Studyplans

This unique ABC picture book shows a different place or cultural activity around the UK for each letter of the alphabet.  At the end of the book there is a two or three sentence description of the places, people or event.  It would be an especially interesting book to read with young children if a trip to the United Kingdom is planned.

Lalla lives in Mauritania, West Africa, and desperately wants to be old enough to wear a malafa, the beautiful, colorful cloth that her mother, sister, and other female relatives wear to cover their clothing and heads when they pray and when they go out in public. This realistic cultural picture book would be a valued addition to many elementary classrooms because it can be used as an interesting book to read and as a book that would help students begin to learn about cultures other than their own. 

Thomas Jefferson loved to read and collected three libraries in his lifetime according to the nonfiction picture book written for upper elementary/middle school students.  The pop-out boxes give additional information and the illustrations by John O'Brien add a great deal of detail to the story. This is a book that would enhance a trip to Monticello and would also add interest to a visit to the Library of Congress where Jefferson donated his second library after the British burned the books in 1814. 

The full title of this nonfiction book for elementary students is When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop. Clive, DJ Kool Hec, was born in Jamaica and loved the music he heard there. When he moved to the Bronx in New York City as a child, he brought what he had learned about music with him and created hip-hop music. The pictures show the Bronx in the 1970s. Anyone who is interested in the history of hip-hop will enjoy this book.

In 1901, Annie Edson Taylor designed and had constructed a barrel to safely take her over Niagara Falls. She planned to travel and tell of her adventure as a way of making money. Her plan was successful and this picture book for elementary students explains how she accomplished her goal.  It also tells of other adventurers who went over Niagara Falls or walked above it. This would be an especially good book for families who plan to visit Niagara Falls.

This picture book tells the story of Sammy's, a Wilson warbler, migration from near the Arctic Circle to Panama. Sammy didn't leave with the other Wilson warblers so has to find his own way.  He stops and talks to other migrating animals before he reaches his destination. The map at the end of the book shows the route Sammy took and the Warblers' regular route. Additional information about the animals Sammy met on his journey is also provided at the end of the book.  The outstanding feature for me when reading this book are the outstanding illustrations. This would be appropriate for elementary students although it could be enjoyed by all ages. 

This is a picture book for children in elementary school. The topic of the Holocaust is dealt with sensitively for young children and so is the life of Anne Frank. An could see the chestnut tree from the attic window of what she called her Secret Annex and it gave her hope. This would be a very good book for children to read if they plan to go to Amsterdam.

The full title of this book is The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever. The city is San Diego where Kate Sessions moved to in 1883.  While this is a picture book, it tells how Kate was a good student, loved science, did well in school, and excelled in many things that girls were not expected to enjoy making it an excellent book for older students.  This book would be especially interesting to those how live near or plan to visit Balboa Park in San Diego, California, since it explains how Kate caused the park to be created and populated with trees from around the world.

Locomotive is an informative, nonfiction picture book for older students and even adults.  The story and drawings show what a trip on the newly built railway from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California would have looked like for a family traveling coach class in 1869. The book won two awards at the time I read it: the Caldecotte Medal and The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book. While I enjoyed all of the book, as an adult I especially appreciated the diagrams and descriptions of how a train works and the labeling of the pictures telling the areas that the drawings show.  The detail in the book plus the lengthy history of the railroad and on the front inside cover and facing page and "A Note on the Locomotives" in the back of the book give additional information for those interested in gaining additional information. The outstanding diagram of how steam power works in the engine was easy to understand.