Little House in the Woods, Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Illustrated by Garth Williams

Little House in the Woods

Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Illustrated by Garth Williams 

Grades:3-6

Awards: Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1958)

This is the first book int he Little House Series. It is told from 4 year old Laura's point of view. It is 1871 and her family's life as pioneer's is beginning. She talks about the the hard times and the about the good. There is always Pa and his fiddle at night. The family is together and they are safe and warm. There are a total of 9 books in the Little House Series. They have been loved and read for many years. 

Who Was Ronald Reagan? Written by Joyce Milton, Illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf

Who Was Ronald Reagan?

Written by Joyce Milton

Illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf

Grades 3-5

This is about Ronald Reagan the 40th president of the United States. It starts off with his early life as a life guard. He often said that was the happiest time of his life. It goes through all the parts of his life until his death. It even includes the farewell letter he wrote when he was diagnosed with Alzheimers. One of my favorite Presidents and who my son Reagan is named after. I love these books! They are written by different authors and have so much information that is easy to read for elementary students. They also include great pictures!

The Honey Makers, Written and Illustrated by Gail Gibbons

The Honey Makers

Written and Illustrated by: Gail Gibbons

Grades: K-3

This is a wonderfully illustrated book on the life of a honeybee and the colony. It shows the parts of a bee's body. It also shows the inside the hive. It details the entire process of how the bees collect the honey and store the honey to how the beekeepers collect the honey. It also show how the queen bee lays her eggs. It show the developmental stages of the honey bee. It tells bout the different worker bees. It lets you know how important bees are to pollination. It does give some latin terms but, defines them and shows how to pronounce them as well. This is a great book to get to know about bees and honey. 

Black Like Me, Written by John Howard Griffen

Black Like Me

Written by John Howard Griffen

Awards:
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (1962)

Grades: 7-12

John Howard Griffen took special pills and light treatment to make his skin dark so he could pass for a "Negro" in 1959. His transformation was complete on October 28, 1959. He had his eyes opened to the way the Negro community was treated by the white people. How segregation worked and how the black community felt. He walked in their shoes. Mr. Griffen became friends with a shoe polisher and confided in him. The shoe man helped him out by showing him some of the right and wrong ways to do things. Mr. Griffen only spent 6 weeks traveling through New Orleans and Mississippi. He then published his book a year later. Mr. Griffin had to take his family and leave his hometown. They were threatened with everything from being tar and feathered to death. Even the people who sheltered them were threatened. The Griffen family eventually had to go into hiding but, he never stopped speaking out for civil rights. 

Counting on Grace, Written by Elizabeth Winthrop

Counting on Grace

Written by Elizabeth Winthrop

Awards:

Massachusetts Book Award Nominee for Children's/Young Adult Literature (2007)

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2008)

Grades: 3-7

It is 1910 in Pownal, Vermont, and Grace is 12 years old. She and her best friend Arthur are pulled from school and forced to work in the factory with their mothers. She does not want to be in the factory she wants to be in school learning. Her teacher comes on Sunday to teach her and Arthur. Grace is also costing her family money because of her mistakes. The loom is made for a right handed person and she is left handed. Grace and Arthur write an letter to the Child Labor Board in secret about the factory hiring underage workers. The board sends the famous Lewis Hine undercover to the factory. He takes pictures of the conditions in the factory. One is of Grace. The pictures and investigation will change the spirited girls life. Arthur gets injured on purpose. He has two fingers removed from his hand but, he gets to go back to school. The teacher is fired at the end of the book. Grace is the teacher's substitute until a new one can be found. 

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two, Written by Joseph Bruchac

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

Written by Joseph Bruchac

During WWII the people of the Navajo Nation wanted to serve their country. Then the military finds a unique opportunity to use their heritage. The Navajo are asked to use their language, a language they were told that was inferior and useless. When they were young they use to speak the language in secret so the language would not die out. The Army uses them in groups of two to send messages across the lines. The enemy can not decode the language because it is only known to the Navajo. Ned Begay is one soldier that is on the team. Ned and his Navajo team soon learn the respect of their superiors for their stamina. It is because of the Code Talkers, as they are called, that the war is turned. When the war is over the people of the United States no nothing of the Navajo Code Talkers. The military wants to keep them classified in case they need them in the future. Many years later they decide to declassify the Code Talkers. Ned and his colleagues are able to tell everyone about their experiences. Navajos can be just as good, just as important, and even more so, than their non-Indian colleagues, and that they are able to be so important because they have kept the language and background that the reservation schools tried to take away. If they would have taken it away it would have been a different WWII. 

Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou, Writtenby Maya Angelou, Edwin Graves Wilson, Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue

Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou

Written by Maya Angelou and Edwin Graves Wilson

Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue 

Grades: 3-8

These poems are written about many different things that were important to Maya Angelou. It is about her life, heritage, and the United States. The illustrations are beautiful and just as moving as some of the poems. The poems also honor people of her past and those she admires. From the people around her that have a lot of power to the mom who runs her household. It is a beautiful book.