December 2019 Book Reports

The Confessions by Saint Augustine, translated by Maria Boulding, O.S.B. - link to my review (Kansas Dad's copy)

Wild Coast: Travels on South American's Untamed Edge by John Gilmette - link to my review (library copy)

Children of Summer: Henri Fabre's Insects by Margaret J. Anderson - link to my review (library copy)

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah - link to my review (library copy)

The History of Science: 1700-1900 (The Great Courses) by Frederick Gregory - This series of lectures was not as good as The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, but I'm a biologist by training who has always enjoyed the history of science. I appreciated the even-handedness of the professor when discussing the relationship between faith and science. He included frequent reminders that most of the scientists in this time were devout (or lukewarm) Christians and that the apparent separation of faith and reason as understood in modern times really didn't develop at all until later. In fact, he specifically refers to the Scopes trial in the American South. (purchased copy in an Audible sale)

A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati by Luciana Frassati - link to my review (parish library copy)

The Man Who Knew the Way to the Moon by Todd Zwillich - This short audiobook is like an extended NPR segment. It follows the story of one man who championed the use of a lunar module for the Apollo moon landing, in the course of which it explores the history of science, the sometimes contentious relationships of scientists, and the most interesting question of whether we'd be farther along in space travel if President Kennedy had not made a moon landing a political deadline. (one of the free Audible offerings for members in an earlier month)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - This book is presented as a series of letters, which I found a bit annoying at first. I find it difficult to keep track of who is writing when the narrator bounces around so much. After a while, though, I was able to enjoy it. The people of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between France and England, remain hopeful amid the harsh conditions of the German occupation during World War II. (library copy)

The Sea-Hawk by Rafael Sabatini - link to my post (purchased used)

Antarctica's Lost Aviator: The Epic Adventure to Explore the Last Frontier on Earth by Jeff Maynard - This book focuses on Lincoln Ellsworth who was one of a two-man team to first fly across Antarctica and who must surely rank among the most incompetent successful explorers. It seems to be exceptionally well-researched. In addition, the description of the flight was exciting. Overall, though, I just didn't find Ellsworth inspiring and will look for another option for our high school geography course on Antarctica. (library copy)

Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing for this post. All opinions are honest and my own. Links to Amazon or PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

American History Picture Books in 2012-2013 Post 5 of 5: Civil Rights, Hawai'i, Alaska, and Space Exploration

This is the fifth and last post in a series on the picture books we read along with our American History studies in 2012-2013 when First Son was in  third grade, First Daughter was in kindergarten, Second Daughter was four and Second Son wasn't paying attention.

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, illustrated by George Ford, is one of First Daughter's favorite books. Ruby is such a sweet and brave girl in the story.

Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper by Ann Malaspina, illustrations by Eric Velasquez, is the inspiring story of the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal (in 1948). The illustrations are wonderful and there are pictures of Alice on the last couple of pages. This is a great book to read when talking about sports, perseverance, racism, and hope.

Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod by Robert J. Blake is the book we read to celebrate Alaska joining the United States. It's the exciting tale of a one dog who was determined to finish the grueling Iditarod, even after she was injured.

I really wanted to read a Hawai'ian history picture book to the girls to celebrate it as the fiftieth state, but I couldn't find anything appropriate at our library. I did give First Son The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka'iulani of Hawai'i by Fay Stanley, illustrated by Diane Stanley, to read independently before he made a notebook page of Princess Ka'iulani. The story of Hawai'i's annexation is a sad one, I think. This book is excellent, but is much more of a proper biography than a picture book, too detailed for the girls.

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the biography I chose to read to the children. It's a little gritty for young children, but my girls didn't seem to mind. After our unit, I discovered I Have a Dream, which is one of my favorite picture books. We also read We March by Shane W. Evans, which gives a powerful witness not only to the March in 1963, but to our civic responsibilities and freedoms to peacefully demonstrate.

I've just recently discovered Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue, which tells of the friendship between a white boy and a black boy in 1964, after the Civil Rights Act passed into law. For older children, this could be a good introduction to a discussion about how changing the law was in some way just the beginning, that the struggle for real change meant changing hearts and attitudes.

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney, is one of my favorite picture books. I think it puts Rosa Parks's actions in perspective for young children. We also have the book Rosa by Nikki Giovanni. I love Bryan Collier's illustrations in this book, but I think the text doesn't do Rosa Parks justice; she was an intelligent and savvy woman who coordinated with others an effort to force Montgomery to change.

Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin with paintings by Wendell Minor is an autobiography written for young children. I thought it was a little text heavy for my girls, so I asked First Son to read it independently before creating a notebook page on Buzz Aldrin. I enjoyed reading it myself and found it inspiring, as I'm sure the author intended. The illustrations are marvelous.

One Small Step: Celebrating the First Men On the Moon by Jerry Stone is full of bits of paper that unfold like a scrapbook. It's overflowing with information on the astronauts and the space program. It would have been too overwhelming to read out loud to the girls, but I put it in our book basket for First Son to peruse at his leisure.

Posts in This Series - I'll update this list with links to all the others after they post.
#1: Slavery and the Civil War
#2: Progressive Era and Immigration
#3: World War I, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920s
#4: The Great Depression and World War II
#5: Civil Rights, Hawai'i, Alaska, and Space Exploration (this post)

You can see some of the books we read on this era when First Son was in kindergarten here. In addition, you can find links to all the picture books we read through American history in 2009-2010, when First Son was in kindergarten. 

Book Review: Into the Unknown

Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross and illustrated by Stephen Biesty

This fantastic book describes fourteen journeys by men (and one woman) of exploration. It begins with an Ancient Greek man who journeys to the Arctic circle and ends with a man on the moon. Each one is selected not only for the forays into farther lands, deeper seas, higher altitudes and outer space, but also for the vessels and technology employed in the explorations.

Every chapter includes detailed drawings, maps, and at least one unfolding page that reveals more information on the voyage. The exciting narratives are perfectly complemented by these engaging drawings. I can imagine children poring over them. First Son is only interested in such things in moderation, but I know some more engineering-minded children that would not be able to put this book down until they read the very last page.

I read through the entire book just to make sure there wasn't anything derogatory of religion and found nothing at all (other than a brief mention that angels were not found at the highest altitudes). It is mainly silent on the ideas of Christianity and all other religions.

I do wish the authors had included a pronunciation guide either in the text or at the end for the names of people and places.

We'll be using this book a bit in our history studies next year. I think the chapters will be a good length to read aloud. The majority of the stories, though, will be used in our fourth year of history, starting with the 1700s.

History & Culture: Everything After the Great Depression

As we approached the end of the school year, I just started reading books in roughly chronological order up to the present time. I figured we'd keep reading a few a week until we ran out of books or the baby was born. That didn't quite happen, but here are the books we did read.

Lightship by Brian Floca is a nice little book about ships that anchored near dangerous areas and acting as floating lighthouses. The illustrations are captivating, though my kids were mostly interested in the "head." I'm not sure this book contributed greatly to our understanding of history, but I like it, especially how the people who man the lightships are shown to be brave by their actions.

John Steuart Curry: The Road Home by Alice Bertels tells of the childhood and career of one of Kansas's own artists. Many of his paintings are shown in the book (and we can see a few in local museums). I'm sure we'll be reading this book again, certainly before visiting the State House in Topeka (doesn't every school-child see their state house at least once?) where his dramatic murals are on display. I have read and enjoyed this book a few times, but the kids were not overly impressed. Perhaps after seeing the murals they'll be more interested.

The Farm Summer 1942 by Donald Hall should be brought back to print. It tells of a young boy who lives with his grandparents in New Hampshire one summer while his mother is working for the war in New York City. Though he travels by plane and train, his grandparents still use their horse and wagon. The book bridges well the generations by describing the upgrades to the farmhouse since his father was a boy. Peter learns to help his grandfather on the farm. In sweet simple sentences we see him grow to love his summer life, while still yearning for his parents and friends in California. This book kept the attention of First Son pretty well (the second or third time we've read it), but it was not action-oriented enough for First Daughter. She'll get there.

Crow Call by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, builds on Ms. Lowry's own experiences reconnecting with her father after his time in the war. Nothing much happens. They spend the morning together, planning to hunt crows but simply enjoying the morning instead. The illustrations are marvelous, soft and evoking the shyness the girl and her father feel for each other. I love how this book attempts to show their relationship growing. (Some reviewers think it fails.) I read this book because I like it, but I wasn't surprised the children were not too interested. The only part they liked at all was when the father and daughter were making silly animal noises for each other.

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II by Lita Judge is the story of a little girl whose family connections to Germany develop into an effort to provide one thousand pairs of shoes along with other necessities to struggling families in Europe. The wonderful illustrations are complimented with pictures of real items the author discovered in her attic and based on the memories of her mother, the child in the story. I liked this story for our reading because it gives some idea of life after the war without being too harsh for little ones. I had also considered Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margot Theis Raven, but opted against it when there was a long wait at the library. (It would also have been the only book we read that wasn't set in the United States or the Americas.)

Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Robert A. Parker tells of Art Tatum's youth. I enjoyed this story because it presented poverty without dwelling on it and showed Art's love of the piano and his music despite his blindness. The kids were not overwhelmingly interested in the book and even less interested in the music even as I pointed out the pieces that are named in the book.

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney, was not much of a greater hit with the kids. I think First Son was intrigued by Scat Cat, who narrates Ella's life. Ms. Pinkney does a wonderful job incorporated some of the rhythm of Ella's music into the language of the book. Again, though, the kids did not love the story and were not interested in the CDs I requested from the library.



At this point, we stopped our "official" lessons for kindergarten. Because I've already done the work, here's the list of additional history books I had selected:

1. Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
2. Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr. (Scholastic Bookshelf) by Jean Marzollo
3. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
4. The Story Of Ruby Bridges (Scholastic Bookshelf) by Robert Coles
5. The Bat Boy And His Violin (Aladdin Picture Books) by Gavin Curtis
6. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter
7. Teammates by Peter Golenbock
8. Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin

I may still read these with the kids before we have to return them to the library, but I haven't yet so I'm not sure how much they will like them. For myself, I recommend them.