DSSEP Home Page
Geography and Children's Literature
Intermediate Reading
(Grade Levels 3-4)

* Book is located in the University of Delaware Library 
* Book is located in the Education Resource Center (ERC) 

Geography in Children's Literature Grades: K-2 | 3-4 | 5-6 | Literature Index

Title
Author
Theme
Summary
Africa is not a Country Margy Burns Knight Place Each page in this beautifully illustrated-book, by Anne Sibley O'Brien, tells about children and their daily life in a different African country. One is struck by the vastly distinctive customs of the different areas.
All Kinds of Children Norma Simon Place, Relationships Beautifully illustrated watercolors accompany the narrative which describes things children all over the world have in common; food, clothing, love, play, physical attributes, and the like.
Brother Eagle, 
Sister Sky**
Chief Seattle
Relationships
This story is adapted from a speech given by Chief Seattle in the 1850s. During negotiations with the United States government he urged those around him to protect and preserve the natural environment. The illustrated paintings accompanying the story depict Native American interacting with the environment.
Children of the Tlingit Frank Staub Location, Place, Region, Relationships An insightful text and superb photographs introduce the history, geography, and culture of the Tlingit people of Alaska through the lives of the Tlingit children.
Go Fish*
Mary Stolz
Place, Relationships
A young boy named Thomas talks his grandfather into going on a fishing trip to the Gulf of Mexico. They see a variety of wildlife, catch many fish, and have a wonderful dinner. At bedtime, grandfather tells Thomas an African folktale that has been passed down through their family.
Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters* Andrea Davis Pinkney Black Freedom fighters and civil rights. This book is a compilation of short biographies about black women who fought for their rights and the rights of other people. The women covered in this book are; Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Heights, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn.
Mapping Penny's World Loreen Leedy Location: Map-making and map reading In simplistic and colorful ways, this book shows children how to create maps of their familiar surroundings.
Mojave*
Diane Siebert
Place, Relationships, Region
This epic poem is great for reading out loud. The author uses the text and illustrations to describe the beauty of the Mojave desert and the story of its people's history.
Morning Girl**
Michael Dorris
Location, Place, Relationships, Movement
Morning Girl and her brother Star Boy narrate this story of Taino life in 1492. Although the families living on their island face many hardships, they benefit from the help the give one another. Towards the end of the story Morning Girl stumbles upon a group of strangers and invites them to come ashore. One of the strangers goes by the name Christopher Columbus.
My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States* Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins Place, Region, Relationships This is a compilation of Poems, organized by region, about the geography of all the states in the Union. Poets featured in the atlas include; Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, Nikki Giovanni, and Lilian Moore. Illustrations by Stephen Alcorn.
My Grandmother's Journey
John Cech
Movement
At bedtime, Grandmother tells Korie stories of growing up in Russia. She describes encounters with gypsies and the hardships brought on by the Russian Revolution. She explains the difficulties her family faced when trying to flee the USSR for the United States during the Second World War.
Stop the Presses! Nellie's Got a Scoop: A Story of Nellie Bly
Robert Quackenbush
Movement
This biography written for children tells the life story of one of America's first female reporters, Nellie Bly. The story details Nellie's childhood, her early days as a reporter, her life as a businesswoman, and her return to the career that made her famous.
Tar Beach**
Faith Ringgold
Place, Movement
As Cassie lies on the roof of her apartment building, which is known as Tar Beach, she imagines herself flying over famous New York City landmarks. In her daydream the beautiful sites belong to her, a reward for the injustices her family has suffered.
The Alphabet Atlas Arthur Yorinks Location, Place, Region, Relationships, Movement This is a unique "atlas" that presents geographic facts visually on quilt squares.  Each striking square focuses on on e country.  Illustrated by Adrienne Yorinks with letter art by Jeanyee Wong.
The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal* Cheryle Harness Movement, Human-Environment Interaction, Place Descriptions are given and multiple colorful pictures and maps are displayed to explain how the Erie Canal was built and how the locks function. Illustrations and maps are outstanding and easy to understand.
The Empty Lot
David H. Fife
Place, Relationships
The book's main character, Harry Hale wants to sell a small piece of land that had once been a part of his grandfather's farm. However, when he visits the lot he discovers that the overgrown land is home to many animals, and he has a change of heart.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: The Cold War Ends* Nigel Kelly Movement, Relationships, Place, Region, Location This books explains how the Cold War began, persisted, and ended in a way that elementary students can understand.
The Silk Route John Major Place, Relationships, Movement, Region, Location This is a story about the silk route during the Tang Dynasty in approximately 700 A.D. The book contains a map of the silk route and descriptions of the major places through which it traversed.
The Year of Miss Agnes* Kirkpatrick Hill Place, Regions, Movement Miss Agnes is a unique teacher in a remote Athabascan village of Alaska. From the story one gains a strong sense of what life is like for the Athabascan villagers, along with an understanding of their culture, values, and the region in which they live. One also reads about a remarkable woman who teaches every child to read, write, and love learning.
Time To Go
Beverly and David Fiday
Place, Relationships, Movement, Region
Although this book does not contain a lot of text, there are many good vocabulary words. The story illustrates a young boy's final trek around his family's farm on the day they move to a new home.
Trucker
Hope Herman Wurmfeld
Location, Movement
Phil Marcum loves his family and wants to be present for all of the special events in their lives, but he is a trucker and spends many of his days hauling goods up and down the east coast. Still, he squeezes in as much time for his family as he can, including a trip to his daughter's school to share stories about his life as a trucker.

(Back to top)

End of Cluster Expectations | Social Studies Literature | Field Trips | Internet Resources
articles
| DSSEP Home Page | DCTE Home Page | Join Our listserv

University of Delaware Web PageSend comments to Fran O'Malley at fomalley@udel.edu.
This page was last modified on: