Book Bites -- July 2011
by Houston Family Magazine
This month’s selections from your Harris County librarians center on the theme “American history” in honor of Independence Day.
Toddlers (Ages 1 – 3)
Yankee Doodle • by Mary Ann Hoberman
Words and music follow Yankee Doodle’s famous ride to town, which takes an unexpected turn when he meets a lovable girl and her loyal poodle, a friendly toad, and an old rooster.
Firefly Night • by Carole Gerber
A young Chippewa girl follows a firefly as it reveals the secrets of the night and the many creatures that share her forest home. Inspired by Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha.”
My America • by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
This stunning tribute to our country reminds us that America’s strength and beauty come from the diversity of its people, wildlife, and landscape.
Picture Books (Pre K-K)
Imogene’s Last Stand • by Candace Fleming
Enamored of history, young Imogene Tripp tries to save her town’s historical society from being demolished in order to build a shoelace factory. Includes notes about historical figures mentioned in the story.
Tattered Sails • by Verla Kay
Taut, rhythmic text and absorbing illustrations depict the journey of a family from London to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635.
Mama Played Baseball • by David A. Adler
Young Amy helps her mother to get a job as a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League while Amy’s father is serving in the Army during World War II.
Early Readers (Grades 1-3)
Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country) • by Kathleen Krull & Paul Brewer
Lincoln wasn’t just one of our greatest presidents. He was a comic storyteller and a person who could lighten a grim situation with a clever quip. This unusual biography of Lincoln highlights his life and presidency, focusing on what made his sense of humor so distinctive and so necessary to surviving his tough life and times.
John, Paul, George & Ben • by Lane Smith
As young lads, America’s Founding Fathers were always getting into trouble: John’s handwriting was too big, Paul’s ear-splitting bell ringing made him talk too loudly, George was too honest for his own good, and Ben was always talking in proverbs. Readers young and old will love this humorous take on history.
Lucky Beans • by Becky Birtha
Like so many people during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Marshall Loman’s dad has lost his job. There’s little money, but there are plenty of beans—in fact, Ma cooks them for supper every single night! When Marshall sees a contest in the furniture store window to win a sewing machine by guessing the number of beans in a jar, he wonders how he can possibly win. Then Marshall remembers something he learned in arithmetic class.
Children’s Fiction & Nonfiction (Grades 4-6)
The Buck Stops Here: The Presidents of the United States • by Alice Provensen
Using detailed vignettes that capture each era, witty couplets, and extensive factual material, the 20th Anniversary edition of this classic book takes readers on a journey from George Washington through Barack Obama.
On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells
When the Depression hits in Cairo, Illinois, and Oscar Ogilvie’s father must sell their home and vast model train set-up to look for work in California, eleven-year-old Oscar is left with his dour aunt, where he befriends a mysterious drifter, witnesses a stunning bank robbery, and is suddenly catapulted onto a train that takes him to a different time and place.
The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History by Jennifer Armstrong
Starting with the colony of Saint Caroline, founded by French Huguenots near what is today Jacksonville, FL, in 1565, the short tales proceed chronologically, telling fascinating stories about real people and occurrences in American history.
Teen Fiction and Nonfiction (Ages 12 & up)
Traveling the Freedom Road: From Slavery & the Civil War through Reconstruction • by Linda Barrett Osborne
An overview of the years 1800 – 1877, told through unforgettable first-person accounts from slave narratives, journals, diaries, and other sources. The perspectives of children and adults who lived through this time and witnessed its significant events are provided alongside photographs, engravings, news clippings, and other archival materials from the collections of the Library of Congress, offering a poignant narrative to readers.
The Sons of Liberty • by Alexander Lagos and Joseph Lagos
Teenage runaway slaves with superhuman powers, a Hessian giant, the most evil slave owners imaginable, and Benjamin Franklin: this story of the Revolution blends fact and fantasy in an imaginative reinterpretation of a critical time in American history.
Soldier’s Secret: The Story of Deborah Sampson • by Sheila Solomon Klass
This provocative novel is based on the life of a real woman who, at the age of 21, disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental army during the Revolutionary War.
