Geography
Geography > locations
Animals in Flight
This is an excellent science picture book on flight of winged creatures with information about flying, wing structure, mobility, sizes, and shapes. The book layout allows easy reading with large print and facts isolated in different sections for clari
| Author: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
Begins with a prologue in which the authors each address their research process on this topic. A detailed history of sugar and the effects of its production on the world. Sugar cane drove the Atlantic slave which is explained in this book using songs, or
| Author: Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | science
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions
Bonyo Bonyo: The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya
Story of how a Kenyan boy sets a goal of becoming a doctor after his baby sister dies. He succeeds and is now a physician in Akron Ohio.
| Author: Oelschlager, Vanita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies | science
|
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
|
My Favorite Animal Families
Vivid photographs with short, approachable passages featuring basic facts about a variety of wildlife. Primarily focuses on mammals and their reproductive cycles, diet, and social behavior.This book highlights 14 animals that live in family groups.
| Author: Wilson, David |
HSE Descriptors:
science | language arts - reading
|
Night Rainbow, The
Simple poetic verse describes the Aurora borealis or northern lights from the perspective of legends of several cultures.
| Author: Esbensen, Barbara Juster |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Africa
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
|
Ajeemah and His Son
This very powerful, short chapter book (83 pages) is set first in Africa, then on a slave ship, and then in Jamaica where Ajeemah and his son are taken. It tells the story of a father and son who are captured outside of their village and torn from their
| Author: Berry, James |
HSE Descriptors:
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 |
|
Brothers In Hope
The author, who worked with the International Rescue Committee, tells the story of the "lost boys" of Sudan, orphaned by war, who walked to refuge in Ethiopia, and later to Kenya. The first person narrative and vibrant illustrations add immediacy to the
| Author: Williams, Mary |
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
|
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
|
Mandela
This picture book biography tells Nelson Mandela's story, from his childhood to his imprisonment and ultimate freedom.
| Author: Cooper, Floyd |
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
|
Now Sheba Sings the Song
This book consists of one long poem and dozens of sketches of African-American women. It is a sensuous book that celebrates the sexuality, the history, and the strength of Black women.
Safari
Bateman, a famous nature artist, creates a pictorial safari of African wildlife. The text offers detailed, interesting lore and the information boxes contain facts about habitat, height, weight, food, and range. The photograph-like paintings engage the
| Author: Bateman, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
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
|
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
|
Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story From Africa
The true story of how Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan educated in the USA, started a movement to replant trees in Kenya, one seedling at a time. Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize for replenishing of the forests in her country.
| Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Africa > African village life
Angels of Mercy
This book is about the army nurses of WW II. Chapters about WW II in general, about nurses in Europe, and about nurses in the Pacific are loosely connected. Some text recounts important events of the war; other portions tell more personal recollections. I
| Author: Kuhn, Betsy |
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.
Chanda's Secrets
Sixteen-year-old Chanda, who lives in a fictional sub-Saharan
country that is feeling the impact of HIV/AIDS psychologically(fears, lies, and sundered relationships)and socially (ostracism of tainted people, necessity of hiding), takes a courageous stand
| Author: Stratton, Allan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Long Way Gone, A: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
The story of a Sierra Leonian boy who at age 12 was recruited and forced into being a gun toting, drug crazed soldier and then learned how to live with what he had done after going through a UNICEF rehabilitation program.
| Author: Beah, Ishmael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mansa Musa
A beautifully illustrated story of the quest for identity of a descendent of Sundiata, the famous king of Mali in Central Africa. The author's note describes her research and lists resources. The Dillons provide ethnic design motifs,an historical map, a
| Author: Burns, Khephra |
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
|
Talk, Talk
This Ashanti legend tells of the day when all the animate objects--animals, yams, stones, and dogs--began to talk and frighten the villagers.
| Author: Chocolate, Deborah |
|
Uncommon Traveler
Mary Kingsley, who grew up in Victorian England, isolated, without formal education but with her Father's library, made trips to explore West Africa, where she accomplished many firsts and survived many adventures. The beautiful watercolor illustrations,
| Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Antarctica
Antarctic Journal: Four Months at the Bottom of the World
Interesting collection of letters, journal entries, and sketches from the author during her stay in Antarctica from November 12 to March 12. Science facts are included but this is not a science book.
| Author: Dewey, Jennifer Owings |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Antarctica: Journeys to the South Pole
This non-fiction, photographic picture book tells the history of the Antarctic. The pictures are all accompanied by true stories of heroism and adventure.
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing | language arts - reading
|
Black Whiteness
During the several months Admiral Richard Byrd spent alone in Antarctica in 1934, he nearly dies of carbon monoxide poisoning before he is rescued. The poetic language, line lengths, and diary excerpts give an intensity and truthfulness to the story.
| Author: Burleigh, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
My Season with Penguins
The author, a writer, scientist, and artist, keeps a journal and pictorial record of two months she spent studying the adelie penguins in Antarctica. The illustrations are factual and charming. A map and glossary aid the reader.
| Author: Webb, Sophie |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
On an expedition to cross Antarctica, Ernest Shackleton and his crew lost their ship in the ice flow. Shackleton and five others left in small boats to get help. This is a higher reading level version of Spirit of Endurance by the same author.
| Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Spirit of Endurance
The book employs maps, archival photographs, blueprints, and paintings to tell the exciting story of Ernest Shackleton's rescue of his men on his expedition in Antarctica when their boat, The Endurance, was destroyed in an ice floe. The author includes a
| Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Trial By Ice
Illustrated by archival photographs, this biography recounts the life and expeditions of Ernest Shackleton in his attempts to reach the South Pole (he never did). He is nonetheless revered for his leadership, optimism, and courage. Teachers will find th
| Author: Kostyal, K. M. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Arctic
Over the Top of the World
The main text is a diary of explorer Will Steger's expedition (1994) from Russia to Canada by way of the North Pole. Pictures from the expedition accompany the text, and sidebars provide additional information about the Arctic.
| Author: Steger, Will |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Welcome to the Ice House
The author uses very poetic language to describe the natural life that exists during the long winter and brief summer of the Arctic.
| Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Asia
Angels of Mercy
This book is about the army nurses of WW II. Chapters about WW II in general, about nurses in Europe, and about nurses in the Pacific are loosely connected. Some text recounts important events of the war; other portions tell more personal recollections. I
| Author: Kuhn, Betsy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
| Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
| Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Cloudmakers, The
In A.D. 751 during a time of war, a Chinese grandfather and grandson have 7 days to prove that they can "make clouds" or risk being sold into slavery. The result is Chinese paper, which earns them their freedom and marks a turning point in human history.
| Author: Rumford, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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
|
Roses in My Carpet, The
This story of a young refugee boy from Afghanistan was inspired by a real child. The boy lives in a refugee camp and weaves rugs.
| Author: Khan, Rukhsana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Royal Bee, The
A poor boy from Korea desperately wants an education. He listens outside the school door for awhile and is eventually allowed to attend school to prepare for The Royal Bee, a national test of students' knowledge.
| Author: Park, Frances, & Park, Ginger |
|
shadow spinner
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| Author: fletcher, susan |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts
|
Silk Route, The
Here is a pictorial and textual journey along the legendary trade route from China to Byzantium in 700 A.D. as silk and other commodities change hands many times. Maps and a reference section provide extended uses of the book.
| Author: Major, John |
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 the Top: The Story of Everest
This book recounts the history of 20th Century human attemps to climb Mt Everest, including a gripping first person account by the author. Photographs from the Royal Geographical Society, route maps, a glossary and an index are included. Several pages ar
| Author: Venables, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Australia
Angels of Mercy
This book is about the army nurses of WW II. Chapters about WW II in general, about nurses in Europe, and about nurses in the Pacific are loosely connected. Some text recounts important events of the war; other portions tell more personal recollections. I
| Author: Kuhn, Betsy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hip-Pocket Papa
The story of an Australian male frog, the size of a thumbnail, who has special pouches to carry his tadpoles until they mature. This little papa is entrusted with the responsibility to nurture and care for his children as they grow from tadpoles to young
| Author: Markle, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
|
My Place
This award-winning Australian picture book shows life in one specific spot in Australia, while moving backward in time (two pages for each depiction). It begins in 1988 with a child describing her community and her pet, and each subsequent set of pages m
| Author: Wheatley, Nadia & Rawlins, Donna |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pocket Babies And Other Amazing Marsupials
A fascinating introduction to the many kinds of marsupials, or animals who carry their young in pouches, in North America and Australia. Author includes a glossary, index, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading.
| Author: Collard, Sneed B. III |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Pocket Babies And Other Amazing Marsupials
A fascinating introduction to the many kinds of marsupials, or animals who carry their young in pouches, in North America and Australia. Author includes a glossary, index, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading.
| Author: Collard, Sneed B. III |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Wolf on the Fold
Six linked storeis follow an Australian family from 1935 to 2002 as different generations cope with discord and violence. The use of flashbacks may cause some readers difficulty.
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Canada
Boy of the Deeps
On his first day in the coal mines, a boy with his father survive an accident.
| Author: Wallace, Ian |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Heard the Owl Call my Name
Although this book is not universally appealing, some readers respond emotionally and deeply to this story of a young priest's year with the Native American people of British Columbia, his illness, and his acceptance of his fate. The book does not provid
Islander, The
An orphaned boy, who grows up with his grandfather on an island off the coast of British Columbia, finds a key-literally--that helps him overcome his loneliness and loss.
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
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Central America
Grab Hands and Run
Based on a true story, this 165-page book tells of twelve-year-old Felipe, his sister, and his mother as they flee El Salvador when his father disappears. The family escapes, hides, and runs until, caught, they are finally placed in a new home in Canada.
| Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Song of the Chirimia
This story includes both the English and the Spanish text on each page. It begins with a map and a note about the ancient Mayans. In this tale, the king wants to find the right husband for his daughter. The illustrations are colorful and folk baroque i
| Author: Volkmer, Jane Ann |
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Eastern Europe
Contest, The
This adaptation of an Armenian folktale tells of two robbers who discover that they are engaged to the same young woman and decide to hold a contest with her as the prize. (Caldecott Honor Book)
Golem
Illustrated with beautiful cut-paper collages, the author/illustrator retells the legend of the Golem (a man created from clay), who saves the Jews of 16th Century Prague from persecution. A lengthy endnote recounts the history of the Golem and the perse
| Author: Wisniewski, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Streets of Gold
This story of a Russian family's life in Russia and then in the U.S. is based on an actual immigrant's journals.
| Author: Wells, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wall, The: Growing up behind the iron curtain
Author-illustrator Peter Sis documents his growing up in Czechoslovakia behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, using extraordinary drawings in black, white, and red that precede two-page spreads of journal entries. Because the running text at the b
| Author: Sis, Peter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Europe
Angels of Mercy
This book is about the army nurses of WW II. Chapters about WW II in general, about nurses in Europe, and about nurses in the Pacific are loosely connected. Some text recounts important events of the war; other portions tell more personal recollections. I
| Author: Kuhn, Betsy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anno's Journey
Anno arrives by small boat, bargains for a horse, and begins a journey across Europe that crosses countries and merges past with present. The reader sees quiet villages, working farms, towering castles, and bustling cities. This world is populated with
Clara Schumann
This biography chronicles the life of Clara Schumann, child prodigy and wife of composer Robert Schumann and mother of eight children. The book is illustrated with portraits and diary excerpts. A preface, an epilogue, a timeline, and an index make the b
| Author: Reich, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Darkness over Denmark
Written in the form of snippets of interviews, this book tells the stories of the Danish Resistance and the rescue of Jews in WW II. This is an important and inspiring story, which may be unknown to many.
| Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Last Giants, The
During the days of sailing ships a European gentleman buys a mysterious tooth with a map on it which takes him on a long adventure to a land of peaceful giants. When he writes a book about his travels, tragic events occur. The illustrations are reminisc
| Author: Place, Francois |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mind's Eye
This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
| Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Grandmother's Journey
The narrator tells the story of the grandmother's life and of the many wars and troubles she experienced in Eastern Europe, until she came to the U.S.
| Author: Cech, John |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
October 45
Subtitled "Childhood Memories of the War," this book tells the author's observations of life from September, 1939, when France and England enter the war against Germany, through October, 1945, when Besson goes back to school in peace for the first time.
| Author: Besson, Jean Louis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wake Up Our Souls
Well-written biographies and stunning reproductions of the work of approximately 30 African American artists introduce us to painters, photographers, and mixed-media artists born between 1830 and the present. The design makes the book beautiful and the e
| Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Latin America
Caribbean Dozen: Poems from Caribbean Poets, A
This book includes many short poems, some childish and some more complex, written by contemporary Caribbean poets. It also includes fascinating biographies on each author.
| Author: Agard, John & Nichols, Grace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Gold Coin, The
A thief follows an old woman and learns a lesson about giving.
Grab Hands and Run
Based on a true story, this 165-page book tells of twelve-year-old Felipe, his sister, and his mother as they flee El Salvador when his father disappears. The family escapes, hides, and runs until, caught, they are finally placed in a new home in Canada.
| Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Picture Book of Simon Bolivar, A
Adler describes Simon Bolivar's life and character, showing how his courage and dedication enabled him to achieve his goal: to liberate his native Venezuela from Spain.
| Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Song of the Chirimia
This story includes both the English and the Spanish text on each page. It begins with a map and a note about the ancient Mayans. In this tale, the king wants to find the right husband for his daughter. The illustrations are colorful and folk baroque i
| Author: Volkmer, Jane Ann |
|
Taste of Salt
This gripping novel tells the story of two teenagers in Haiti, Djo, one of Aristides' orphaned boys who is hospitalized with terrible injuries, and Jeremie, a convent-educated girl who visits Djo to hear his stories and who begins to fall in love with him
Tonight, By Sea
A Haitian girl, Paulie, joins with her village to secretly build and launch a boat and escape to Miami. The book is full of dialect and may be too difficult for some readers, but the subject matter and compelling story make it good reading.
| Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Middle East
Appointment
This lavishly illustrated book is a distillation of the classic Somerset Maugham novella Appointment in Samarra. Not until the very end do we realize that the important appointment that the man must keep is an appointment with death. The illust
| Author: Maugham, Somerset |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
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
|
Lugalbanda
This retelling of the oldest recorded story ever found from Sumer (now Iraq) recounts the journey of a young prince as he crosses the mountains to join a war and find his brothers, overcoming obstacles on his way. The book includes interesting historical
| Author: Henderson, Kathy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
Travels of Benjamin of Tudela, The
In 1159, Benjamin Tudela, a Jew, left Tudela, Spain, set off to see Jerusalem and as many places mentioned in the Bible as possible. Fourteen years later he returned to tell of his travels. The author extensively researched the period to fill in details
| Author: Shulevitz, Uri |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Middle East > Jerusalem
Saladin
This beautifully illustrated biography of the revered Islamic hero, Saladin, provides a balanced view of the Crusades. The book includes a map, historical context, a postscript of history post-Saladin, a glossary, and a bibliography.
| Author: Stanley, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Travels of Benjamin of Tudela, The
In 1159, Benjamin Tudela, a Jew, left Tudela, Spain, set off to see Jerusalem and as many places mentioned in the Bible as possible. Fourteen years later he returned to tell of his travels. The author extensively researched the period to fill in details
| Author: Shulevitz, Uri |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > Netherlands
Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
This nonfiction reference book is filled with photographs and details about Anne Frank, her family, and the world in which she lived.
| Author: Verhoeven, Rian & van der Rol, Ruud |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Kinderdike
In this dramatically illustrated book, a Dutch town is flooded and mostly destroyed, although one child in a cradle and a cat are found after the flood waters recede. Together people work to rebuild and name the town Kinderdike (kinder=child in Dutch).
| Author: Fisher, Leonard Everett |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rescued Images
The author contributes a moving and strikingly illustrated memoir of her experience of being a "hidden child" in Holland during World War II and its far-reaching effect.
| Author: Jacobsen, Ruth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > North America
Flight of the Snow Geese, The
The 3,000 mile migration of the snow goose from the Artic to New Mexico is told with the aid of rhythm, meter, and beautiful watercolor illustrations.
| Author: King, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Journeys in Time
The authors and illustrator have created a story atlas of American history from the Ashinabe tribe to Viet Nam in which each double-page spread includes a narrative about an historical event, maps with numbered events, and fact boxes. Additional endnotes
| Author: Leacock, Elspeth & Buckley, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Places in Time
This story atlas describes on facing pages activities at a particular place and time in U.S. history, e.g. Fort Laramie during the westward expansion on the Oregon Trail in 1849. Included are community and building diagrams with numbered points of intere
| Author: Leacock, Elspeth & Buckley, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
River of Dreams
This beautiful book is a tribute to the Hudson River and its strategic, economic and cultural significance throughout history.
| Author: Talbot, Hudson |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
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
|
Geography > locations > continents/regions > South America
Picture Book of Simon Bolivar, A
Adler describes Simon Bolivar's life and character, showing how his courage and dedication enabled him to achieve his goal: to liberate his native Venezuela from Spain.
| Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tarantula Scientist, The
This book describes everything you ever wanted to know about tarantula spiders and the scientists who study them. The inviting, conversational style and the vivid color photographs enliven the topic. Teachers will appreciate the end matter resources, in
| Author: Montgomery, Sy |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Trapped:How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert
An in-depth recounting of the collapse of a Chilean copper mine in 2010 that entombed 33 miners for 69 days, their heroic struggle to survive and the efforts of those who saved them. The book is riveting in detail and even inspirational. Book contains ex
| Author: Aronson, Marc |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | science
|
Tree of Life, The
Peter Sis introduces the reader (of almost any age) to the life of Charles Darwin through fascinating illustrations and excerpts from journals and diaries. Sis drew on the notes of Darwin for the illustrations because Darwin noted his observation with la
| Author: Sis, Peter |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Geography > locations > countries
Alia's Mission
This graphic storybook/graphic novel is based on the true story of the chief librarian at the Central Library in Basra, Iraq. It tells the story of how she tried to save the books from destruction during the Iraq War.
| Author: Stamaty, Mark Alan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
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
|
Geography > locations > countries > Caribbean
Caribbean Dozen: Poems from Caribbean Poets, A
This book includes many short poems, some childish and some more complex, written by contemporary Caribbean poets. It also includes fascinating biographies on each author.
| Author: Agard, John & Nichols, Grace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Color of My Words, The
This is an easy-reading novel, part poetry and part prose, about Ana Rosa, a young writer who is growing up poor in a seaside village in the Dominican Republic where she learns about family community, the merengue, and the power of words.
| Author: Joseph, Lynn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Faithful Friend, The
This is a retelling of the traditional tale from the French West Indies in which two friends, Clement and Hippolyte, encounter love, zombies, danger, and adventure on the island of Martinique.
| Author: San Souci, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
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
|
Morning Girl
In alternating chapters, Morning Girl (age 12) and her brother describe life on a Bahamian island in 1492. (Note: this book won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.)
| Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
Begins with a prologue in which the authors each address their research process on this topic. A detailed history of sugar and the effects of its production on the world. Sugar cane drove the Atlantic slave which is explained in this book using songs, or
| Author: Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | science
|
Tonight, By Sea
A Haitian girl, Paulie, joins with her village to secretly build and launch a boat and escape to Miami. The book is full of dialect and may be too difficult for some readers, but the subject matter and compelling story make it good reading.
| Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > China
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
|
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.
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.
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 |
|
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.
To the Top: The Story of Everest
This book recounts the history of 20th Century human attemps to climb Mt Everest, including a gripping first person account by the author. Photographs from the Royal Geographical Society, route maps, a glossary and an index are included. Several pages ar
| Author: Venables, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Geography > locations > countries > Cuba
Surrender Tree, The
Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not free. Acclaimed poet, Margarita Engle has created a lyrical, powerful portrait of Cuba. The main character is a healer who treats anyone in need. Initially a slave, Rosa becomes a free person w
| Author: Engle, Margarita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > countries > Egypt
Aida
The opera diva Leontyne Price retells this classic operatic tale made famous by the 19th century composer Giuseppi Verdi. The princess Aida is captured and forced into slavery by Egyptian soldiers, but she and rival army leader Radames fall in love. The
| Author: Price, Leontyne |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Cleopatra
This lively nonfiction account tells the history and story of the powerful Cleopatra and her companion Mark Antony. The book includes maps and a pronunciation guide and detailed illustrations.
| Author: Stanley, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pyramid
Black and white illustrations accompany this nonfiction account, a process of building an Egyptian pyramid. Some teachers may want to use this as a reference; some students may love poring over the details. The book ends with a glossary.
| Author: Macaulay, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > El Salvador
Grab Hands and Run
Based on a true story, this 165-page book tells of twelve-year-old Felipe, his sister, and his mother as they flee El Salvador when his father disappears. The family escapes, hides, and runs until, caught, they are finally placed in a new home in Canada.
| Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > England
After the War Was Over
In this charming book, Michael Foreman describes growing up in post-World War II England and preparing to be an artist. His text, watercolors, and illustrated memorabilia evoke innocence and pleasure in a world recovering from war.
| Author: Foreman, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Castle
This engaging informational book tells the story of the step-by-step planning and construction of a (fictitious) castle in England in the last part of the 13th century. Eventually the castle is attacked by Welsh soldiers, but it withstands the siege. Th
| Author: Macaulay, David |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
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
|
Midwife's Apprentice, The
This award-winning novel, set in 14th century England, tells the story of Brat/Beetle/Alyce, a "homeless waif who became the midwife's apprentice-a person with a name and a place in the world" (book jacket).
| Author: Cushman, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Sea Clocks
The true story of Englishman John Harrison's life-long struggle to win the Longitude Prize is told in a free-verse format. An author's note and a facts page contribute further information.
| Author: Borden, Louise |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
The author retells this famous tale of one of the knights of King Arthur's famous Roundtable, in which Gawain accepts a challenge of a giant green knight that leads to further trials at the end of one year. Vivid illustrations contribute to the sense of
| Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
War Boy: A Country Childhood
The author describes his childhood in a small coastal town in England, which was often bombed during WW II. He offers technical descriptions of gas masks, bomb shelters, etc., as well as describing the games children played and how they interacted with s
| Author: Foreman, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
War Game
Based on true events, this book tells about a group of boys who go to fight in the trenches of WWI. It describes the incident of one amazing Christmas when all animosities are put aside. The powerful anti-war message is accompanied by charming watercolo
| Author: Foreman, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
William Shakespeare and the Globe
This is the story of William Shakespeare and the rebuilding of The Globe Theatre. This is a good reference book.
| Author: Aliki |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Geography > locations > countries > England > English Channel
Glorious Flight Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, The
Teachers should note that the child's perspective and art might put some adult readers off. However, this retelling of Louis Bleriot's flight across the English Channel broadens Americans' view of Orville and Wilbur Wright.
| Author: Provensen, Alice & Provensen, Martin |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Remember Korea
This collection of poignant and gripping memories of Korean War veterans includes archival photographs, a timeline, and Internet sites.
| Author: Granfield, Linda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Geography > locations > countries > Ethiopia
When I Left My Village
This book tells the story of an Ethiopian Jewish family and their emigration from their violent and oppressed village to Israel.
| Author: Shur, Maxine Rose |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > France
Butterfly, The
During the Nazi occupation of France, Monique discovers that her mother is a member of the Resistance, and that a secret trap door conceals a Jewish family in hiding. Monique and the secret "guest" become nighttime playmates until terror threatens.
| Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Cathedral
This fascinating nonfiction book describes the construction of an imaginary castle in medieval France. The illustrations are black and white and very detailed. The book ends with a glossary.
| Author: Macaulay, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Day That Changed America, A :D-Day June 6, 1944
The story of D-day, the freeing of France from Nazi control. Told through four real men: a paratrooper, a medic, an infantryman, and a fighter pilot. It is illustrate with paintings and also uses actual photos. It gives reality to this historic event.
| Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Day That Changed America, A :D-Day June 6, 1944
The story of D-day, the freeing of France from Nazi control. Told through four real men: a paratrooper, a medic, an infantryman, and a fighter pilot. It is illustrate with paintings and also uses actual photos. It gives reality to this historic event.
| Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
E. E. Cummings
This extensive biography of the American poet and artist, E. E. Cummings, also conveys the history of the times, especially of artistic movements. Drawings, archival photographs, and segments of poems expand the biographical information.
| Author: Reef, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Hidden Child
A survivor of the Holocaust describes with illustrations and text his hiding in France during World War II and his search for his family and friends after the war.
| Author: Millman, Isaac |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Joan of Arc
The author weaves together historical fact and fiction in the story of a modern French girl who idolizes Joan of Arc. An historical map and beautiful illustrations enhance the stories.
| Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Joan of Arc
This beautifully illustrated and researched biography of the French peasant girl who became known as Joan of Arc describes how she led the French against the English in the 100 Year's War. The book includes an historical background of the 100 Year's War,
| Author: Stanley, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Something out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radiation
This is a very readable biography of Marie Curie and her discovery of radiation.
| Author: McClafferty, Carla |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Stolen Smile, The
This somewhat fictionalized account recounts the stealing of Leonardi da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia. End notes provide additional cultural and historical information.
| Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Yellow House, The
During a brief few months of their productive artistic years, the painters Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin shared a yellow house in Arles, in southern France. The book is illustrated with their works of art and the illustrator's researched depiction of
| Author: Rubin, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > countries > France > Paris
Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust, The
Although the authors found little documentary evidence to substantiate the oral stories of how Jews were sheltered in the Grand Mosque and given Arab identity cards during the Nazi occupation of Paris in WW II, they tell an important story with excellent
| Author: Ruelle, Karen Gray |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust, The
Although the authors found little documentary evidence to substantiate the oral stories of how Jews were sheltered in the Grand Mosque and given Arab identity cards during the Nazi occupation of Paris in WW II, they tell an important story with excellent
| Author: Ruelle, Karen Gray |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The
Part fiction, part graphic novel, this winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal tells the story of an orphaned boy who maintains and repairs clocks in a Paris train station and discovers the history of an automaton and its maker. When he meets a mysterious toy
| Author: Selznick, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Well, The
Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
Wreath for Emmett Till, A
Told in a poetic form known as heroic crown sonnets, the thoughtfully illustrated poem causes the reader to experience the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in Mississippi. The author provides an introduction to the poetic form, biographical information
| Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > countries > Germany
Disaster of the Hindenburg, The
The author describes the last flight of the Hindenburg through the eyes of some if the passengers and crew. Included are pictures and diagrams of the great airship.
| Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
| Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
| Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Life and Death of Adolf Hitler, The
The book provides an insightful and well written biography of Adolf Hitler. The book gives an historical prospective of the time in which Hitler lived to add to the understanding of the biography. The book is well written and gives interesting details abo
| Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Luba, the Angel of Bergen-Belsen
This is the story of Luba Tryszynska, a prisoner at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp who hid 52 abandoned Jewish children until the camp was liberated. Front and back matter establish the historical context with a map and a bibliography. An epilogue tel
| Author: McCann, Michelle R. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot
During the occupation of Germany after WW II, a young girl writes a letter to an American airlift pilot who drops chocolates to children. The author includes a biography of Col. Halvorsen, "the chocolate pilot" of the title.
Geography > locations > countries > Greece
Adventures of the Greek Heroes
The simple vocabulary and simple sentence structure of this retelling of several Greek myths makes this a useful text in a multilevel classroom. The black and white illustrations imitate the style of painting on Greek pottery. An introduction and a pron
| Author: McLean, Mollie & Wiseman, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Hero and the Minotaur, The
This retelling of the Greek hero Theseus' journey to the island of Crete to slay the minotaur and his return to become King of Athens is magnificently illustrated in the style and colors that recall Greek pottery designs. Stylized maps decorate the end
| Author: Byrd, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > countries > Guatemala
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
|
Song of the Chirimia
This story includes both the English and the Spanish text on each page. It begins with a map and a note about the ancient Mayans. In this tale, the king wants to find the right husband for his daughter. The illustrations are colorful and folk baroque i
| Author: Volkmer, Jane Ann |
|
Tree Girl
Based on true experiences that were shared with the author, Gabriela, a Guatemalan girl who loves to climb trees, escapes a massacre, eventually reaching a refugee camp where she is reunited with her little sister, both of whom must overcome the trauma an
Geography > locations > countries > Haiti
Taste of Salt
This gripping novel tells the story of two teenagers in Haiti, Djo, one of Aristides' orphaned boys who is hospitalized with terrible injuries, and Jeremie, a convent-educated girl who visits Djo to hear his stories and who begins to fall in love with him
Tonight, By Sea
A Haitian girl, Paulie, joins with her village to secretly build and launch a boat and escape to Miami. The book is full of dialect and may be too difficult for some readers, but the subject matter and compelling story make it good reading.
| Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Toussaint L'Ouverture
The author wrote the biography of Haiti's hero, Toussaint L'Ouverture, who led the fight for liberation from France and Spain, to accompany Jacob Lawrence's paintings.
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Holland
Lily Cupboard, The
A Dutch farm family hides a Jewish girl, who in turn wants to protect a rabbit.
| Author: Oppenheim, Shulamith L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Iceland
Surtsey
This lovely book describes the formation of a new volcanic island. Each chapter begins with the Icelandic story of creation, thus combining literature with science. Beautiful photographs and charts are included.
| Author: Lasky, Kathryn |
HSE Descriptors:
science | language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > countries > India
Mother Teresa
This is a beautifully illustrated biography of the woman who became Mother Teresa.
| Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rich Man and the Parrot, The
This Persian folktale by 13th century poet Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi tells how a merchant provides his talking parrot with everything the parrot could have but not the one thing that the parrot wanted--his freedom.
| Author: Nadimi, Suzan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
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
|
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
|
Geography > locations > countries > Ireland
Amazing Potato, The
A wonderful example of thematic writing, this book about the potato includes everything you want to know--and then some. The photographs, fact boxes, sketches, annotated bibliography, index, and interestingly written text produce a self-contained integra
| Author: Meltzer, Milton |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Black Potatoes
The causes and consequences of the Irish potato famine are examined, using individual portraits and anecdotes. Archival photographs, a map of the counties of Ireland, a bibliography, and a timeline complement the text.
| Author: Bartoletti, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pirate Queen, The
This story, based on historical fact and colorful legend, chronicles the life of Grania O'Malley, an Irish woman who became a sea captain and pirate during the reign of Elizabeth I.
| Author: McCully, Emily A. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Israel
Geography > locations > countries > Israel > Jerusalem
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.
One City, Two Brothers
Wonderfully illustrated retelling of the Jewish and Arabic folktale about the founding of Jerusalem. The tale is story of King Solomon and his attempt to mediate a dispute between two brothers squabbling over an inheritance. Simple, but powerful themes d
| Author: Smith, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Italy
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
|
Bodies from the Ash:Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii
With the help of detailed photographs, the author describes how historical fact is established by excavating and reconstructing the volcanic site of Pompeii.
| Author: Deem, James M. |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Genius of Leonardo, The
Giacomo, a servant of Leonardo da Vinci, recounts the later life of the famous Italian Renaissance painter and inventor. The magnificent illustrations capture sketches, works of art, and daily life and the text includes quotation in italics from the note
| Author: Visconti, Guido |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Michelangelo
Diane Stanley has added to her work another stunningly visual biography filled with details of the painter, sculptor, and poet Michelangelo Buonarroti. The beautiful illustrations refer to famous works and people of the times. The book includes a useful
| Author: Stanley, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Mona Lisa, The
Archival prints, photographs, reproductions, and illustrations introduce the reader to the world and life of Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa.
| Author: Kalz, Jill |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
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
|
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
|
Geography > locations > countries > Jamaica
Ajeemah and His Son
This very powerful, short chapter book (83 pages) is set first in Africa, then on a slave ship, and then in Jamaica where Ajeemah and his son are taken. It tells the story of a father and son who are captured outside of their village and torn from their
| Author: Berry, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Jazz: My Music, My People
This stunningly illustrated book offers short biographies of dozens of musicians, from Leadbelly and Jelly Roll Morton to Lena Horne and Dizzy Gillespie.
To Go Singing Through the World
The childhood of one of Chile's most famous poets is told through a juxtaposition of the author's narrative and Neruda's own words. This beautifully illustrated biography includes excerpts of poems, maps, a time line, and a concise full-life biography.
| Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > countries > Japan
Faithful Elephants: A True Story
During WW II many zoo animals starved, by order of the Army, or had to be killed. The story, set in a Tokyo zoo, shows animals' helplessness in the face of human destruction.
| Author: Tsuchiya, Yukio |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Kamishibai Man
The award-winning author/illustrator introduces the reader to the street storytelling tradition of the "paper-theater man" from his Japanese childhood.
My Hiroshima
This book tells the story of a Japanese survivor of the atomic bomb and offers a perspective on how the "enemy" suffered too.
| Author: Morimoto, Junko |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Shin's Tricycle
This powerful story tells about the effects of the atom bomb on an ordinary Japanese family, especially on the little boy Shin. It ends with an author's note about the Peace Museum.
| Author: Kodama, Tatsuharu |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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.
Tree of Life, The
Peter Sis introduces the reader (of almost any age) to the life of Charles Darwin through fascinating illustrations and excerpts from journals and diaries. Sis drew on the notes of Darwin for the illustrations because Darwin noted his observation with la
| Author: Sis, Peter |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Geography > locations > countries > Korea
I Remember Korea
This collection of poignant and gripping memories of Korean War veterans includes archival photographs, a timeline, and Internet sites.
| Author: Granfield, Linda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Royal Bee, The
A poor boy from Korea desperately wants an education. He listens outside the school door for awhile and is eventually allowed to attend school to prepare for The Royal Bee, a national test of students' knowledge.
| Author: Park, Frances, & Park, Ginger |
|
Geography > locations > countries > Mexico
Diego Bigger Than Life
These short poems tell about the life of the artist Diego Rivera, his various loves, his life as an artist, and his unusual and intense life. It ends with a one paragraph comment by his last wife, Frida Kahlo. Back matter includes a wealth of information
| Author: Bernier-Grand |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Library for Juana, A
This beautifully illustrated imaginative biography (little is known) focuses on the early life of Juana Ramirez de Asbaje, who became the first and one of the greatest Mexican poets known as Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. The author includes a glossary, furt
| Author: Mora, Pat |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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 |
|
Geography > locations > countries > Newfoundland
Ann and Seamus
This story of a real event in 1828 alternates chapters in free verse of the two characters of the title. Ann, a real teenager, wants to experience the world beyond Newfoundland, and Seamus, a fictional Irish immigrant, wants to find fortune and a wife.
| Author: Major, Kevin |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > North Korea
I Remember Korea
This collection of poignant and gripping memories of Korean War veterans includes archival photographs, a timeline, and Internet sites.
| Author: Granfield, Linda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea
This story describes the flight of a young girl from North to South Korea just before the outbreak of the Korean War. The story is told simply with superb illustrations.
| Author: Park, Frances and Park, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Russia
Anastasia's Album
This biography of Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, is told through photos and memorabilia and reveals the mystery behind her death.
| Author: Brewster, Hugh |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Spain
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
|
Maria De Sautuola: The Bulls in the Cave
The scientific world did not accept until 1902 the discovery of prehistoric cave painting in Altamira, Spain, which was discovered by 9-year-old Maria De Sautuola in 1879.
| Author: Fradin, Dennis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Picture Book of Simon Bolivar, A
Adler describes Simon Bolivar's life and character, showing how his courage and dedication enabled him to achieve his goal: to liberate his native Venezuela from Spain.
| Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Tibet
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
|
To the Top: The Story of Everest
This book recounts the history of 20th Century human attemps to climb Mt Everest, including a gripping first person account by the author. Photographs from the Royal Geographical Society, route maps, a glossary and an index are included. Several pages ar
| Author: Venables, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Geography > locations > countries > Turkey
ellington was not a street
The poet lovingly remembers her family's recent history that was filled with stars of the African American firmament. Brief biographies of the people depicted add welcome information.
| Author: Shange, Ntozake |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
My People
Beautiful sepia-tone photographs illustrate Langston Hughes' poem "My People"
| Author: Hughes, Langston |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Venezuela
Picture Book of Simon Bolivar, A
Adler describes Simon Bolivar's life and character, showing how his courage and dedication enabled him to achieve his goal: to liberate his native Venezuela from Spain.
| Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > countries > Vietnam
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
This is an informative account of a child left behind when his American soldier father left Vietnam and his mother died. It traces his journey to America, his adopted family and his eventual return to his homeland to help orphans.
| Author: Warren, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Lotus Seed, The
A young girl tells her grandmother's story of carrying a lotus seed with her from Vietnam, losing it, and then regaining it. The author wants to share "how a family's heritage is passed from one generation to the next and how hope, like the lotus seed, ca
| Author: Garland, Sherry |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Toad is the Uncle of Heaven
Illustrations draw on traditional Vietnamese figures. They may be foreign looking to Americans, but they are not childish.
Tree Girl
Based on true experiences that were shared with the author, Gabriela, a Guatemalan girl who loves to climb trees, escapes a massacre, eventually reaching a refugee camp where she is reunited with her little sister, both of whom must overcome the trauma an
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions
Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure
Alice Ramsey and three other women face floods, mud, and travel without maps as they drive from New York to San Francisco--in 1909. The charming watercolors add realistic humor to the narrative.
| Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Angels in the Dust
A poignant story of a family living in the Dust Bowl trying to make ends meet.
| Author: Raven, Margot Theis |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Backyard Birds
This informational book begins with four pages of data on birds in winter, then provides a one-page entry on many different birds, including a U.S. map of its territory and an illustration for each. The book ends with information on bird food, feeders, a
| Author: Lerner, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
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
|
Scrambled States of America, The
This very amusing book contemplates rearranging the states of the USA. Clever, colorful illustrations extend the humor. The appendix contains reference information about the states--state capitols, population, state slogan, and area.
| Author: Keller, Laurie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
The story of Blanche Leathers, the country's first female steamboat captain, sailing on the Mississippi River.
| Author: Gilliland, Judith Heide |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tour America
The poet chooses to write about 26 favorite locations in the United States, pairing the varied poetic forms with mixed media that reflects the essence of the site. Maps and a list of art works enchance this combination of history, geography, art, and poe
Walt Whitman: Words for America
This biography of Walt Whitman extends our knowledge of the poet, both in his growth as a poet and learning of the experiences that were the source of his poetry. Back matter contains more biographical and historical information, sources, and full poems
| Author: Kerley, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Alabama
Birmingham, 1963
A fictional narrator tells, in poetry, about the day she turned 10, which was also the day of the church bombing in Birmingham
| Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
| Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
| Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Francie
This engaging novel shows a slice of life in small-town Alabama in the 1940s, as told from the perspective of 13-year-old Francie. Francie, her mother, and her brother anxiously await a chance to join her father in Chicago. In the meantime, Francie comes
Ma Dear's Aprons
The life of the author's great grandmother, a single parent who was a domestic worker in Alabama, is celebrated.
| Author: McKissack, Patricia C. |
|
Marching for Freedom
The compelling story of the events in Selma, Alabama that led to the voter rights march to Montgomery in 1965. Interviews with some of the marchers and black and white photographs highlight the struggles of African Americans to get the right to vote.
| Author: Partridge, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Alaska
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.
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
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Appalachia
Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds
The author and the illustrator, both from Appalachia, lovingly remember the people, the customs, and the dogs.
Ballet for Martha
This is the story of the collaboration between Martha Graham and Aaron Copeland that resulted in a famous work of music and a famous ballet. Reveals the work that happens behind the scenes by the choreographer, composer and set developer of a ballet.
| Author: Greenberg, J. & Jordan, S. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Choices
George Ella Lyon, an accomplished writer of children's books, wrote this collection of stories (and its accompanying text, More Choices) specifically for adult new readers; in fact, she conferred with ABE students from Kentucky while creating the
| Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
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) |
|
In Coal Country
Living in a small Ohio mining town, a small girl tells of her family's life in the first part of this century.
| Author: Hendershot, Judith |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Missing May
A twelve-year-old girl named Summer and her uncle are dealing with the death of Aunt May (his wife). They decide, with the help of a strange boy from Summer's school, to try to contact May's spirit, and in the process learn how to let go.
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
|
More Choices: Stories for Adult New Readers
These three stories fit with George Ella Lyon's collection Choices, but were not included in the original collection because some readers found them too controversial. Our readers found them powerful and moving, addressing life situations that m
| Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
More Than Anything Else
Few people around young Booker T. Washington are able to read. But Booker, age 9, finds a chance and takes it. This biography, which also shows life in post-Civil War West Virginia, is full of eloquent language and dramatic, lantern-lit paintings.
| Author: Bradby, Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Great Aunt Arizona
Based on the author's great aunt, Arizona was born in a log cabin. All her life she dreamed of visiting far-away places. She became a teacher and never left the area, but taught several generations of children to share her dreams.
| Author: Houston, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Silver Packages
A man returns to his childhood home in Appalachia to thank the benefactor on the Christmas Train. The story originally appeared in Rylant's book Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season.
Steam, Steel, and Stars
In 1955, the photographer O.W. Link captured the last steam railroad on its last runs in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.
| Author: Link, O. W. and Hensley, F. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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
|
Traveling Cat, The
A young girl takes in a stray cat who stays long enough to have kittens before traveling on.
| Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Up the Tracks to Grandma's
A girl describes her visits to her grandmother's home in a small-town Ohio in the middle 1900s, a time when her widowed grandmother plucked her own chickens, shoveled her own coal, and could not read English.
| Author: Hendershot, Judith |
|
Waiting to Waltz
Reminiscences of life in the small town of Beaver are told as poems from a young girl's point of view.
When I Was Young in the Mountains
The narrator remembers various aspects and details of growing up in a mountain community.
With a Hammer for My Heart
When 15-year-old Lawanda befriends a WW II veteran living in an old school bus, she sets in motion events that will change her life and all those around her. The well-written story unfolds with each chapter telling the story from the point of view of eac
| Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Arkansas
Somewhere In the Darkness
Jimmy, a teenager, lives in the city with Mama Jean. Then he meets Crab, a "man with something to prove. Maybe Crab's not sure what it is; maybe Jimmy's not sure he wants to know. But it may be the last chance Crab has to tell Jimmy who he was, and who
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > California
Angel Island
An historical account of the discrimination against the Asian immigrants in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Angel Island, located near Alcatraz Island, was the Ellis Island of the west coast of the U.S. but was more of a prison than a welcoming center. Drawi
| Author: Russell Freedman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Children of the Dust Bowl
The book recounts the migration of the "Okies" during the Great Depression to the camps in California. School Superintendent Leo Hart began the Weedpatch School where children of the migrants escaped the ostracism of the locals in a model learn-by-doing
| Author: Stanley, Jerry |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Christmas Gift, The
This beautifully illustrated bilingual story tells of the Christmas of a migrant family in California, which first appeared as a chapter in The Circuit. His family has to move again a few days before Christmas in order to find work, and Panchito
| Author: Jimenez, Francisco |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Circuit, The
The author tells the heartbreaking story of a young boy growing up as an undocumented migrant whose family traveled the crop circuit in California in the 1930's. The narrative is told as linked stories. At least two of the chapters have been published a
| Author: Jimenez, Francisco |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
This is a picture biography of Cesar Chavez. It focuses on his childhood and initial efforts at organizing farm workers in the mid-60s, creating The National Form Workers Association.
| Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > California > Los Angeles
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
|
Si, Se Puede (Yes, We Can!)
Text in both English and Spanish on each page tells the story of a mother who becomes active in union organization. This story is based on the 2000 janitors' strike in Los Angeles. An essay by Luis J. Rodriguez describes a real-life activist whose goals a
| Author: Cohn, Diana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
smoky night
1
| Author: bunting, eve |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts
|
Geography > locations >U.S. states/regions> California > Los Angeles > Watts
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
|
Wonderful Towers of Watts, The
Throughout his life, Old Sam collects bits and pieces of glass, tiles, and discarded objects that he uses to build structures in his backyard in Watts.
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Hawaii
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Subtitled "The true story of the day America entered World War II," this book describes the attack on Pearl Harbor from the perspectives of four people, both Japanese and American. Excerpts about others who were influenced by the attack are also provided,
| Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Last Princess, The
This biography recounts the history of Hawaii at the end of the 19th century and the life of the last Hawaiian heir, Princess Ka'iulani, who was denied the throne when the monarchy was abolished.
| Author: Stanley, Fay |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Illinois
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Illinois > Chicago
Great Fire, The
By weaving personal accounts from survivors together with carefully researched history, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting narrative that recreates the great Chicago fire with drama and immediacy. Authentic photos and drawings complement the text.
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gwendolyn Brooks
This biography describes the influences and hardships of the early years and the political activism of the later years of the African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks. The book includes a chronology, archival photos, an index, a list of published works and
| Author: Hill, Christine M. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Somewhere In the Darkness
Jimmy, a teenager, lives in the city with Mama Jean. Then he meets Crab, a "man with something to prove. Maybe Crab's not sure what it is; maybe Jimmy's not sure he wants to know. But it may be the last chance Crab has to tell Jimmy who he was, and who
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Iowa
Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend
This is the story of a 15-year-old girl who helped prevent a train disaster in 1881.
| Author: San Souci, Robert D. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Prairie Builders, The
At the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in central Iowa, scientists are recreating a tall-grass prairie. Color photographs, a glossary, web sites, and an index document the difficult process of bringing back a small piece of the prairie.
| Author: Collard, Sneed B. III |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Tulip Sees America
The author tells a fictionalized version of her trip from the midwest to her new home in Oregon.
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Maine
Gifts from the Sea
The lives of a lighthousekeeper and his daughter are changed by the discovery of a baby washed ashore after a shipwreck on the coast of Maine in the 1850's.
| Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
|
Into the Deep Forest: With Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau's journal entries have been placed into a broader context and are accompanied by stunning paintings and pencil drawings in this 39-page book. The use of present tense verb form may be off putting for some readers.
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
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.
Miss Rumphius
The Lupine Lady, the great-aunt of the narrator, travels around the world but returns to Maine to plant lupines and make her world a better place.
| Author: Cooney, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Puffins Are Back, The
A simple introduction to the physical characteristics, life cycle, and natural environment of the puffins living off the coast of Maine. Gibbons give an account of the puffins who return every year to the coast of Maine. Gibbons describes the puffins' act
| Author: Gibbons, Gail |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Skylark
This is the sequel to the award-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall. When a drought forces Sarah and the children to leave the farm, leaving Jacob behind, everyone wonders if they will ever be a family again.
| Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Time of Wonder
This picture book tells a factual story of a family living along the ocean in Maine and what happens to the area when a hurricane brews. It is told to a child reader, and the art is fairly primitive, and thus teachers will want to take care to present it
| Author: McCloskey, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Year on Monhegan Island, A
Photojournalist Julia Dean chronicles a year in the life of residents of Monhegan Island, a small island off the east coast of Maine. We learn about their culture, government, and economy, as well as a bit about part-time resident Jamie Wyeth.
| Author: Dean, Julia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Massachusetts
Bobbin Girl, The
Rebecca, a 10-year-old "bobbin girl" working in the textile factories in Lowell, Massachuesetts in the 1830's must decide if she will participate in the first workers' strike.
| Author: McCully, Emily Arnold |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
House, House
In the late 1800's, the How brothers took photographs of houses in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Author Jane Yolen wrote text to accompany photographs of the same houses taken by her son in the 1990's. A bibliography extends the historical information.
| Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Massachusetts > Boston
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Massachusetts > Plymouth
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
The author researched the first years of the Pilgrims at Plymouth to create a text to accompany murals painted by N.C. Wyeth. The text includes detailed descriptions, end papers from the Mayflower log, an author's note about his research, and a section a
| Author: San Souci, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Midwestern United States
American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain
This biography of Sam Clemens focuses primarily on his childhood. Readers will see many parallels between young Sam's adventures and those of his famous characters Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
| Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
American Safari, An
Award-winning wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg shows and tells the story of the American prairies, which once swept for thousands of miles but are now an endangered ecological treasure. The stunning photographs and unforgettable written memories ins
| Author: Brandenburg, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Black Pioneers
This well-researched history of African American pioneers, freedom fighters, and participants in the Underground Railroad tells little known stories of brave people who settled the midwest against great odds. The book contains archival photographs, a map
| Author: Katz, William Loren |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bud, Not Buddy
It's 1936, Flint, Michigan, and 10-year-old Bud (not Buddy) has run away from foster care to search for his father. (Newbery winner)
| Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Carl Sandburg: Adventures of a Poet
An episodic biography of Carl Sandburg in which each episode is accompanied by a colorful illustration and an excerpt of his poetry or prose.
| Author: Niven, Penelope |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Gratefully Yours
Orphaned by a New York tenement fire in 1920, Hattie rides an orphan train to Nebraska where she joins the Jansen household, Henry and his wife Elizabeth. The story relates the loss and healing process that both Hattie and Elizabeth experience. The stor
| Author: Buchanan, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
How We Crossed the West
Colorful illustrations, maps, and journal excerpts invite the reader to accompany Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the plains and the Pacific Northwest in 1804.
| Author: Schanzer, Rosalyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lincolns, The
Using a scrapbook format with blocks of stories and archival photographs, the author provides a chatty, up-close biography of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Since the book is in a scrapbook format, students can start reading anywhere in the book or read in the
| Author: Fleming, Candice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mississippi Mud: Three Prairie Journals
Three pioneer children recount their trip across the prairie in a series of easy-to-read poems.
| Author: Turner, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Name Is York
York, a slave of Captain Clark, accompanies his master on the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. An afterword gives additional biographical information and the end papers contain maps. The illustrations and language are especially evocative.
| Author: Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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
|
Sarah, Plain and Tall
A mail-order bride comes from Maine to the midwest; the children (who have lost their mother) desperately hope she'll stay.
| Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Year Down Yonder, A
This is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago. Both books have won awards, the Newbery Medal for this one. Mary Alice goes to live with her spunky, trouble-making grandma in rural Illinois because the Depression has torn her family apart.
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Minnesota
Father Water, Mother Woods
These essays recount Paulsen's adventures alone and with friends, along the rivers and in the woods of Northern Minnesota. Paulsen shows us fishing, hunting, and camping as pleasure, as art, as companionship, and as sources of lessons about life.
John Blair and the Great Hinckley Fire
This is a retelling of the effects of a firestorm in 1894 on a train and its 150+ passengers. John Blair, the train's porter, became a hero for his common sense and bravery in the face of extraordinary danger.
| Author: Nobisso, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Winter Room, The
This book tells the story of Eldon, a boy growing up in the mid-20th century in rural Minnesota. He and his brother Wayne work hard to help out on the farm, but have time for fun and adventures too. After a short introduction, the book is structured in
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > New England
Christmas Tree Farm
Photos accompany this simple text about the activities that take place throughout the year at a Christmas tree farm in Rhode Island.
Emily
This book tells the story of a young girl's encounter with the reclusive poet Emily Dickinson and of her friendship with the author. Although the picture book is a fictional account, Cooney's oil paintings and the afterword with biographical information
| Author: Bedard, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Gathering of Days, A
This book, subtitled A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32, is a fictitious diary kept by a fourteen-year-old girl during the last few years she spent on her family's farm. During these months Catherine's father remarried, her closest friend died of feve
| Author: Blos, Joan W. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Giants in the Land
Beautiful black and white scratchboard drawings illustrate how giant pine trees in New England were cut for lumber and masts for the King's navy during American Colonial times.
| Author: Appelbaum, Diana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Great Stone Face, The
The author retells a famous Hawthorne story about how a New England village interprets a mountain's "face" over the years as fulfilling the prophecy of revealing the noblest person of the time.
| Author: Schmidt, Gary/Hawthorne Nathaniel |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Into the Deep Forest: With Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau's journal entries have been placed into a broader context and are accompanied by stunning paintings and pencil drawings in this 39-page book. The use of present tense verb form may be off putting for some readers.
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Jip: His Story
Jip, a young orphan in the mid-1850s, lives on a farm, interacts with Put "the lunatic," and wonders about his past. Eventually he attends school and, with the help of Teacher (Lyddie from the Paterson book by the same name) and her Quaker friend, discov
| Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Miss Crandall's School
In innovative sonnet form, the authors tell the story of Prudence Crandall who ran a school for "young ladies and little misses of color" in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1831 until boycotts, vandalism and persecution forced the school to close. An introdu
| Author: Alexander, Elizabeth & Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Nearer Nature
The author writes reflectively of his winter walks on his Vermont farm and sketches the footprints, animals, and plants that capture his attention. An index enables the reader to find specific information. The descriptions are rich in detail and languag
| Author: Arnosky, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Real Benedict Arnold, The
This well-researched biography examines the facts and rumors of the life of the hero, then traitor, Benedict Arnold against the background of the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Maps and portraits illustrate the text. End notes, sources,
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
River Ran Wild, A
This book recounts the history of the Nashua River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire life from idyllic Algonquin Indian times to industrial pollution to a restored river due to the efforts of Marion Stoddart who coordinated a citizen campaign. The text
| Author: Cherry, Lynn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Whale Port
In this book about a fictitious combination of real places, the text and colored-pencil drawings present the chronological development of a New England whaling town and its related businesses. The use of cut away art provides a glimpse inside the building
| Author: Foster, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > New York
Amazing Impossible Erie Canal, The
After an introduction detailing the need to transport goods back and forth to the settlers in the expanding west, the author takes the reader on the inaugural ride in 1825 that opened the Erie Canal. Illustrations and a time line provide additional infor
| Author: Harness, Cheryl |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
At Gleason's Gym
The story of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn NY, and the many people who use it. It includes a brief story of Sugar Boy Younan, National Silver Gloves Champion 2006. The words and pictures tap into the senses. The illustrations demonstrate the rhythm to the mus
| Author: Lewin, Ted |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Gowanus Dogs
A homeless man meets some homeless dogs. The meeting changes everyone's life.
Great Unknown, The
This biography of Charles Wilson Peale, artist and paleontologist, describes how he excavated, assembled, and displayed bones of a prehistoric mastodon in 1801. The author includes a map and a glossary.
| Author: Morrison, Taylor |
HSE Descriptors:
science | language arts - writing
|
Lady Liberty: A Biography
Poetic format shares the stories of the people involved in the building of the Statue of Liberty. It also shares the reactions and contributions of everyday people seeing her rise in NY Harbor. Beautiful illustrations that add to the stories of the peopl
| Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | literature and arts
|
Lady Liberty: A Biography
Poetic format shares the stories of the people involved in the building of the Statue of Liberty. It also shares the reactions and contributions of everyday people seeing her rise in NY Harbor. Beautiful illustrations that add to the stories of the peopl
| Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | literature and arts
|
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
|
Picnic in October, A
At the insistence of the immigrant grandparents, a family celebrates coming to America and the October birthday of the Statue of Liberty.
| Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
River of Dreams
This beautiful book is a tribute to the Hudson River and its strategic, economic and cultural significance throughout history.
| Author: Talbot, Hudson |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Somewhere In the Darkness
Jimmy, a teenager, lives in the city with Mama Jean. Then he meets Crab, a "man with something to prove. Maybe Crab's not sure what it is; maybe Jimmy's not sure he wants to know. But it may be the last chance Crab has to tell Jimmy who he was, and who
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration
A rope found by a little girl becomes a multigenerational object to her family and helps to tell the story of their migration from the South. It has many uses and eventually becomes a storytelling prompt.
| Author: Woodeson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > New York > Harlem
145th Street: Short Stories
Engaging short stories written in Myers' natural writing styles that contain serious side plots and portray some of the people who live on one block of 145th Street in Harlem. Characters are portrayed honestly and jump off the page to keep the reader enga
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Angel for Solomon Singer, An
In this urban story, a transplanted Hoosier lives a lonely life in New York City and looks for warmth and companionship.
Happy Feet
This very easy, lyrical text with gorgeous illustrations tells the story of the opening of the Savoy in Harlem, which is of special interest to the narrator "Happy Feet" because he was born on that night. The book not only educates the reader about the S
| Author: Richard Michelson |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Harlem Stomp!
Subtitled "A cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance," this book has 10 chapters that address how Harlem came to be a cultural "magnet" in the 1920s. The book interweaves history, poetry, and archival photos that brings the cultural history of Harlem t
| Author: Hill, Laban Carrick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Here in Harlem
Walter Dean Myers recreates the Harlem of his youth in poetry and populates it with colorful characters through their voices.
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
Rite of Passage
The book is set in Harlem in the late 1940s. Protagonist Johnny Gibbs, 15, is a model child and student until he learns that he is a foster child who must go to live with another family. Johnny feels betrayed and reacts by running away. What follows pu
| Author: Wright, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sweet Music in Harlem
Inspired by a real photograph of jazz musicians taken in 1958, the fictional story recounts young C. J.'s search through Harlem for his uncle's hat, a hat his uncle wants to wear in a photograph. Included is the historical photograph with the identities
| Author: Taylor, Debbie |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Uptown
Colorful collage and an easy-reading text belie a very sophisticated tour of Harlem including the Metro-North train, brownstones, shopping on 125th street, a barbershop, summer basketball, the Harlem Boys' Chois, and sunset over the Hudson River
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > New York > New York City
Berenice Abbott, Photographer
The biography's subtitle "An Independent Vision" suggests the creativity, innovation, perservance that Berenice Abbot exhibited as she pursued the newly emerging field of photography and associated with the leading photographers of the 1920's and 1930's.
| Author: Sullivan, George |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Black Cat
A black cat explores an urban neighborhood. The stunning illustrations are a combination of painting and photography.
| Author: Myers, Christopher |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Blizzard!
This book tells the story of an amazing blizzard that struck the Eastern U.S. in March, 1888. The author tells how the storm affected individuals, workers, communication, transportation, and more. The book is illustrated with vintage photographs and maps
| Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
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
|
Brooklyn Bridge, The
This award winner tells the history of an unusual American family, the history of an important U.S. bridge, and the story of how that bridge was crafted and designed. It ends with a list of statistics and an index.
| Author: Mann, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Empire State Building
Archival photographs, diagrams, and illustrations accompany this account of the building of the Empire State Building in New York City during the Great Depression. The fact page, glossary, and map expand the book's use in the classroom.
| Author: Mann, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Man Who Made Parks, The
This is a biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, the first landscape architect and developer of Central Park in NYC (as well as other famous parks).
| Author: Wishinsky, Frieda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Man Who Walked Between the Towers, The
The book celebrates in pictures and text Philippe Petit's highwire walk between the Trade Center Towers on Aug. 7, 1974.
| Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American GIrl
Based on an unpublished memoir, this picture book tells the story of daily life for a middle-class African American girl in New York in the 19th century. Maps and photographs illustrate the story.
| Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Peppe the Lamplighter
A young Italian immigrant boy has to find a job lighting the lamps to help support his invalid father and many sisters. His proud father thinks it is inferior work until the night the boy refuses to light the lamps, and his little sister does not return
| Author: Bartone, Elisa |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
River of Dreams
This beautiful book is a tribute to the Hudson River and its strategic, economic and cultural significance throughout history.
| Author: Talbot, Hudson |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
September 11, 2001
A New York Times journalist has chosen to tell the chronology of September 11, 2001, through personal stories. Photographs, maps and diagrams, and a bibliography provide additional resources.
| Author: Hampton, Wilborn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Shutting Out the Sky
Subtitled "Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924,," the chapters in this book offer information and perspectives on all aspects of immigration and life in NYC. Photographs and text document the experiences of five individuals from Belarus, Italy, L
| Author: Hopkinson, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side
Lots of photographs and a fairly easy-to-read text tell the story of the tenements that were built to house immigrants during the turn of the century (19th - 20th). Further reading includes books for adults and children as well as related WWW sites.
| Author: Bial, Raymond |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration
A rope found by a little girl becomes a multigenerational object to her family and helps to tell the story of their migration from the South. It has many uses and eventually becomes a storytelling prompt.
| Author: Woodeson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > North Carolina
Leon's Story
A custodian at a Maryland school tells his own story of growing up poor in North Carolina, of racism, of hatred, of resilience, of Martin Luther King, and of the things that matter in life.
| Author: Tillage, Leon Walter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Roanoke
Based on extensive research, this book explores the political intrigue surrounding the disappearance of the first American colony at Roanoke, in what is now North Carolina. The suspenseful text is supplemented with archival photographs and paintings, a t
| Author: Miller, Lee |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Northern United States
Close to Shore
The author details the first shark attacks in American history along the Atlantic Coast of New Jersey in 1916. One reviewer thought the book would appeal to males especially. The suspenseful style makes the book read like a novel.
| Author: Michael Capuzzo |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Father Water, Mother Woods
These essays recount Paulsen's adventures alone and with friends, along the rivers and in the woods of Northern Minnesota. Paulsen shows us fishing, hunting, and camping as pleasure, as art, as companionship, and as sources of lessons about life.
Marven of the Great North Woods
Marven's immigrant Russian Jewish family sends him alone by train and by ski to a logging camp in Minnesota to escape the diphtheria epidemic in the city of Duluth. He finds a niche for himself in very different cultural surroundings through the friendsh
My Name Is York
York, a slave of Captain Clark, accompanies his master on the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. An afterword gives additional biographical information and the end papers contain maps. The illustrations and language are especially evocative.
| Author: Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
North Country Night
This easy-to-read and stunningly illustrated book shows what animals do at night in the North Country during the winter.
| Author: San Souci, Daniel |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers
Paulsen shares his love of the Iditarod and especially of Cookie, his primary lead dog, and her pups. Descriptions of how the pups learn are alternately amazing, touching, and hilarious.
River of Dreams
This beautiful book is a tribute to the Hudson River and its strategic, economic and cultural significance throughout history.
| Author: Talbot, Hudson |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Rushmore
This long, beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of Mount Rushmore and the sculptor who oversaw its creation.
| Author: Curlee, Lynn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Streams to the River, River to the Sea
This is a fictional recounting of Sacagawea's association with Lewis and Clark. Although some Reading Group members were concerned about the accuracy of the portrayal, in the introduction, the author cites several references used in crafting the story.
| Author: O'Dell, Scott |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Ohio
Aurora Means Dawn
This picture book tells the story of the first family to settle in Aurora, Ohio and offers a glimpse of the hardships they willingly endured and of the support of their neighbors.
| Author: Sanders, Scott |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom River
In this true story, John Parker, an ex-slave in Ripley, Ohio, helps a family on the Underground Railroad. Beautiful watercolor collages illustrate the story. Historical notes, additional books, suggested websites, and maps make this useful in the classr
| Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Historical Album of Ohio, A
This brief history of the state of Ohio contains photographs, maps, index , and a gazetteer with quick facts, timeline and famous people. The language has a textbook quality.
| Author: Wills, Charles |
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
|
North by Night
Lucy Spencer and her Ohio farm family are involved in the Underground Railroad in 1851, a time when The Fugitive Slave Act levied severe punishment and fines for harboring runaway slaves. Lucy makes a courageous decision that changes her life and that of
| Author: Ayres, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Trouble Don't Last
This is the story of 11-year-old Samuel and "cranky old Harrison," who leave the Kentucky farm where they are slaves and head north to freedom, encountering non-stereotypical members of trhe Underground Railroad. The author is the historian at Hale Farm a
| Author: Pearsall, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Ohio > Cleveland
Boy Who Saved Cleveland, The
During a malarial epidemic in the late 18th century Cleveland, Ohio, ten-year-old Seth Doan surprises his family, his neighbors, and himself by having the strength to carry and grind enough corn to feed everyone.
| Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Seedfolks
Thirteen people of different ethnic backgrounds who are strangers to each other tell their stories of a vacant lot in Cleveland that becomes a neighborhood garden. The book jacket refers to the "harvest of hidden lives" and a "hymn to the power of plants
Somewhere In the Darkness
Jimmy, a teenager, lives in the city with Mama Jean. Then he meets Crab, a "man with something to prove. Maybe Crab's not sure what it is; maybe Jimmy's not sure he wants to know. But it may be the last chance Crab has to tell Jimmy who he was, and who
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Pacific Northwest
How We Crossed the West
Colorful illustrations, maps, and journal excerpts invite the reader to accompany Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the plains and the Pacific Northwest in 1804.
| Author: Schanzer, Rosalyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Heard the Owl Call my Name
Although this book is not universally appealing, some readers respond emotionally and deeply to this story of a young priest's year with the Native American people of British Columbia, his illness, and his acceptance of his fate. The book does not provid
Streams to the River, River to the Sea
This is a fictional recounting of Sacagawea's association with Lewis and Clark. Although some Reading Group members were concerned about the accuracy of the portrayal, in the introduction, the author cites several references used in crafting the story.
| Author: O'Dell, Scott |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Pennsylvania
Growing Up in Coal Country
Based on primary documents and oral histories, this book tells the stories of life in the coal mines in eastern Pennsylvania around the turn of the 20th century.
| Author: Bartoletti, Susan |
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
|
Washington at Valley Forge
In Freedman's inimitable style, he captures the grit and triumphs over the lack of provisions for General Washington's winter encampment at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Excellent and unfamiliar paintings of Washington accompany the text. Th
| Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh
I Have Seen Castles
A 67-year-old man remembers growing up in Pittsburgh and falling in love with a young woman pacifist who couldn't understand why he would want to go overseas to fight.
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Rhode Island
Christmas Tree Farm
Photos accompany this simple text about the activities that take place throughout the year at a Christmas tree farm in Rhode Island.
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > South Carolina
Circle Unbroken
A young girl learns the tradition of making sweet grass baskets.
| Author: Raven, Margot |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave Enslaved Potter and Poet
This imaginative volume of poetry is both a tribute to Dave the Potter and a positive biography of a potter who worked his artistic magic despite being a slave. It is poetic in style, autobiographical, written in more than one voice and each entry is jour
| Author: Cheng, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Let Them Play
This beautifully illustrated book tells the true story of the 1955 state champion little league team from South Carolina, who were all African-American and who encountered segregation problems as they continued to win.
| Author: Raven, Margot |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
New Year Be Coming!
Through beautiful colored woodcuts and rhythmic gullah dialect, this book describes happenings for each month of the year in the South Carolina low country. A recipe, a glossary, and an introduction to the Gullah dialect are included. Some students migh
| Author: Boling, Katharine |
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > South Carolina > Charleston
Carolina Shout
A young girl wanders the streets of Charleston from sun up to sun set capturing the vendors' calls and the sounds of the street. The book begs to be read aloud.
Catching the Fire
Philip Simmons, the great-grandson of slaves, became a revered artist and creator of ornamental iron work masterpieces in Charleston, South Carolina. Detailed color photographs convey his craftsmanship. The author interviewed Simmons and his co-workers
| Author: Lyons, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Jazz ABZ
Each letter of the alphabet introduces a famous jazz musician in a different poetic form. Of particular interest to teachers and students are the biographical sketches of the musicians and excellent notes on the poetic forms. The phenominal art work is
| Author: Marsalis, Wynton |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Secrets of a Civil War Submarine
The discovery in 1995 and the subsequent slow scientific recovery of the Civil War submarine USS Hurley from the Charleston harbor reads like a mystery story. Photographs, archival material, author's note, footnotes, bibliography, glossary, and suggested
| Author: Walker, Sally |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Southern United States
As Good as Anybody
Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who had both experienced discrimination, joined forces in the Civil Rights Movement.
| Author: Michelson, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Blanche on the Lam
A spunky African-American woman, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy southern family with many secrets, must solve a murder in order to clear herself. Blanche relies on her own intelligence and an "old girl" network of domestics. The language is oc
| Author: Neely, B. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Boy Named Reckoning, A: A: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero
The author has pieced together the writings of Dr. Carlos Montezuma to tell his life story in letter form. He was a Native American boy who was kidnapped, sold into slavery and eventually educated in Chicago. He devoted the rest of his life to lobbying fo
| Author: Capaldi, Gina |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Brothers War, The: Civil War Voices in Verse
Well-known poet J. Patrick Lewis includes archival photographs and factual information to expand the emotional of his poems that give voice to individuals who were caught up in the Civil War. The book also includes a map, a timeline, a bibliography, and
| Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Carolina Shout
A young girl wanders the streets of Charleston from sun up to sun set capturing the vendors' calls and the sounds of the street. The book begs to be read aloud.
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) |
|
Deep Blues
Bill Traylor, who worked as a farm laborer before and after the Civil War, was "discovered" as a folk artist at the age of 85.
Dream of Freedom, A
This well written and comprehensive documentation of the Civil Rights Movement, its background, issues, and confrontations is told by a white Southern woman of privilege who grew up during that period. Photographs and fact boxes, index, bibliography, and
| Author: McWhorter, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case
This somewhat repetitive account of the brutal death of Emmett Till, the Chicago 14-year-old boy visiting Mississippi, argues that the media coverage of the trial and the subsequent outrage of the public provided the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement
| Author: Crowe, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Grandmama's Pride
This is a most beautiful book focusing on the segregation practiced in the south during the 1950's leading to the civil rights laws passed in the 60's. The illustrations make the book come alive with details showing the inequalities practiced in every day
| Author: Birtha, Becky |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Grandmama's Pride
This is a most beautiful book focusing on the segregation practiced in the south during the 1950's leading to the civil rights laws passed in the 60's. The illustrations make the book come alive with details showing the inequalities practiced in every day
| Author: Birtha, Becky |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Dream of Trains
This is the story of an African-American boy who lives in the South before the Great Migration, who loves trains, and who stands in awe of Casey Jones.
| Author: Johnson, Angela |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Long Journey Home
These six short stories are based on historical fact; Lester's notes at the end of the book describe the original sources. Each features an African American protagonist. All are ordinary people who led extraordinary lives.
| Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Momma, Where Are You From?
When a young girl asks her mother where she comes from, she receives a loving description of her hard-working childhood in the segregated South told in rich, rhythmic language with lush illustrations.
| Author: Bradby, Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nightjohn
An escaped slave returns to the South to teach others how to read. This 92-page book is very bleak, and the violence is quite graphic.
| Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Shake Rag
As a boy, Elvis Presley discovers "good news" music at a traveling church that gives his guitar playing a distinctive sound when he records later in 1954.
Silent Witness A True Story of the Civil War, The
Lulu McLean, age four, lived in Manassas, Virginia on a plantation when the Civil War started. General Beauregard established his headquarters in her home. Shortly after, Lulu's father moved the family to Appomattox Court House, where the surrender to end
| Author: Friedman, Robin |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Slavery Time: When I Was Chillun
Excerpts from 12 oral histories from former slaves, gathered during the Depression by WPA workers, provide several perspectives about slave life as remembered by the people interviewed, who were in their 80s and 90s at the time of the interviews.
| Author: Hurmence, Belinda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Something Permanent
Walker Evans' photographs of southern United States during the Depression years are stark and haunting, and Cynthia Rylant's short poems describe their stories beautifully.
| Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Talking with Tebe
Editor Lyons collected these excerpts about Clementine Hunter, considered one of America's finest folk artists, from magazine and newspaper articles and tape-recorded interviews. The artist's work illustrates the book.
| Author: Lyons, Mary E. (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
To Kill A Mockingbird
In this classic American novel set in the 30s, Lee tells the story of two children growing up in the South with their lawyer father who represents an African-American man accused of raping a white woman. The novel is rich and complex in plot and theme.
| Author: Lee, Harper |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Tucker Pfeffercorn
This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin is set in small town Southern USA. The dialogue and dialect are delightful, and the illustrations by one of America's finest artists also contribute to telling the tale.
Walking the Log
The author paints scenes and reminisces about her childhood in the turn of the century South. The books contains information about daily life, work (especially picking cotton), childhood games, family values, and the author's life long interest in art.
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Southwestern United States
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
|
Georgia's Bones
A biography of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe's early years "celebrates her fascination with natural shapes and 'common objects'" with rich text and color-saturated illustrations. The text explores themes including creativity, diversity (in ways of being in
| Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
I'm in Charge of Celebrations
A desert (Native American?) woman is asked if she is lonely and replies by telling about all the natural wonders she witnesses. The title comes from her idea of marking the calendar for the following year to celebrate whatever she saw. The illustrations
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
|
My Heroes, My People
Portraits of native American, Africans, and people of mixed race--both images and brief biographies--present a less well-known history of the American West. A Note on Sources and Further Reading and an index promote classroom use. The unusual illustratio
| Author: Monceaux, Morgan & Katcher, Ruth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Name is Georgia
This simple biography of Georgia O'Keefe describes how she was true to her life-long goal of being an artist and how she gained inspiration for her paintings from the natural world around her.
| Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
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.
Silent Thunder: A Civil War Story
The book is set on a Virginia plantation in 1862. Eleven-year-old Summer and her older brother Rosco live with their mother on the Parnell Plantation as talk of President Lincoln's coming proclamation to free slaves reaches the community. Each of the mai
| Author: Pinkney, Andrea Davis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Spirit Walker
This stunningly illustrated book of poetry celebrates a physical relationship with the earth and the philosophies, vision, and perspectives of Native Americans, especially the women.
| Author: Wood, Nancy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Where the Buffalo Roam
An expanded version of the words to the song "Home on the Range" and watercolor illustrations portray the geography, petroglyphs, plants, and endangered wild animals of the American Southwest.
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Texas
Freedom's Gifts
An African American girl visits Texas relatives and learns about the history of Juneteenth, the day for celebrating freedom from slavery.
| Author: Wesley, Valery |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Juneteenth
Photographs from various locations in the U.S. depict the celebration of Juneteenth, June 19, 1865, the day African Americans learned of their freedom.
| Author: Branch, Muriel Miller |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nobody Particular
A graphic novel format depicts the activist Diane Wilson and her fight against water pollution along the Gulf Coast of Texas. The illustrations contain diagrams to explain problems of pollution.
| Author: Bang, Molly |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Vermont
Night the Bells Rang, The
This short novel (76 pages), told from the point of view of a farm boy, tells the story of Mason's struggles with a bully, and of his growing up. Although the book has the feel of a reminiscence, the emotions are complex and the characters ring true.
| Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
|
Safekeeping
Radley returns home to Vermont from a volunteer stay in Haiti to complete chaos. She begins a long trek to try to find her parents and some sense of normalcy in a country becoming completely dysfunctional.The underling message is articulated, as a vision
| Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Waiting for the Evening Star
This beautifully illustrated book is about Berty, a small boy who lives a happy life in a Vermont farming community. Berty's life changes when his older brother, Luke, decides to leave the family farm to become a soldier in WWI.
| Author: Wells, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Western United States
Bill Pickett: Rodeo Ridin' Cowboy
This book tells about the life of a rodeo-riding African American cowboy. The book ends with a two-page history of Black cowboys.
| Author: Pinkney, Andrea Davis |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Black Cowboy Wild Horses
This book is based on the true story of Bob Lemmons, a former slave, whose adventures as a cowboy in Texas were legendary.
| Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Children of the Great Depression
With the aid of archival photographs from The Farm Security Administration, Freedman tells the poignant story of the humiliation, poverty, migration, lack of schooling, and back-breaking work faced by children during the Great Depression of the 1930's in
| Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ghost Towns
Color photographs and colorful text describe many ghost towns in the American West. The author includes a list of books for further reading.
| Author: Bial, Raymond |
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
|
John Muir: America's First Environmentalist
From a work-filled childhood as an immigrant from Scotland, self-taught John Muir worked to study and save the wilderness he loved, resulting in the first protected National Park at Yosemite and the founding of the Sierra Club for conservation. The autho
| Author: Lasky, Kathryn |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
This Vast Land
A fictional account of a young man on the real Lewis and Clark Expedition emphasizes and personalizes the confrontation of races and the conflict between civilization and the wilderness. There are allusions to sex, though minimal.
| Author: Ambrose, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers
Diary and journal excerpts and archival photographs enliven a well-written text about the Westward Movement as seen from the perspective of children. The book includes short biographies of the children who are quoted often as well as a chronology, furthe
| Author: Wadsworth, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Yellowstone Moran:Painting the American West
A true story of how Tom Moran traded his city environs for a chance to join a scientific expedition to Yellowstone and record the wonders in his paintings. The author researched letters and journals of the famous Hayden expedition into Yellowstone Nationa
| Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
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