Faith Ringgold's Birthday

Throughout my years of substitute teaching I haven't had much interaction with Faith Ringgold as an author. I do recall reading Tar Beach during one of my Master's classes, but that's about it, so I was kind of looking forward to this post! Faith Ringgold is an incredible author who has the ability to bring historical events to life in a way that is appealing and engaging to children! Hopefully you'll enjoy these books as much as I do!

Ringgold, Faith.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky.
1992.
Crown Publishers, Inc.
Guided Reading Level: R

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end.

This was a wonderful, wonderful book - I'm very impressed with it and will definitely be remembering this one for when I have an opportunity to teach about slavery and the Underground Railroad! It's an incredible story that I feel accurately depicts the Underground Railroad! Definitely worthy of classroom time!

Lesson Plans/Reading Activities:

• Extension Activities
• 1st/2nd Grade Lesson Plan
• Underground Railroad Virtual Tour
• Teacher's Guide
• Reader's Guide
• Quilts and the Underground Railroad
  

Ringgold, Faith.
If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks.
1999.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Guided Reading Level: P

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

If a bus could talk, it would tell the story of a young African-American girl named Rosa who had to walk miles to her one-room schoolhouse in Alabama while white children rode to their school in a bus. It would tell how the adult Rosa rode to and from work on a segregated city bus and couldn't sit in the same row as a white person. It would tell of the fateful day when Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man and how that act of courage inspired others around the world to stand up for freedom. In this book a bus does talk, and on her way to school a girl named Marcie learns why Rosa Parks is the mother of the Civil Rights movement. At the end of Marcie's magical ride, she meets Rosa Parks herself at a birthday party with several distinguished guests. Wait until she tells her class about this!

What a creative way to teach children about the importance of Rosa Parks - a talking bus that was there on the day Rosa Parks sat in that forbidden seat! Kids are sure to love reading about this piece of history. It's definitely a book that belongs in the classroom for Black History Month!

Lesson Plans/Reading Activities:

• Teach Peace Now

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.

Cheryl Harness' Birthday

Born in Maywood, California on July 6, 1951, Cheryl Harness is a children's author who allows children to be time travelers as they read her books, sending them back in time to major events in the United States that have impacted life as it is today.

Harness, Cheryl.
The Amazing, Impossible Erie Canal.
1995.
Macmillan Books for Young Readers.
Guided Reading Level: M

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

When De Witt Clinton, a young politician, first dreams of building a canal to connect the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, folks don't believe such a thing can be done. But eight long years after the first shovelful of earth is dug, Clinton realizes his vision at last. The longest uninterrupted canal in history has been built, and it is now possible to travel by water from the American prairie all the way to Europe!

I've used this before in a 4th grade classroom and the kids really loved all the details that are pulled from the book... it's definitely the little things that they hang on to! This is a great read for anyone in the Great Lakes regions or for children who are learning about the history of the United States and the impact the past has on the present!

Harness, Cheryl.
They're Off!: The Story of the Pony Express.
1996.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Guided Reading Level: R

Summary from Barnes & Noble: In 1860, with North and South about to be divided by war, East and West were united through an extraordinary venture — the Pony Express. Over the course of ten days in April, eighty riders and five hundred horses delivered mail between California and Missouri — a mission that took three weeks by stagecoach.

This was a really interesting book and one on a topic that I wasn't at all familiar with... children will love it! There's a whole wealth of books relating to the Pony Express available that you could read alongside this one!

• Ride Like the Wind: A Tale of the Pony Express
• Bronco Charlie and the Pony Express
  
• Black Storm Coming
• Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express
• Wanted: A Few Bold Riders: A Story of the Pony Express
  

Harness, Cheryl.
Our Colonial Year.
2005.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

In Colonial America there were no big grocery stores. No microwaves to serve up dinner piping hot. And no dishwashers for cleaning up. So what chores did colonial children do? From quilting bees and maple sugaring in the winter, to tilling the earth in spring, to harvesting an autumn feast, storyteller and historian Cheryl Harness tells a month-by-month story of a brand-new nation and the children in every city and farm whose hard work built America. Readers of all ages will delight in this vibrant folk art chronicle of one indelible nation way back when.

This would be a great read for children studying the 13 original colonies. I would probably use this book to have them compare life then and now!

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.

National Kite Month

April is National Kite Month! This is a month-long celebration of what else but kites?! The goal of National Kite Month is to promote the fun of kiteflying, the history of kites, the artistry of kitemaking, and the ways that kites can be considered educational tools. Loads of information can be found at the National Kite Month website, which can be found here.

Lin, Grace.
Kite Flying.
2002.
Dell Dragonfly Books.

This book is perfect for children aged 3-7! The wind is blowing and it's a great day for flying kites, so the family takes a trip to local craft store, picking up all the supplies they'll need to start making kites of their own - glue, paper and paint! Each family member has a specific job to do in order to build the kite and then set off to launch their dragon into the sky.

The last two pages of the book also provide a great deal of information about the history of the kite that would make for wonderful discussion.
Lesson Plans/Book Activities:

• Tail Acrostic Poems and Personalized Kites
• Grace Lin: Kite Flying - Activities
  

Murphy, Stuart.
Let's Fly a Kite.
2000.
HarperCollins Publishers.
Guided Reading Level: K

Stuart J. Murphy, with his MathStart series, introduces very basically, the concept of symmetry in this funny story about two young children who are arguing about everything. Their babysitter, desperate to end the arguing, splits the last peanut butter and banana sandwich in half, so that both pieces are exactly the same. She draws an imaginary line down the back seat of her car, hoping to put an end to the bickering of who's got more room. She even divides a kite in half perfectly, so that each side is the same and the children will each have half to decorate.

While the term symmetry is not used at any point throughout the book, the concept is clearly presented and this will open the door to a discussion and introduction to symmetry and possibly even fractions!

Lesson Plans/Reading Activities:

• A World of Symmetry
• Go Fly a Kite
• What Patterns Do You See?
• Kite Color Symmetry
  

Hall, Bruce Edward.
Henry and the Kite Dragon.
2004.
Philomel Books.
Guided Reading Level: R

Set in New York City and based on true events that occurred in the 1920's, Henry and the Kite Dragon depicts the troubled relationship and rivalry between Chinese American and Italian American children that truly existed.

Grandfather Chin, the "grandfather" of everyone in Henry's apartment building works with the Chinese-American children to help build kites and fly them over the Chinatown and Little Italy sections of the city. However, each time that Grandfather Chin and Henry fly the kites, the Italian Americans, who are playing in a park, throw rocks at the kites, ultimately destroying them. One day Henry's had enough of those bullies destroying Grandfather Chin's precious made kites and sets off to the park with a bunch of friends from the apartment. They soon discover the real reason that the kites are being destroyed and with a bit of cooperation and planning, the two differing cultures are able to blend together and work as a team, Henry and the other Chinese Americans having an opportunity to fly their kites in the morning, and Tony and his friends from Little Italy flying their pigeons in the afternoon.

The important lesson to be learned from this story is cooperation and teamwork... that working together to come up with a plan is better than using bullying methods to accomplish something! This is a wonderful story and would be a great addition to a home library or any classroom, as a read aloud for pleasure, or to incorporate into character education programs.

Lesson Plans/Book Activities:

• Tail Acrostic Poems and Personalized Kites
• Henry and the Kite Dragon
  

Other Kite-Themed Miscellaneous Lesson Plans:

• Soar into Spring with Kites!
• Kites as an Educational Tool
• "Let it Fly!" A Selective, Annotative Listing of Books about Kites from Many Cultures for Teachers of K-8 Students
• Thematic Unit on Kites
• Kite Day Theme
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.