Social Studies
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Social Studies > anthropology > cultures
Adventures of Marco Polo, The
The author recounts the 13th Century life and exploration of the famous Venetian, Marco Polo. The fascinating illustrations reflect the style of the time and place of each segment of the story. The author includes ample supplemental information on the a
| Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
African Princess
Illustrated with paintings, photographs, and artifacts, six biographies tell us about royal African women from Ancient Eygpt to the present: Hatshepsut of Egypt; Njinga of Matamba; Taytu Tetal of Ethiopia; Amina of Zaria; Tata Ajache of Dahomey; and Eliz
| Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde, The
The Anasazi, "the ancient ones" in Navajo, had a unique and well developed culture. Around 1300, they simply vanished. Today, their home (Mesa Verde) is a national park. This carefully researched text recreates the Anasazi's way of life and explores th
| Author: Arnold, Caroline |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
And the Soldiers Sang
A fictional story about the 1914 Christmas Truce of WW I when Allied and German soldiers came together in friendship on the battle field. Illustrated in graphic novel style haunting artwork, the writing cuts through the gloomy circumstances with examples
| Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Ashanti to Zulu
Each letter of this alphabet book describes a different African culture. It is meant as a reference or resource book, but the fabulous illustrations create a lively African world.
| Author: Musgrove, Margaret |
|
Black Star, Bright Dawn
Bright Dawn, a teenaged Eskimo girl, takes her father's place in the grueling Iditarod, the 1000-mile dogsled race through the cold wilds of Alaska. In the process, she learns about herself, her family, and her culture.
Bog Bodies
The discovery of the Lindow Man in a bog in England in 1984 provides the structure for the archeological and anthropological study of human remains found in bogs. The author includes a map, source notes, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index that are
| Author: Buell, Janet |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Bread, Bread, Bread
The photos and very easy text show/tell of people eating bread all over the world.
Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence
In 1991, New York's long-ignored African Burial Ground was rediscovered. The description of what scientists found there and how they pieced together information about life serves as a backdrop for stories of life for African Americans in Colonial New York
| Author: Hansen, Joyce, & McGowan, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Buried in Ice
The authors explore the mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin's failed expedition to find the Northwest Passage in 1845. Sections of fictionalized history alternate with present-day, first-person narrative of the scientific search for answers. A glossary
| Author: Beattie, Owen & Geiger, John |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess, Page
Tobias, an 11-year-old boy, goes to serve as a page for a year in his uncle's castle in 13th Century England. Notes for the Reader contains additional historical information.
| Author: Platt, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
This story describes the customs used in both the plantation house and the slave quarters during the Christmas season during slavery years. The amount of detail--even recipes and songs are included--is unusual, and yet the book flows well and makes compe
| Author: McKissack, Patricia & McKissack, Frederick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
City of Angels: In and Around Los Angeles
20 places or events in Los Angeles are briefly described. Each is accompanied by cartoon-like illustrations. A chronology of interesting tidbits of LA history concludes the book.
| Author: Jaskol, Julie & Lewis, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Come Go With Me: Old-timer Stories from the Southern Mountains
The author recorded these oral histories of "Southern Mountain" old folks over a twenty-five year period in order to preserve aspects of community that were disappearing.
| Author: Thomas, Ray Edwin (collected by) |
|
Dogsong
14-year-old Russel, an Eskimo, feels assailed by the modernity of his life. With the help of a wise elder, Russel learns how (and why) to make a 1400-mile dog run across his country. (Newbery Honor Book)
| Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Great Race, The
A grandmother helps her granddaughter arrange paper cutouts of the Chinese zodiac by telling her a story of how 12 animals race to reach the Jade City. The author includes an appendix with information about the Chinese zodiac.
History of Counting, The
This is an accessible and interesting historical look at how and why numbers came to be. The author includes a useful glossary and index. Reviewers considered this a reference book rather than a leisure reading book.
| Author: Schmandt-Besserat, Denise |
HSE Descriptors:
math
|
House of Wisdom, The
A true story is retold. Ishaq, a young boy in 9th century Baghdad, witnesses the "House of Wisdom," a cross between a library and an academy where books are shared and scholars come to read and exchange ideas.
| Author: Heide, Florence Parry, and Gilliland, Judith Heide |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Houses and Homes
A fascinating photographic collection of houses in different world cultures. The photos show how colorful diverse homes and people are. There is very little text, but the index at the end identifies the location of each home.
I Have an Olive Tree
Colorful, stylized illustrations depict a girl and her mother as they travel back to Greece to see the olive tree her granfather left her when he died, a gift that grows in value as the story progresses.
| Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Saw Your Face
Sketches from Tom Feelings's sketch book are used to frame a simple yet powerful poem about the "face game" played by the author with his mother that celebrates African-American heritage.
| Author: Dawes, Kwame |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Immigrant Kids
In this unique book, noted nonfiction writer Russell Freedman offers a rare glimpse of what it meant to be a young newcomer to America in the early 1900s.
| Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In Nueva York
This collection of short, interlocking stories depicts life in one of New York City's Puerto Rican communities.
| Author: Mohr, Nicholasa |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Indian School
Subtitled "Teaching the White Man's Way," this book chronicles efforts to "civilize" Native American children and youth in the late 19th and early 20th century. Archival photographs, an index, a reading list, a bibliography, and a list of web sites comple
| Author: Cooper, Michael L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Indian Winter, An
In 1833, a German prince and his servant and a Swiss artist traveled up the Missouri River Valley recording their contacts with the Mandan Sioux in journals and sketches. Russell Freedman stimulates the reader's curiosity through well-researched text and
| Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Jump at de Sun
This interesting biography of the author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston emphasizes her unique celebration of black life and language at the turn of the century when such topics were unpopular. Her niece wrote the introduction.
| Author: Porter, A. P. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Kamishibai Man
The award-winning author/illustrator introduces the reader to the street storytelling tradition of the "paper-theater man" from his Japanese childhood.
Library Book, The
Although the title is a clever pun, this book recounts the history of storing language from tablets to information systems, highlighting famous libraries in the process. Side bars include additional facts and many web sites are included in the resources.
| Author: Sawa, Maureen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mama Provi and the Pot of Rice
Mama Provi lives on the first floor of an apartment building and her granddaughter, Lucy, lives on the eighth floor. When Mama Provi heads up with a pot of arroz con pollo to comfort Lucy (who has chicken pox), a simple pot of chicken and rice is transfo
| Author: Rosa-Casanova, Sylvia |
|
Metropolis
This book provides a detailed look at 10 cities, from 11th century Jerusalem to 20th century New York City. Readers will learn about culture, architecture, and everyday life over the centuries as well as historical information about the cities themselves.
| Author: Lorenz, Albert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Midnight Zoo, The
When their Gypsy encampment is attacked by Germans during WWII, three Romanian children flee. In an abandoned town, they find a zoo where the animals tell their stories as everyone seeks to reclaim their lives and freedom.
| Author: Harnett, Sonya |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Mist over the Mountains
Memorable photographs and well-written text depict the history and present life in the geographic area known as Appalachia. The author includes a section on Further Reading.
| Author: Bial, Raymond |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mosque
Once again David Macaulay describes and illustrates the construction of a traditional structure, this time a fictional mosque (but similar to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul). An introduction, a map, and a glossary aid the reader in following the text.
| Author: Macaulay, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Mud City
Shauzia, with her dog, has fled Afghanistan and survives on the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan, and in a refugee camp. This is the second part of a trilogy.
| Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Native Americans
Rather than focus on individual tribes, the editors chose to organize the text and illustrations by cultural topics such as dress, transportation, rituals, and livelihood. Information boxes augment the brief text, giving the appearance of an intermediate
| Author: Thomas, David & Pendleton, Lorann (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa
Shonto Begay's artwork has been celebrated throughout the southwestern U.S. for decades. Twenty of his paintings are the illustrations for this book. Each painting is accompanied by a poem.
O Jerusalem
This book is a tribute to Jerusalem in honor of its 3000th year. Each poem is accompanied by a wonderful illustration and a paragraph of information about the history or traditions of Jerusalem.
On the Wings of Peace
This is a collection of illustrations and various types of text, all provided by noted authors and illustrators, that focus on issues related to peace. Many cultures are represented among characters and in illustrations.
| Author: Hamanaka, Sheila (comp.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Out of the Dump: Writings and Photogrpahs by Children from Guatemala
Approximately 1500 people, most children, live in a dump at the center of Guatemala City. In 1991 Nancy McGirr began a photography project with about 2 dozen children. She provided cameras; the children photographed their world. In 1993 Kris Franklin bega
| Author: Franklin, Kristine, & McGirr, Nancy (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Persepolis 2
This graphic novel sequel to Persepolis, depicts the author's rebellious adolescence and early adulthood among dissident outsider friends in Vienna and her voluntary return to her family in fundamentalist Tehran. Readers should be cautioned about referen
| Author: Satrapi, Marjane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Persepolis I: The Story of a Childhood
In this first of two volumes about the author's life, Satrapi tells of her childhood and coming of age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran/Iraq war.
| Author: Satrapi, Marjane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Right Here on This Spot
Very easy text and beautiful illustrations chronicle changes in one farmer's field over the centuries.
| Author: Addy, Sharon Hart |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rio Grande Stories
In Albuquerque, 7th grade students decide to write a book on their diverse heritage to raise money for the school. As they research traditions and family stories, they learn unexpected things about themselves. Chapters alternate between stories about th
Roots and Blues
Adoff uses a shaped speech style to create images of the birth of jazz and its rhythms of life in the South from ancestral drumbeats to sounds of everyday life and work.The unique poetry prances across the page making it as unique as the American form of
| Author: Adoff, Arnold |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sacred River
Beautiful illustrations and minimal text introduce the reader to the colorful riverfront scene in the Hindu pilgrimage center known as Benares or Varanasi, India.
| Author: Levin, Ted |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Salt: A Story of Friendship in Time of War
Set in the Indiana Territory, this story of two friends - Anikwa, a Miami Indian and James, the son of a white trader become friends despite the conflict of their heritage. This book is uniquely crafted in two style of poetic verse. Salt plays a symbolic
| Author: Frost, Helen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Selvakumar Knew Better
Based on a true story, the book tells of a dog named Selvakumar who saved a South Indian boy from drowning during the tsunami of 2004.
| Author: Kroll, Virginia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Silent Music
A young boy in present-day Baghdad learns Arabic calligraphy to distract him from the bombing of his city. The gorgeous illustrations invite the reader to learn to write the Arabic words for "war" and "peace." An author's note gives the historical backg
| Author: Rumford, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sioux, The
This book is part of the "Lifeway Series," which also includes titles called The Cherokee, The Iroquois, and The Navajo. This title examines the origins, history, culture, beliefs, and language of the Native American tribe the S
| Author: Bial, Raymond |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
So Far From the Sea
A Japanese American visits Manazar, a Japanese relocation camp in World War II, to visit the grave of a grandfather.
| Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sold
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
| Author: McCormick, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Song of Be
When Be was a child, she and her mother left their people--the Namibian Bushmen--to work on a white man's plantation. Spending time with her grandfather helps her forget how much she misses others. With Namibia on the verge of freedom, Be finds the cour
| Author: Beake, Lesley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Song of Hiawatha, The
Excerpts from the long poem have been selected to tell the story of Hiawatha. Detailed illustrations accompany each excerpt.
| Author: Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet
A collection of 49 poems, these vignettes of Appalachian life are funny, sad, moving, and silly. Not all of them are of great quality; teachers may want to pick and choose among them. The poem (on pg. 50) on abuse is powerful and likely to provoke good
| Author: Carson, Jo |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tai Chi Morning: Snapshots of China
The travel journal and poems of the author and the travel sketches of the illustrator combine to depict China a decade ago.
Talking With Adventurers
Several National Geographic scientists/explorers are interviewed in a Q & A format. What makes the book such an interesting read is how they see themselves and their work. The book offers maps, fabulous photographs, and contact information for particip
| Author: Cummings, Pat and Linda, (compilers) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Tea With Milk
May (the author's mother) is learning American ways when her family moves back to Japan. When her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a husband, May moves to Osaka, begins a career, and finds her own happiness.
They Sought A New World
Through Kurelek's art and Margaret Englehart's additional text, this book tells the story of European immigrants to North America. In addition to describing issues like finding work and shelter, aspects of culture -- religion, maintaining cultural tradit
| Author: Kurelek, William |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
This Our Dark Country: The American Settlers of Liberia
This is a history of Liberia which was established on the west coast of Africa in 1822 as a haven for free African Americans. Some U.S. history is also included as background context. End matter includes photos, maps, endnotes, bibliography, and index. Th
| Author: Reef, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tibet Through the Red Box
The author-illustrator returns to his father's home as an adult to learn the contents of a mysterious red box that his father had brought back from Tibet years before. The past is revealed through a diary, memories, and extraordinary illustrations.
To Every Thing There Is a Season
The extraordinarily beautiful art from different cultural and historic periods illustrates a Bible passage from Ecclesiastes. An end section describes the historical/geographical information about the art work.
| Author: Dillon, Leo and Dianne |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Voices of the Heart
The author-illustrator creates stunning collages of Chinese characters and the Western symbol for the heart. The text reflects on the wisdom expressed by the components of the ideogram.
| Author: Young, Ed |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
When I Was Young in the Mountains
The narrator remembers various aspects and details of growing up in a mountain community.
Who Was First? Discovering the Americas
This book is the story of the many groups of people who discovered America before Columbus. The book is thoroughly researched and documented showing the contributions of the many people who inhabited America well before Columbus. The book includes bibliog
| Author: Freedman, Russel |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Who Was First? Discovering the Americas
This book is the story of the many groups of people who discovered America before Columbus. The book is thoroughly researched and documented showing the contributions of the many people who inhabited America well before Columbus. The book includes bibliog
| Author: Freedman, Russel |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Social Studies > anthropology > cultures > cultural attitudes
At Her Majesty's Request
Queen Victoria oversees the education and upbringing of an African princess after she was rescued from execution by a ship captain who brought her to England.
| Author: Myers, Walter Den |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Baboon King, The
Set in Africa, this powerful book explores the themes of the importance of community through the exile of Morengaru from his tribe and survival, not against but with nature, in his life with a group of baboons.
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
| Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
| Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Coal Miner's Bride, A: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska
In journal format, the life of a thirteen year old girl in 1896 comes to life. Anetra Kaminska is sold to an older widower of three children in a mining town, for the price of her and her brother's tickets from Poland to America. Her life is extremely ha
| Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Don Quixote and the Windmills
This retelling of the famous Spanish novel by Cervantes recounts Don Quixote's first adventure as a knight. An Author's Note contributes historical information about Cervantes.
| Author: Kimmel, Eric |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Far Beyond the Garden Gate
Don Brown has written another intriguing book about an extraordinary woman, one who perservered in her desire to explore Tibet never seen by a Western woman. An author's note, a bibliography, and a map extend the possibilities of this beautifully illustr
| Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Girls
The subtitle, A History of Growing Up Female in America, tells it all. The 10 chapters cover history from colonial America to the Millennium. A good index and Selections for Further Reading make this a good reference text. The author selects girls from
| Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
How I Discovered Poetry
Marilyn Nelson describes her childhood in America in the 1950s, as the daughter of an African American Army officer. The poems span from her fourth to fourteenth year and touch aspects of civil rights, "Red Scare," atom bomb and the stirrings of the femin
| Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
I, Columbus: My Journal, 1492-3
This handsome 57-page book, illustrated with watercolors, is taken directly from Columbus' diary. The book records his voyage and his adventures, and begins and ends with short accounts of historical information. It may not be appropriate for low level
| Author: Roop, Peter & Roop, Connie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | math
|
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
This coming-of-age novel is a Newbery Honor Book. It tells the story of people in Maine in the early 1900s, a friendship between a minister's son and an island girl, and the ways greed and prejudice change all their lives.
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
| Author: Newman, Leslea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Queen Victoria's Bathing Machine
Queen Victoria wants to swim in the ocean but the British way of life is prim and proper and no one should ever see more than a lady's face and hands let alone the queen without all of her clothes. Prince Albert designs a machine that will allow the queen
| Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Separate Is Never Equal
A Spanish family's children are barred from attending the school of their choice in California. They fight the ruling in court and win the past practice of segregation based on ethnicity.
| Author: Tonatiuh, Duncan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Snake Pits, Talking Cures, and Magic Bullets: A History of Mental Illness
This is a roughly chronological history of thinking about and treatment for persons with mental illness. Boxed text throughout focuses on special issues. End material offers many opportunities for follow-up.
| Author: Kent, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Step Toward Heaven, A
When Young Ju emigrates with her immediate family to America from Korea, she misses her grandparents. As she grows older, she finds a refuge from her father's physical abuse in school achievement. The author mimics the style of narration with the age of
Twelfth Night
This is a narrative retelling of Shakespeare's play. Many of the famous lines are embedded in the narrative.
| Author: Shakespeare, William (retold B. Coville) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Social Studies > anthropology > cultures > cultural conflict
American Plague, An
Subtitled "The True and Terifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793," this account focuses on the 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia but also addresses the politics of medical research. It won several awards.
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Code Talkers
After attending a white boarding school where his Navajo language and culture were belittled and punished, Ned Begay served as a code talker with the US Marines during operations in the Pacific during World War II. The narrator tells his story to his gra
| Author: Bruchac, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Facing the Lion
Enhanced by a few, vivid color photos, this memoir recounts the Maasi childhood and first encounters with European and American culture of an American teacher who spends part of each year working in Kenya. An afterword brings the reader up to date with L
| Author: Lekuton, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gleam and Glow
The story of a family who fled from the Bosnian-Serb forces to a refugee camp in 1990. When they returned to their home in 1995 they found everything destroyed except 2 pet fish.
| Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gleam and Glow
The story of a family who fled from the Bosnian-Serb forces to a refugee camp in 1990. When they returned to their home in 1995 they found everything destroyed except 2 pet fish.
| Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Indian School
Subtitled "Teaching the White Man's Way," this book chronicles efforts to "civilize" Native American children and youth in the late 19th and early 20th century. Archival photographs, an index, a reading list, a bibliography, and a list of web sites comple
| Author: Cooper, Michael L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
It Is a Good Day to Die
A brief introduction explains why the account of Custer's battle at Little Bighorn is told through individual recollections long after the encounter. In addition to the personal accounts, the book includes a helpful chronology of events, short biographie
| Author: Viola, Herman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Light in the Forest, The
At 15, true son John Butler is returned to his biological white family by his Native American adoptive father. After he escapes with his friend and rescuer Halt Arrow, he is caught between two families and two cultures.
| Author: Richter, Conrad |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Light Shining through the Mist
Lush color photographs and text tell the story of how Dian Fossey studied the gorillas in Africa and died trying to protect them and their habitat during a time of political unrest.
| Author: Matthews, Tom |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Long Walk to Water, A
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva D
| Author: Park, Linda Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Me, All Alone, at the End of the World
A boy enjoys living quietly by himself at the End of the World until Constantine Shimmer arrives and begins to "improve" the area with an inn and amusement park, demanding that tourists come and have "fun without end.
| Author: Anderson, M.T. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Memories of Sun
This is a collection of modern day short stories and poems about Africa. It has three divisions: 1) Africa 2) Americans in Africa 3) Africans in America. Although most of the 12 stories are engaging, teachers will want to read beforehand since some may
| Author: Kurtz, Jane (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Native Americans
Rather than focus on individual tribes, the editors chose to organize the text and illustrations by cultural topics such as dress, transportation, rituals, and livelihood. Information boxes augment the brief text, giving the appearance of an intermediate
| Author: Thomas, David & Pendleton, Lorann (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Romeo and Juliet, (The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of)
This lively, clear, prose retelling of
Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet follows the original story very closely.
| Author: Shakespeare, William |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Salt: A Story of Friendship in Time of War
Set in the Indiana Territory, this story of two friends - Anikwa, a Miami Indian and James, the son of a white trader become friends despite the conflict of their heritage. This book is uniquely crafted in two style of poetic verse. Salt plays a symbolic
| Author: Frost, Helen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Shin-chi's Canoe
Shin-chi's toy canoe, given to him by his father, sustains him during his first year at an Indian residential school. This story occurs when Native Americans were forced to attend Indian residential schools where they were made to learn the white man's w
| Author: Campbell, Nicola I. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Walking the Choctaw Road
A collection of twelve stories from the Mississippi and Oklahoma branches of the Choctaw People, including traditional lore arising from beliefs and myths, historical tales pased down through generations, and personal stories of contemporary life.
| Author: Tingle, Tim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Social Studies > anthropology > cultures > cultural customs
Androcles and the Lion
This book retells the fable of Androcles, a runaway Roman slave, who befriends a wounded lion.
| Author: Nolan, Dennis |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds
The author and the illustrator, both from Appalachia, lovingly remember the people, the customs, and the dogs.
Arrival, The
An amazing and complex immigration story told in a wordless format. Once you start "reading", it's hard to stop - each picture draws you to the next.
| Author: Tan, Shaun |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Arrival, The
An amazing and complex immigration story told in a wordless format. Once you start "reading", it's hard to stop - each picture draws you to the next.
| Author: Tan, Shaun |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Barrio
Photographs present the life of Jose and his family who live in a barrio or Hispanic neighborhood in San Francisco. A glossary contains Spanish words used in the story. One reviewer felt that the glorification/simplification of the issues addressed may m
| Author: Ancona, George |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bells of Christmas, The
This long picture book may be read slowly, although it is not broken into chapters. It is a reminiscence of an African-American family's celebration of Christmas in the 1890s and is set in the farmlands of Ohio.
| Author: Hamilton, Virginia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Circle Unbroken
A young girl learns the tradition of making sweet grass baskets.
| Author: Raven, Margot |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts
"Drawing on extensive historical and anthropological research, personal accounts, and interviews of people who work in the funeral industry, Penny Colman examines... death and burial across cultures and societies" (dust jacket). Appendices include a chron
| Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Dragon New Year, The
A beautifully illustrated, imaginative tale about why the Chinese celebrate New Year with firecrackers. A bereaved mother is helped by Buddah to thwart the New Year dragon. The author includes the background information for his created myth.
Facing the Lion
Enhanced by a few, vivid color photos, this memoir recounts the Maasi childhood and first encounters with European and American culture of an American teacher who spends part of each year working in Kenya. An afterword brings the reader up to date with L
| Author: Lekuton, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Girls
The subtitle, A History of Growing Up Female in America, tells it all. The 10 chapters cover history from colonial America to the Millennium. A good index and Selections for Further Reading make this a good reference text. The author selects girls from
| Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
science
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Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
This Newberry Award winner gives voice to residents of a medieval English village circa 1255. Poems in monologue form interspersed with explanatory passages bring the village to life. The book includes a map locating the characters in the village and an
| Author: Schlitz, Laura Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Home of the Brave
An African refuge lives with his aunt and cousin in Minneapolis. He has problems adjusting and misses his mother (no one knows where she is). He finds comfort in an older lady and her cow whose name means family in his native language.
| Author: Applegate, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
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In the Days of the Vaqueros
Russell Freedman has created another interesting non-fiction book, this time on the vaqueros, who were the forerunners of cowboys. As usual, the author illustrates his essays with paintings, archival photographs and includes useful resources in a bibliog
| Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Irene Jennie and the Christmas Masquerade
Irene Jennie is missing her parents as Christmas Day approaches in the slave quarters. The wild parade known as the Johnkankus diverts her loneliness and brings her a surprise.
| Author: Smalls, Irene |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Kente Colors
A simple text and vibrant illustrations, which are organized by color, depict the customs of the Ashanti people in Central West Africa who wear Kente cloth for special occasions.
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The
This book is a wonderfully retold version of the classic story by Washington Irving. The illustrations contribute to the mysterious mood.
| Author: Irving, Washington |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
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Lights on the River
A migrant girl keeps memories of her grandma close as she deals with hard times in the United States. Her voice is strong, and the illustrations are stunning.
| Author: Thomas, Jane Resh |
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Mei Ling in China City
Twelve year old Mei Ling Lee helps her parents during the Moon Festival celebration and raises money for Chinese women and children refugees in 1942. She also has a friend whose family was relocated to Manzanar War Relocation Center because she is Japanes
| Author: Smith, Icy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Mei Ling in China City
Twelve year old Mei Ling Lee helps her parents during the Moon Festival celebration and raises money for Chinese women and children refugees in 1942. She also has a friend whose family was relocated to Manzanar War Relocation Center because she is Japanes
| Author: Smith, Icy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Native Americans
Rather than focus on individual tribes, the editors chose to organize the text and illustrations by cultural topics such as dress, transportation, rituals, and livelihood. Information boxes augment the brief text, giving the appearance of an intermediate
| Author: Thomas, David & Pendleton, Lorann (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Nickommoh! A Thanksgiving Celebration
The Native American harvest celebration, Nickommah, is described in simple text accompanied by interesting illustrations. Other information about Native American culture is also shared; a glossary of Native American terms concludes the book.
| Author: Koller, Jackie French |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Princess Ka'iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People
This is a fascinating biography of Ka'iulani, Crown Princess of Hawaii. The history of Hawaii is also chronicled, as is a bit about life in the US and Europe in the late 19th century. Authentic photographs and political cartoons, a bibliography, and index
| Author: Linnea, Sharon |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Razia's Ray of Hope
This is a fictional story about the a young girl in Afghanistan who wants to attend school and the building of the first school for girls in that country.Tolerance and determination are key themes.
| Author: Suneby, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
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Ruby's Wish
The author tells the story of her Chinese grandmother, Ruby, who yearned for learning and the opportunity to attend the university, which was against custom.
| Author: Bridges, Shirin Yim |
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Sacred River
Beautiful illustrations and minimal text introduce the reader to the colorful riverfront scene in the Hindu pilgrimage center known as Benares or Varanasi, India.
| Author: Levin, Ted |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Second Mrs. Gioconda
In this fictionalized story of real people, Salai, servant of Leonardo da Vinci, tells how the painting of Mrs. Gioconda known as the Mona Lisa came to be painted.
| Author: Konigsburg, E. L. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Street Through Time, A
From the Stone Age to the Modern Age, the same location is depicted on double-page layouts filled with cultural details and daily activities. Endmatter includes a time-traveling quiz and a glossary. The illustrations are visually very busy.
| Author: Millard, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Waiting for the Owl's Call
This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
| Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Waiting for the Owl's Call
This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
| Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Way to Start the Day, The
This is a hard book to categorize. The simple text is written like blank verse. The content is basically true. The text focuses on how people around the world celebrate or acknowledge the sunrise.
| Author: Baylor, Bryd |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Wild Boy, The
The author tells a very sympathetic account of the wild child of Aveyron, France, who was captured and studied in the early 1800's. Dr. Itard and his housekeeper become the family of this boy who never acquired all the traits of a "civilized" person.
| Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
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Written in Bones
This thoroughly researched book explores human history through the study of bones. Maps, photographs, and archival materials illustrate the text. The text is complex and the print small.
| Author: Bahn, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
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