: Explores the five senses and shows how they help you discover new things.

Activity: It will be fun to explore the senses through a wide variety of class activities.

Reviewer’s Name: Nina Penman

Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship

Author/Illustrator: Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Katkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: 2007
Genre: Nonfiction, Picture-Storybook
Sources: Sequel to the New York Times #1 Bestseller, Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
Audience: Gr. Pre-K+
Overview: This is the beautifully illustrated story of Mzee, a 130 year-old tortoise, and Owen, a newborn hippo at the Haller Park and Nature Reserve of Kenya. After Owen was rescued during a dangerous tsunami, the park workers did not want to place him with the other hippos who might attack him, so they placed Owen in a small enclosure occupied by smaller, less threatening animals, including Mzee, a grumpy tortoise. A remarkable friendship began between the two animals, a friendship marked by protectiveness, imitation, and companionship.

Activity: Ask students to research the different habits of tortoises and hippos. How are Owen and Mzee’s species similar and different? How do students account for their strange friendship?

Reviewer’s Name: Katie Coursey

Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet

Author: David McLimans
Publisher: Walker & Co.
Publication Date: 2006
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. K-3
Awards: 2006 Caldecott Honor; “One of the ten best illustrated children’s books of 2006” by The New York Times Book Review

Overview: In this alphabet book of 26 animals that are critically endangered, or vulnerable, each letter is formed to look like the animal, which it is presenting. Illustrations are very appealing, and the book introduces animals from all over the world.

Activity: Ask children if they know what ‘endangered’ means. Define and explain vocabulary words: critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. Come up with a collective list of animals they know are endangered or extinct. Talk about causes of this (pollution, etc).

Reviewer’s Name: Mandi Kingeter

Game Day

Author/Illustrator: Tiki and Ronde Barber/Barry Root
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Publication Date: 2005
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. 3+
Awards: Bank Street Best Books of the Year; IRA/CBC Children's Choices; Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award; Junior Library Guild Selection

Overview: Twin brothers, Tiki and Ronde Barber, now both NFL players, retell a story of their childhood. Tiki plays running back and Ronde is Tiki’s blocker. Tiki is always recognized for his incredible number of touchdowns, while Ronde is never given credit for the blocks that allow Tiki to score. The story emphasizes the importance of teamwork.

Activity: Good book to use at the beginning of the year. Read book to students and note how important it is to work together in order to keep the classroom running efficiently. Also point out how it can hurt the dynamic of the entire “team” if one person is not an active participant.

Reviewer’s Name: Mandi Kingeter

Let’s Eat!: What Children Eat Around the World

Author/Illustrator: Beatrice Hollyer
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: 2004
Awards: IRA Teachers' Choices
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. Pre-K+
Overview: Foods of South Africa, Mexico, Thailand, France and India are discussed as readers are introduced to five children (one from each of these regions). The real photographs of children show their daily activities, especially those involving food. Recipes of these cultural dishes are included so children can try making some of the dishes. The food glossary explains the regional foods and dishes in the book.

Activity: Have a cultural food day, either at home or in your classroom, and explain which country the foods come from. Use a map to see where these countries are. Have students bring foods that are unique to their family’s culture.

Reviewer’s Name: Sarah DeVan

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

Author/Illustrator: Jim Murphy
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: 2004
Genre: Nonfiction, United States History
Awards: Newberry Honor Award, National Book Award Finalist, The Robert F. Sibert Medal
Audience: Gr. 4+

Overview: In the late summer months of 1792 a horrifying, deadly disease broke out in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: yellow fever. In a time when yellow fever had not even been definitively defined, let alone thoroughly researched, methods used by doctors to “cure” their patients were as varied as the victims themselves. Students will gasp at the various methods used by such famous characters as Doctors Benjamin Rush and Jean Deveze, and will enjoy the tales of the often lesser-known but heroic contributions of the Free African Society, including Absalom Jones and Richard Allen.

Activity: Have students research the history of yellow fever and create a timeline of discoveries related to its cause and treatment.

Reviewer’s Name: Katie Coursey

The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students

Author/Illustrator: Suzanne Jurmain
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: 2005
Awards: 2006 ALA Notable Book for Children, 2006 Orbis Pictus Honor Book, 2006 Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, 2005 Booklist Editors' Choice, 2006 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2006 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts, 2005 Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner, 2008 Arizona Young Readers’ Master List
Genre: Young Adult Non-fiction
Audience: Gr. 4+

Overview: When Miss Prudence Crandall was asked to start a school for girls in Caterbury, CT, she hardly imagined how she would become the focus of a racial battle in this small New England town. Admitting several African American girls to the school caused controversy, ostracizing, and hostility toward Miss Crandall and the girls, resulting in the legislative passing of the Connecticut Black Law, resulting in Miss Crandall’s arrest and trial.

Activity: A perfect companion text to Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color, the same story written in sonnets. (also reviewed on BLOG BLOG).

Reviewer’s Name: Deb Marciano

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Author: Russell Freedman
Publisher: Holiday House
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Gr. 3+

Overview: The story is about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. During the Civil Rights Movement the African-Americans were not allowed to sit where they wanted on the bus. Finally, people in Montgomery took a stand and decided that this was not right. They boycotted the bus system and did whatever they could not to take the busses. African-Americans who had cars also lent them to the cause.

Activity: Discuss boycotting. Discuss about something students would want to boycott, and how they would go about it. Write stories about boycotting.

Reviewer’s Name: Becky Broyles