The Gettysburg Address

Illustrator:  Michael McCurdy, 1995, Houghton Mifflin

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, gave a very famous speech at a battlefield called Gettysburg in 1863.  It became known as the Gettsburg Address, and in this book of the same title, Lincoln's words come to life through a pictorial account.  I love the powerful words of the address, and I have heard them countless times before, but having pictures to tell the story added to the appeal.  I enjoyed the fact that the pictures were in black and white because it encourages the reader to imagine the destruction faced by soldiers in the Civil War.  The pictures in this book were satisfactory; I thought they were rather bland in many cases, but the meaning behind the words was more important.  The illustrator did a good job of bringing the story to life.

In addition, I enjoyed the foreward by Garry Wills and the afterword by the illustrator.  McCurdy had ancestors that fought in the Civil War, so this took on a special meaning for him.  This is not only a biographical account of a major American battle, it is also a reflection of the sadness and heartache faced by that generation.  Bring the Gettysburg Address to life in your classroom with this book.  It is sure to prompt heartfelt discussion.

Don't You Dare Shoot That Bear!

Author:  Robert Quackenbush, 1984, Prentice-Hall

Everyone needs to read a good "retro" book every now and then, so why not check out Don't You Dare Shoot That Bear!  A Story of Theodore Roosevelt?  This book was published in the mid-1980s, and you can tell how far we have come technologically since then.  For example, the author gives excellent, historically-accurate information about TR, but the illustrations are very bland in comparison to other books I have reviewed.  Two little teddy bears provide some humor on every page, though I can't say I laughed too often.  The humor was dry, and many children may not understand it.  The one positive aspect about this book is definitely the accurate historical information.  I gathered that the author has had some experience writing about famous individuals based on the other books he has written, which are listed on the inside back dust cover.  While this was certainly not my favorite book, I enjoyed it because of the information about our 26th president, who, incidentally, is the inspiration for the beloved teddy bear.

Jack's Path of Courage

Author:  Doreen Rappaport, 2010, Disney
Illustrator:  Matt Tavares

Wow! 

That is all I can say after reading Jack's Path of Courage.  The illustrations are so astounding and so life-like that I thought they were photographs.  We all have images and ideas of the Kennedy family, especially the President, but this book gives a lot of childhood information about our 35th president.  For example, I did not know that President Kennedy suffered severe back pain all his life.  He seemed like he had a lot of vitality, but he was secretly suffering.  Perhaps the most familiar part of the story, his assassination, was only briefly covered in this book.  I was pleased that the author explored more of his early years instead of only focusing on the trauma of November 22, 1963.  This is an incredible source of history, and I would encourage everyone who reads this blog to read this book.  It is thoroughly researched and includes a selected bibliography at the end.  I was surprised at how much I liked it, and I think you will too.

Anne Frank

Author:  Josephine Poole, 2005, Random House
Illustrator:  Angela Barrett

Anne Frank has become a name synonymous with Nazi persecution of Jews.  She posthumously became famous as a result of her diary being published, and the world saw how her Jewish family hid from the Nazis until they were caught.  I have read excerpts from her diary, as well as from other biographies about her, so I had a fair amount of background knowledge as I began reading this particular story.  I suppose it would be improper to say how much I enjoyed the story, given the horror and trauma Anne's family faced.  However, I can say that I learned more about her, the Nazis, and Nazi Germany from Josephine Poole's Anne Frank. 

I really enjoy studing World War II, and I noticed how accurate the facts were in this book.  The author does a fantastic job giving background information about Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer of Germany.  She describes how Germany went from being one of the greatest nations in the world to the most embarrassed nation following World War I.  Hitler rose to power and began persecuting the Jews with the final goal of exterminating them from the world.  As a result, many Jews went into hiding for months and even years.  Anne Frank's family did so until they were discovered and removed.  Her diary was recovered and became a primary source of the horror she experienced.

This book had beautiful illustrations and enough information to teach the reader more about this time period.  I enjoyed reading the timeline in the back of the book to get a broader understanding of the other world events.  I would recommend this book to any teacher without the slightest reservation.  In fact, I believe this book should be in every library around the country.  It is appropriate for all age groups, and it teaches world history in an informative and interesting way.  

Thanksgiving is...

Author:  Gail Gibbons, 2004, Scholastic

Thanksgiving is... is a great informational text.  The reader first learns the history of Thanksgiving celebrations around the world, then the book culminates with the traditional American Thanksgiving.  I learned that President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving, but it was changed by President Franklin Roosevelt to be the fourth Thursday in November, beginning in 1939.  Traditions, such as decorations, family gatherings, and of course, the food, are covered throughout the book.  I really liked the simple, yet colorful, illustrations.  They do not detract from the message conveyed by the author, but they are a helpful addition to the reading.  Not only is this a great informational text, it is also a powerful teacher of culture.  Children (and adults) who read this book will think of their own traditions and how those traditions have changed over the years.  I was unaware of some traditions mentioned in the book, such as sending Thanksgiving cards and flowers.  In my family, we send Christmas cards, but not Thanksgiving cards.  I would categorize this as not only a book of information, but also a book of history.    

Liliuokalani: The Last Queen of Hawaii

Author:  John MacGregor, 2009, Scholastic
Illustrator:  Pamela Johnson

On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States of America.  Today, tourists from all over the world bask in the beauty of Hawaii's tropical climate, but many do not know the turbulent history of this tiny island.  Hawaii was an independent royal kingdom until Americans forced their way in to make money off the sugar crop.  Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch to sit on the Hawaiian throne, watched her nation slip from power throughout her lifetime.  It was a sad day when she stepped off the throne and was arrested in her own palace.  There was no way of stopping the Americans from annexing the Hawaiian nation; therefore, she avoided war by peacefully surrendering.

This book by John MacGregor gives a realistic view of Queen Liliuokalani's life.  She was raised in a life of privilege, and she had every right to become queen of Hawaii.  She served as queen from 1891-1893, but this time period was wrought with turbulence.  Children will find this book to be very informative in many aspects.  It not only details the queen's life, but also the events surrounding her acension to and surrender of the throne.  Hawaiian vocabulary words, history, and other tidbits of information are included throughout the book.  I really liked that the information was presented in a simple and concise manner.  This would be a wonderful text to use as a resource for classroom study.

Yellow Star

Author:  Jennifer Roy, 2006, Marshall Cavendish Corporation

Yellow Star is another heartwrenching tale of an oppressed people overcoming adversity.  In this first-person account, a woman named Sylvia recounts her childhood as a Jew growing up in Poland during the second World War.  Sylvia is the name she took on as an American, whereas her birth name was Syvia.  Young Syvia and her mother, father, and sister, Dora, are forced to leave their home and relocate in Lodz, Poland, a Jewish internment camp when Syvia is five years old.  For the next five years, Syvia remained in hiding while her parents and sister worked, while narrowly escaping the clutches of Nazi soldiers who were searching for children.  Many of the Jewish children were sent to extermination camps under the guise of being taken care of by the Nazi government.  Due to the tireless efforts of her parents and only sister, Dora lives to see the rescue of her camp by the Russians, and her family is freed.  The author of this book is Syvia's niece, and she recorded her aunt's stories from telephone conversations and put them into a book.

I enjoyed this story because I consider it a primary source of history.  These words are straight from the mouth of someone who lived through one of the most horrifying times in the modern age, and they are a reminder to us of how evil people really can be.  I suggest teachers be mindful of the content and weight of this book before they assign it in their classrooms.  Seventh and eighth grades would be my ideal age suggestion, but one could easily extend that range into high school.  I definitely would not recommend this for any child under the seventh grade, simply because students need a concrete understanding of the events surrounding this time period, as well as the maturity that comes with older age.  Overall, this book was a somber account of a fairly recent occurrance, and it paints a picture of bleak optimism in a terrifying time.  

John, Paul, George and Ben

Author:  Lane Smith, 2006, Scholastic

If, by now, you have read some of the picture books I have reviewed, you have no doubt laughed several times.  Are you ready for another "laugher"?  I present to you:  John, Paul, George and Ben.  This children's book highlights facts about our founding fathers in an extremely hysterical way.  John (Hancock) had the best penmanship as a student; Paul (Revere) shouted very loudly; George (Washington), could chop down trees like nobody's business; and Ben (Franklin) always had a saying appropriate to the situation.  Perhaps the funniest part about this book is that all of these things were true when the men were adults.  We have no idea if they acted in this manner as children, but the author has presented historical facts to children in a funny way.

The first time I read this, I was laughing so hard that I was crying.  (If you did not get the same effect, you can stop reading now.)  I could picture these old men as children who were 10-going-on-50.  As the author notes in the front cover, this book is  "loosely based on the history tales [he] remembered from school."  Benjamin Franklin's sayings are true, John Hancock really did have beautiful cursive, George Washington cut down one or two trees, and Paul Revere announced that the British were coming.  The history is accurate, and the pictures are hysterical.  Read it for yourself and see if you can't stop laughing.  I guarantee that if you think it's funny, so will your young students.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

Author:  Patricia MacLachlan, 1985, Harper & Row
Newbery Award

Do you ever wistfully think of a simpler time?  In our world today, time moves so quickly, and we often long for open fields, blooming flowers, and the wind blowing across the open plains.  That is exactly what I picture when I read Sarah, Plain and Tall.  This story takes me back to a bygone era, one in which entertainment had to be discovered; it wasn't readily available.  Anna and Caleb lost their mother after Caleb was born, and they long for a woman to make her home with them.  Their father puts an advertisement in the newspaper for a wife (talk about a mail-order bride!), and lo and behold, Sarah Wheaton responds from Maine.  She leaves her brother and aunts behind to find a family who loves her dearly. 

Most children in my area read this book in the third grade; however, I do not believe I ever read it.  Some people in my children's literature class thought I would really enjoy the book, and I am so glad they recommended it.  I am a simple person, and I loved picturing Anna's and Caleb's home.  It was a classic, feel-good story, and I enjoyed reading about a hassle-free, plain and tall life. 

Noah's Ark

Illustrator:  Jerry Pinkney, 2002, SeaStar Books

Caldecott Award

The biblical story of Noah's Ark is arguably one of the best-known stories of all time.  God was angered at his people, so he sent a flood to destroy every living creature and plant on earth with the exception of Noah, Noah's wife, sons, sons' wives, and two of every animal.  When the waters finally receded, God sent a rainbow as a covenant that He would never again flood the earth.  It is a story of faith, trust, and deliverance, and Jerry Pinkney brings it to life in this children's book.

The pictures are extremely moving and detailed.  Every facet of the story is depicted with accuracy (as best as we know) through the fine artistic details and array of colors.  I admire Pinkney for taking such a well-known story and making it real for children in the 21st century.  If you are familiar with the story or have never heard of it, this book is a real treat for the aspects of history and faith.  I closed the book with a more vivid picture of the story in my own mind, and for someone who has heard the story all his life, I was impressed.

Woods Runner

Author:  Gary Paulsen, 2010, Random House
Rebecca Caudill Award Winner - Illinois (2012)

All Stations! Distress!

Author:   Don Brown, 2008, FlashPoint (Roaring Brook Press)
Bluestem Award - Illinois (2012)

On the evening of April 14, 2012, the world will recognize that 100 years have passed sinced the Titanic began to sink in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  This book accurately portrays the events surrounding that fateful journey by allowing the reader to visualize exactly what happened.  The author uses direct quotations from passengers and crew members who lived to tell a tale of horror, distress, sadness, and for some, survival.  The illustrations, most likely created by the author himself, give a brief glimpse into the lives of Titanic passengers.  Some were prestigious and well-to-do; some were "poor, yet ambitious," traveling to America as immigrants at the beginning of a new century.  The pictures show men, women, and children of all different classes enjoying the amenities of a world-class luxury liner.

But that luxury liner would never make it to America.  The Titanic would hit an iceberg and sink two miles beneath the ocean's surface.  I enjoyed when the author mentioned specific people who were traveling on the ship.  For example, Isidor and Ida Straus, owners of Macy's Department Store, were ones who unfortunately perished.  This was new information to me.  I enjoy shopping at Macy's, and I had no idea that the owners of an iconic American store were part of the Titanic's guest list.  This is proof that literature work for children can be more than entertainment:  It can be factual. 

Children of all ages will enjoy reading this book.  I would even venture to say that adults will like it too.  Instead of probing through countless sources of information to find out the gist of what happened aboard the Titanic on April 14-15, 1912, one could start with this truthful, accurate account in a very interesting place:  A children's book.