N.C. Whyeth's Pilgrims

N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims

Author: Robert San Souci

Illustrator: N.C. Wyeth

Genre: Nonfiction and Biography 

Awards: None

Grade Level: 4th-7th 

This book gives information about the first Thanksgiving. Beginning with the journey from England on the Mayflower, the book follows the pilgrims through a harsh winter and many other challenges like illness. The pilgrims survive their hard winter and meet Squanto, who is an Indian warrior. The book ends with the pilgrims having the first Thanksgiving which gave them hope that their colony would thrive. 

I would use this book as a read aloud when it gets close to Thanksgiving. I feel that it would give students more of an understanding of the meaning of Thanksgiving. 

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson 

Author: James Cross Giblin 

Illustrator: Michael Dooling

Genre: Nonfiction and Biography 

Awards: None

Grade Level: 4th-7th 

This book accurately shares the story of Thomas Jefferson. 

Starting when he was a little boy, afraid to speak up in class, all the way through his life until he passed in 1826. In Thomas Jefferson, many details of the hardships that the Jefferson family had to face were included. Events such as Thomas Jefferson almost losing everything he had worked for and his presidency offers readers an insight into the life of one of our founding fathers. 

Although this book is too long to use as a read aloud, I would split it up and read parts of it to my class at a time. This book offers an insight to history that is crucial to understanding it all. I would have older students use this for research purposes. 

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs

Author: Peter Zallinger

Illustrator: Peter Zallinger

Genre: Nonfiction and Biography 

Awards: None

Grade Level: 1st-5th 

This book follows the life of dinosaurs from the beginning to their extinction almost 70 million years ago. Dinosaurs teaches about many dinosaurs in detail. Some of these dinosaurs are the Thecodont, the  Brontosaurus, and the Styracosaurus. To help with pronouncing the names of the dinosaurs, each name is spelled out phonetically. The books also teaches about fossils and paleontologists.

If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would use it to introduce a unit on dinosaurs. Although this book would be a harder read aloud, I would want to use to give some background on the unit. 

Butterflies and Moths

Butterflies and Moths

Author: John Feltwell 

Illustrator: Frank Greenaway

Genre: Nonfiction and Biography 

Awards: None

Grade Level: 2nd-5th 

Butterflies and Moths thoroughly describes the differences between the two insects. Page by page the book addresses characteristics such as wing type, color, and body parts to show that although butterflies and moths are similar they are quite different. In this book, there are a few activities that students can do in order to deepen their understanding of butterflies and moths. Butterflies and Moths also teaches about the purpose behind each insect and what they do in their natural habitat. 

I would use this book in my classroom during a science unit. I feel that this book would be best used as a tool for research. 

The Snow Walker

The Snow Walker 

Author: Margaret K. Wetterer and Charles M. Wetterer 

Illustrator: Mary O'Keefe Young

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: None 

Grade Level: 3-5

This book is set in March of 1888 when a huge blizzard hits New York. Twelve year old, Milton wakes up to find out that his hometown is covered in snow and that school is canceled. He decides to make snowshoes so that he can go to the store to get his family milk. When he reaches the store, he buys some milk but kindly decides to sell it to all to the neighbors that he passes on the way home. He keeps returning to the store for more milk and then decides to go out again after lunch and continue to help his neighbors by giving them milk. His snowshoes begin to break but he decides to go to the drugstore to help an older couple. Even though Milton puts his life in danger to help others, he safely arrives at home. After the storm was over nobody could stop talking about the boy who helped save their lives by delivering supplies to them during the storm. 

This book can be used to teach about blizzards and how serious they are. One could also use this book to teach about helping others. 

Henry's Freedom Box

Henry's Freedom Box 

Author: Ellen Levine

Illustrator: Kadir Nelson 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: Caldecott Medal 

Grade Level: 3-5 

Henry's Freedom Box is about a little boy named Henry. Henry does not know how old he is because he is a slave. When he is still a young boy he is separated from his family and is forced to work under a different master. Henry ends up growing up and marrying another slave. One day at an auction Henry's wife and children get sold to a master who lives far away. Henry loses contact with his family. Henry then formulates a plan to escape to the north in order to obtain his freedom. He is placed in a shipping container and is placed on a boat. When he makes it to the north he has found his freedom, and this day becomes his birthday. 

This book can be used to teach students about slavery and how different the United States used to be. This book will open students eyes to how hard their lives were and how they were treated so unfairly. I would use this book as a component of a social studies unit. 

The Copper Lady

The Copper Lady 

Author: Alice Ross and Kent Ross

Illustrator: Leslie Bowman 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: None 

Grade Level: 1st-4th 

This book follows the sculptors and a little orphan boy through the creation of the Statue of Liberty. The little boy, Andre, frequently visits the sculptors during their work in order to get away from his neighbor who treats him poorly. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi allows Andre to do small things to help with the sculpting of the massive 151 foot tall statue. Once the statue is finished, it is put on a ship to America. Andre decides to stow away on the ship. He makes his presence known after a large storm when is forced to report lost cargo. Andre tells the captain that his goal is to work as a coppersmith when they get to the United States. The captain allows him to stay on the ship and work as a cabin boy.

I would use this book to give students an opportunity to learn about the Statue of Liberty. One could also use this book as a tool for a lesson about copper. This book could help show students that the statue used to be brown before the copper oxidized.