|
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. |
| Blizzard! The Storm That Changed America |
Jim Murphy |
Human-Environment Interactions |
The Great Blizzard was a disaster that devastated
lives and brought everyday activities from Virginia to Main to
a standstill. Historical illustrations and photographs complement
the text. |
|
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 Fire |
Harriette Gillem Robinet |
Relationships, Movement |
This is a story about a young girl, Hallelujah,
who lives with a foster family after her mother died escaping
to Chicago from a plantation in the South. The events surrounding
the three day fire show how humans affect their environment and
how the environment affects humans. In addition, themes of movement
are addressed through the flight of southern slaves, and immigration
from Europe. |
| 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. |
|
Downriver
|
Will Hobbs
|
Location, Place, Relationships, Movement,
Regions
|
After seven teenagers hijack the rafting
equipment from their wilderness education program, they embark
on a wild ride down the Colorado River. However, with no map
or adult supervision things soon fall apart. Some teens sustain
injuries, while different members of the group turn on one another,
but when all is said and done one young girl comes out of the
experience with a new respect for the wilderness and a willingness
to compromise with others.
|
|
Grasshopper Summer*
|
Ann Turner
|
Location, Place, Relationships, Movement,
Region
|
Following the Civil War hardships force
Sam's family to leave Kentucky for the Dakota Territory. The
journey west is difficult, and Sam is resentful about the sacrifice
forced upon him. However, he soon learns to love his new home
and when new troubles threaten to send the family back east
Sam goes to great lengths to stay out west.
|
|
Jayhawker
|
Patricia Beatty
|
Location, Place, Movement
|
In the years before the Civil War Midwesterners
are torn over the issue of slavery. Lije Tully is a jayhawker
(a Kansas abolitionist) that goes undercover among a group of
Confederates. He warns Kansans of possible dangers for many
years, but he returns home shortly before the raid on Lawrence.
|
|
John Muir
|
Eden Force
|
Location, Place, Relationships, Movement
|
This biography of John Muir, the first
president of the Sierra Club, demonstrates the importance of
educating people about the world around them. Although born
in Scotland, he finds true happiness living in the Yosemite
Valley in California. There he discovers that wildlife and the
environment need protection in order to survive.
|
| Legends of Landforms: A Native American Lore and
the Geology of the Land |
Carole G. Vogel |
Location, Place, Regions |
Combination of Native American myths and scientific
explanations for such landforms as Mount St. Helens, the Grand
Canyon, Niagara Falls, and Nantucket Island, to name a few. |
| 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.
|
|
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. |
| Prairie Songs** |
Pam Conrad |
Place |
The severity of life on the prairie evokes love for its beauty,
as well as desperate loneliness. |
| Return to the Island |
Gloria Whelan |
Place, Region, Movement, Relationships |
In 1818, Mary lives on an island in the Great Lakes
that has been settled by French, British, and Native Americans.
This book tells you about the many different aspects of settlement
during this time period including a Native American perspective,
all rapped up in a love story. |
| 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 one country. Illustrated by Adrienne Yorkins 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 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 Great Fire* |
Jim Murphy |
Human-Environment Interaction, Place |
This is a vivid account of the Great Chicago Fire taken from
the diaries, letters, and firsthand accounts of those who survived.
Startling illustrations, photographs, and maps. One fully grasps
the horror, panic, and helplessness of those who experienced the
conflagration. Causes, results and myths are indicated. Well-researched. |
| The Orphan Train* |
Joan Lowery Nixon |
Location, place, relationships, movement |
After Mr. Kelly dies, Mrs. Kelly finds herself unable
to adequately take care of her children. When her oldest
boy is caught steeling and will be sent to jail. She sends her
children from their home in New York, to the Western Frontier
to be adopted by different families. This story is one in
a series of four, and focuses on the experiences of the oldest
sibling Frances. |
| The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhay: Life
in Medieval Africa* |
Patricia and Frederick McKissack |
Region, movement, location, place |
This book accurately describes what life was like
in Medieval Africa, including multiple historical points of view.
In addition to recounting the past, the books explains the process
of archaeological and historical research. (For more advanced
readers.) |
| The Saga of Lewis and Clark into the Unchartered
West |
Thomas Schmidt and Jeremy Schmidt |
Location, place, region |
Detailed narrative of remarkable journey of Lewis
and Clark and Corp of Discovery. Eye-catching phoyographs
and illustrations, maps, plant and animal listings, index, glossary,
and expedition roster add substance. |
|
The Star Fisher*
|
Laurence Yep
|
Place
|
In 1927, Joan Lee and her family decide
to move to West Virginia from their home in Ohio. The family
of Chinese-Americans struggle to find acceptance from their
close-minded neighbors, and they finally find the support they
need in the kind words and actions of their new friends. Together
they overcome the backward views of the townspeople.
|
|
The Ups and Downs of Carl Davis III*
|
Rosa Guy
|
Place, Relationships, Movement, Region
|
In this story Carl's parents send him to
live with his grandmother because they fear the negative influences
he must face while living in New York City. However, Carl's
letters to friends and family back home show that adversity
and temptation are not limited to the big city. He must battle
confusion and worry, but he gains small measures of wisdom and
maturity.
|
| 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. |
