The Great Divide

Dayle Ann Dodds introduces children to division in The Great Divide: A Mathematical Marathon as racers encounter hazards that leave them divided into groups. Each hazard leaves the group divided in half until there is only one racer remaining to win the race.

I thought Full House: An Invitation to Fractions did a better job in providing children with visual demonstrations of the math concepts and how the math would be represented in numerical form. This is a cute math story, but not nearly as strong as many of the other math picture books I have been reviewing.

Starcross

Starcross is the second book in the Larklight series. After recovering from the giant spiders and rescuing the British Empire, Myrtle, Art and their mother are enticed to go on vacation to Starcross a luxury hotel. As anyone who reads fantasy or science fiction knows, vacations are never peaceful for heroes in these novels.

Reeve did find an original villain. Who would suspect evil top hats? Mother and the children along with Jack are engaged in another adventure to save the Universe from danger.

Art matures a great deal in this book and carries the burden of telling the story. Myrtle's diaries are not a part of the tale as they were in Larklight. We learn more about Mother's history and abilities in Starcross. Jack and Myrtle's relationship continues to progress slowly with typical challenges and issues.

A younger relative will be receiving this series this summer to keep her entertained during down times during her visits. I will be interested to hear her thoughts on the books.

The Minute Boys of Lexington

The Minute Boys of Lexingtonis a historical fiction account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord written from a boy's perspective by Edward Stratemeyer. Unlike the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Bobbsey Twin Series I previously blogged about that Stratemeyer's syndicate wrote, there are some indications this may have been his own work.

The story focuses on Roger Morse and his young friends as they participate in the events leading up to and the day of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The focus on the boys is designed to give children a feeling for what it would be like to have been a child during the Revolution and to give them a chance to travel along with Roger and his friends as they experience the challenges.

The author clearly tells the story from an American boy's perspective. There is no attempt to balance the story with an English perspective of the events. As I mentioned previously these stories can be helpful in providing color and contrast to traditional historical accounts of the events.

My library research can only find two books in the series although the original writing indicates that the intention was to write a series about the Revolution. I am trying to get a copy of The Minute Boys of Bunker Hill (w/glossary)through our regional loan system. While the series was republished in the 1990's it does not seem to have been widely publicized. It is harder to locate than I expected.

Let it Begin Here! April 19, 1775 The Day the American Revolution Began

I first went looking for one picture book with this title only to find there were two with very similar titles. I requested both from the library to review. Sometimes books are republished, but in this case the books not only have different authors, but approach the topic differently.

In Don Brown's version of Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775: The Day the American Revolution Began (Actual Times)the focus is on the British role in the Battle. The story starts with King George and follows the conflict to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. This makes this book a great companion to the hour by hour coverage given in Dennis Brinnel Fradin's Let It Begin Here!: Lexington & Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution. That book provides readers with more of a colonist's perspective on the events. You can read my review of that book here.

The illustrations in this book are more cartoonish and remind me a bit of Jean Fritz's books. They do not distract from the story and may engage children in reading about the events.

It is interesting to compare and contrast the viewpoints in the two novels. Brown is horrified by some of the actions of the colonists, but never discusses the pillaging done by the British troops. Reading both books provides a chance to talk to children about bias and the importance of reading multiple sources to get an accurate picture of events.

Frog and Toad are Friends

Frog and Toad Are Friends is part of a Frog and Toad early reader series that focus on the two friends, Frog and Toad. The books are designed in chapters with each chapter telling a story about the two main characters. The focus of all the stories in the series is friendship.

These books have remained popular despite their simple plots and basic illustrations. Our family is on our third generation of children to read these books. They still seem to enchant.

If you enjoy Frog and Toad, Lobel has some less known books that you may want to explore with your children.

I listed some free resources for those looking to explore the book further.

Arnold Lobel

Book Report Template

California Teacher Resource Guide

Frog and Toad Resource List

Scholastic

Bread and Jam for Frances

Bread and Jam for Frances is part of a series of books written about Frances the badger and her family. Many of the books tell stories both parents and children can relate regarding going to bed, eating, adding a sibling, and a variety of other issues.

I borrowed this book from the library to review because when I mentioned Frances to a few people they were not familiar with the name and I wondered if others had missed her in the midst of so many newer children's series. Harper Collins has released many of the Frances stories as part of their I Can Read Series. The copy I borrowed of Bread and Jam for Frances is the I Can Read version not the original format.

I had an amazing second grade teacher who filled her classroom with wonderful children's books that the school did not provide. This is how I originally encountered Bread and Jam for Frances. Frances is a young badger who enjoys bread and jam and cannot understand the need for a varied diet. She sings songs; trades her lunches, and constantly complains about eating anything but bread and jam. Her mother tries an experiment. She allows Frances to have nothing but bread and jam for all her meals and snacks. Frances of course misses the other fine meals her mother makes. She eventually asks her mother for something other than bread and jam having learned her lesson.
This is a good early reader series for children. Harper Collins lists it as a level 2 in their I Can Read Series. Most of the books are available for purchase and in your local libraries.

Let it Begin Here! Lexington and Concord First Battles of the American Revolution

Let It Begin Here!: Lexington & Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution is a picture book account of the Battle of Lexington and Concord written by Dennis Brindell Fradin and illustrated by Larry Day.

I came across this book title while trying to find a copy of Day of Glory: The Guns at Lexington and Concord from the library. I put a reserve request in only to discover there are actually two books with similar titles. I have Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775: The Day the American Revolution Began by Don Brown on reserve now and will review that when I get my copy from the library.

One of the greatest strengths of this books was Larry Day's illustrations. The book opens with a battle map that outlines the trip from Boston to Concord. The watercolor pictures bring the story alive and this makes the book a resource for both younger children and older students. The pictures are not cartoonish or juvenile. It is a good chance to bring art into a discussion of history.

Dennis Brindell Fradin chose an interesting format for his picture book. He starts with a Who's Who dividing characters on the American side and the British side. The next page is an Introduction that outlines the history leading up to the events of Lexington and Concord. The book continues in a less detailed hour-by-hour format than found in Day of Glory. This is expected because of the picture book versus chapter book format. However, I do think some of the details of the events could have been more detailed and some of the less important information left out.

For instance, there is speculation about whom the colonists got their information from regarding Gage's movements. Gage's wife has always been suspect because of her American heritage, but there is no proof that she leaked the information. While this author acknowledges there is no proof, twice in the book he strongly hints that she is responsible for betraying her husband without ever providing compelling evidence.

The book ends with a quick summary of the war and a page I found interesting called What Happened to the People. This page gives a few details of the lives of some of the figures on the American and British side of the Battle. My only issue was Mrs. Gage being listed as side unknown. That seemed unnecessary and inappropriate. The book would have been stronger without the attacks on Mrs. Gage and more of Spenser's focus on the people and the towns that came together to fight the Regulars.

I would recommend this book as a resource for parents and teachers looking for children's books on the topic. The detailed hourly accounts provide a good format for examining the battle. Children can make their own outline and add details as they learn more from other resources.

Detectives in Togas

Detectives in Togas combines historical fiction with mystery to create a fun children's novel. I find historical fiction is a great way to supplement the study of history. When an author finds a way to combine another genre with historical fiction it just increases the ability to draw children in to reading it.

This is another republished older book. The original publication date was 1956. It is still in print and available for purchase.

Detectives in Togas is the story of Roman students and their teacher trying to solve the mystery of an attack on their teacher and graffiti that has appeared on a Roman Temple. One of their classmates is jailed for the crime because of actions that occurred during class.

As the mystery unfolds, the reader learns more about Roman society, government, and history. The book is more meaningful if students have some background and knowledge of Roman history, but it can be read as a mystery without too much additional research.

I will be looking for the sequel at the library. It appears the boys are in trouble again. One of their fathers is in danger of being assassinated.

History News Series

If you are looking for some fun and educational reading material to supplement your history curriculum the History News series published by Candlewick publishing may be something to research.

I used The Egyptian News, The Greek News, and The Roman News for two years. The Explorers Newswas added to my classroom library when the curriculum changed and I needed new supplemental material. These books offer a variety of learning opportunities in a fun format.

The books are set up in a magazine style. The articles reflect the various types of writing one would see in a newspaper/magazine. The articles attempt to create the feeling for what might have appeared if the articles were written at the time the events occurred, but in modern language students will connect to and comprehend. The books even include letters to the editor about topics that might have been debated at the time.

These books provide a wonderful opportunity to discuss the difference between factual reporting and opinions. Students can be asked to identify and support their reasons for labeling pieces as factual or as opinion articles and learn to apply this skill to current news material, too.

Day of Glory the Guns at Lexington and Concord

Edited June 5, 2018 to add I went looking for this book to use with a family member and much to my delight discovered it is available now as a Kindle e-book with the original cover art.


I thought about reviewing Day of Glory: The Guns at Lexington and Concordtoo late to request the book from the library in time to reread and write a review in time for Patriot's Day. It did remind me to put a request into our local library for the book.

The book was originally published in 1955 and picked up as a Scholastic Book selection in the 1970's. At some point Scholastic printed the book again in the 1990's under their Apple Paperback brand. I have not been able to locate a date because the library copy I borrowed still lists the original 1955 copyright date.

The story is a historical fiction account of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The book is formatted in hour chapters beginning at 7PM the night before the battle and ending at 7PM the day of the battle. The book is historical fiction because it attempts to provide more emotional and personal details and create a story line to guide the readers through the events. This is what makes this novel a great book to accompany what can be dry historical accounts of the battle itself. Students can and should be asked to verify information for accuracy.

What I liked about this book is that it does not only focus on Lexington and Concord and the generic Minutemen who fought. It discusses the towns and locations where the volunteers came from to fight. While I was aware of many of these stories, I think it is important for students to hear them. Not all the Minutemen arrived at Lexington. It took time for the news of the Regulars arrival to get to these towns, the men to assemble, and then travel to the areas. This book does a good job explaining how the residents learned of the British troop movements and the journeys required to make it to the battle locations. It also explains the British plans and movements that are rarely addressed in most children's historical accounts of the battle.

This book is not currently in print, but it is commonly available in used books sites and as I demonstrated your public library. As with all resources, I suggest reading it yourself before using it with your children. This story would make a good read aloud in conjunction with other non-fiction historical accounts.

If you can find the original book, the cover art is better. The original cover depicts an artistic view of the Minutemen walking. The Apple cover is of children and is less focused on the content of the novel. The cover is hardly essential to the content of the writing.

Additional Links:

Acton Minutemen

Danvers Alarm List

Menotomy Minutemen

Minuteman National Park

Sudbury Minutemen

Brain Cleary's Language Series

People are always looking for creative ways to teach English Language skills to students. Brian Cleary has found a creative way to teach elementary students parts of speech and various English language issues Cleary wanted to address.

I recently purchased a couple of his books for a relative. Looking through them, I was reminded at how creative his teaching methods are for engaging children in the topic. In Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? (Words Are Categorical), the author does not start by defining an adjective. In fact, at the end he asks the child to define the word. Instead, he uses alternate colored text to highlight the adjectives he uses to describe the pictures. He demonstrates different types of adjectives in an effort to give children examples of ways adjectives are used. This would be a great way to help kids develop a definition of the word adjective.

The second book I found a copy of in this series was To Root to Toot to Parachute: What Is a Verb (Words Are Categorical). This book teaches children about verbs. The format is very similar to the adjective book. This is the strength of the series. Children are exposed to a variety of examples of the topic and then given a chance to create a definition.

While I would not suggest this series as your primary English series, it is a wonderful supplement to introduce or supplement an established program. It is a way to get students to formulate a definition and not just memorize one.

Book, Movie, and Game Reviews

I have written a number of book, movie, and game reviews for this blog and it is easy to lose track of them. I decided to create a page to help me keep track of them.

Books:

Biography:

Caddie Woodlawn

Caddie Woodlawn's Family

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House in the Ozarks: A Laura Ingalls Wilder Sampler: The Rediscovered Writings

A Little House Traveler: Writings From Laura Ingall's Wilders Journeys Across America

Early Readers:

Bread and Jam for Frances

Eary Chapter Book Series:

Wright on Time Arizona

Education:

The Best Kind of Different

English Language Picture Books to Teach: Idioms, Parts of Speech,etc.

Brian Cleary's Language Series

Compound Words

If You Were A Contraction

The King Who Rained

English Non-fiction Resources:

Punctuation the Write Stuff

History:


Colonial America:

The Dreadful Smelly Colonies

The Pilgrims of Plimoth

The Pilgrims of Plymouth

Samuel Eaton's Day

Sarah Moton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl

The Story of Jamestown

Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times

Three Young Pilgrims

The Voyage of the Mayflower

You Wouldn't Want to be an American Colonist

You Wouldn't Want to Sail on the Mayflower a Trip that Took Entirely Too Long


American Revolution:

The Battle of Bunker Hill and Interactive History

Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre and Interactive History

Let it Begin Here! April 19, 1775 The Day the American Revolution Began

Let it Begin Here! Lexington and Concord First Battles of the American Revolution

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

The Revolutionary War an Interactive History

You Wouldn't Want to be at the Boston Tea Party

World History:

Ancient Egypt: A Guide to Egypt in the Time of the Pharoahs (Sightseers)

Other History:

Usborne Time Traveler

Historical Fiction:

Ben and Me

Day of Glory The Guns at Lexington and Concord

Dectectives in Togas

Minute Boys of Bunker Hill

The Minute Boys of Lexington

Mr. Revere and I

Snow Treasure

Usborne Time Traveler

Math Literature:

If You Were a Fraction

Mystery

Key to the Treasure

Picture Books

Believe Me Goldilocks Rocks

Cinderella is So Annoying

Frog and Toad are Friends

Goldilocks Returns

Honestly Red Riding Hood Was Rotton

Make Way for Ducklings

Poetry:

Hailstones and Halibut Bones

Music:

The Brass Family on Parade

Realistic Fiction

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Science:

Eyes and Ears

Science Fiction/Fantasy:

Alcatraz:

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarian

Alcatraz Versus the Scriverner's Bones

Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia

Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens

Bunnicula

Chronicles of the Red King

The Secret Kingdom

Cricket in Times Square

Fablehaven

Fablehaven

Rise of the Evening Star

Grip of the Shadow Plague

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Keys to the Demon Prison

Frog Princess

Frog Princess

Dragon's Breath

Once Upon a Curse

No Place for Magic

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow

Jane Austen Parodies:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Larklight

Larklight

Starcross

Mothstorm

The Name of the Book is Secret

Percy Jackson Series:

The Sea of Monsters

The Titan's Curse

Battle of the Labyrinth

The Last Olympian

Heroes of Olympus

The Lost Hero

Kane Chronicles

The Red Pyramid

The Throne of Fire

Peter and the Starcatchers

Sisters Grimm

The Fairytale Dectectives

Unusual Suspects

The Problem Child Book 3

Once Upon a Crime Book 4

Magic and Midemeanors Book 5

Tales From the Hood Book 6

The Everafter War Book 7

The Inside Story Book 8

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz


Games:

Dance on Broadway

Just Dance

Movies:

Biography:

Beyond the Prairie The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Science Fiction/Fantasy:

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Best Kind of Different

I saw Curt and Shonda Shilling doing an interview about this book on tv and decided to reserve it at the library. As a Red Sox fan I was familiar with their work on skin cancer and ALS, but I had not heard of their experiences with Aspergers.

My first experience with Aspergers was with a student about nine years ago. Our school provided great resources for teachers on learning disabilities, but our resources on behavioral disorders were not as wide. I found myself utilizing outside resources to educate myself on the topic. It was frustrating as an educator that practical resources were hard to come by and I can only imagine how parents felt. I was fortunate to find parents groups that welcomed me online and shared their wealth of knowledge and places to look.

This book was a great read. I was thinking this would be a great book to share with family and friends as one is trying to introduce them to the topic of Aspergers. The book is autobiographical, but it does address the factual issues of Aspergers and parents and teachers who have walked with families through a diagnosis can relate to the story. For family who may be sports fans it introduces the topic through the story of a sports family. I can think of some people this would have been useful to have given this to as an early read. For family members who may not be able to relate to the behaviors, the technical terms, and issues that start with the diagnosis, this may be a good introductory point.

I was able to find this book through interlibrary loan. That may be a great place to test the book to see if you find it helpful. I will be purchasing a few copies as gifts.