Kate WatersRecensioni

Told from the perspectives of a young Wampanoag boy named Dancing Moccasins and a young English colonist named Resolved White, the narrative of this historical picture-book explores the events of the harvest feast of 1621, when the Wampanoag people visited the English colony of Plymouth, in what is now Massachusetts. It was this visit that inspired the story of the 'First Thanksgiving' that has become mythologized in American history. The book is illustrated with photographs of reenactors from Plimoth Plantation, a living museum devoted to the history of the Plymouth Colony. An extensive afterword gives more information about the myth and history of the first Thanksgiving, the type of foods eaten and clothing worn by both natives and settlers, and the role of Plimoth Plantation in preserving history...

Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast is one of a number of books - other titles include Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl, Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy, and Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times - from author Kate Waters and photographer Russ Kendall that explore Colonial American history through the lens of reenactors at Plimoth Plantation. I found it engaging and informative, and think that it would work very well in a study unit on early Colonial American history and/or the story of the "first" Thanksgiving. The use of photographs of historical reenactors will make the narrative come alive for many young people, and make it feel real for them in ways that illustrations might not. Recommended to anyone looking for children's books that offer a more realistic and historically accurate depiction of the event that came to be known as the "First Thanksgiving."

Describes six-year-old Ernie Wong's preparations, at home and in school, for the Chinese New Year celebrations and his first public performance of the lion dance.

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Describes six-year-old Ernie Wong's preparations, at home and in school, for the Chinese New Year celebrations and his first public performance of the lion dance.

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In depth history of the White House with photographs

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This book was not illustrated but included photos to help tell the story. The pictures showed the characters dressed in clothes from between the late 1700s and early 1800s. The girls were wearing stockings, garters, and hats. The boys wore hats and ruffles. The furniture was old. Mary's character was curious because she wanted to know what was happening with the war. I thought she was loyal because she would be upset if her friend had to move away due to the war between England and the colonist. This was a good story. We don't think much about how children are affected during world events.

LOVE this book. Told in the first person, Ernie Wan walks us through preparations and rituals of Chinese New Year. Ernie lives in Chinatown, goes to a special Chinese school, takes KungFu lessons and is part of the Lion Dance in the New Year celebrations. Illustrated with actual photos, this book explains the culture beautifully and in an engaging way.

The story tells the day in the life of a Pilgrim girl. The book is written how they talked back in that day. It will help the children of today understand what life what was during this time in history. In the back of the book, there is a glossary which offers words that children may not understand. The author did a good job with showing how children lived during this time and what they did during their daily life. The illustrations help the reader to visualize how the Pilgrims lived during this time.

I had read this book to my students last school year for our Chinese New Year unit and to prepare the children for the parade that we do. The children loved listening to how the importance of participating in a celebration that isn't a tradition people who are not from that culture. The book talked about Ernie was fighting his apart about wanting to be the Lion Dancer because it was his turn according to their tradition. My students questioned, why the didn't want to wear the cool costume that he would be getting to wear. It raised a lot of questions which was good because they were curious to wanting to have an understanding of why China celebrates this tradition.

This book takes us through the day of a Pilgrim girl and what she does in her days. She shows us all the chores that she has to do and the clothes that they have to wear and many other things. This book was different because the illustrations were actual images and not drawings. This book is good for kids learning about pilgrims to see how they lived their lives back then.

This book gives the fictional, but accurately detailed of a young girl's journey to America on the Mayflower.

I don't usually purchase level 4 readers and when I do they go into juvenile, not into easy readers. However, I was interested to see this title on the history of buffalo and sometimes these titles, especially nonfiction, find an audience in my intermediate readers.

Brisk paragraphs, not full-page, but several sentences each, are alternated with photographs and primary source pictures like cave paintings. The book explains the habitat and behavior of bison, their predators and food, their family units and interesting behaviors like wallowing. There is a chapter devoted to the bison's role in history, including their use by Native American tribes. These are not delineated specifically, just referenced as "American Indians". Brief mention is made of the white settler's and US governments destruction of the bison herds in order to take the Native American tribe's lands. The final chapter addresses how conservation groups restored the bison and mentions that some American Indian Nation tribes manage bison herds on their land. A glossary is included but no sources are listed. The reading information at the front includes comprehension questions useful in a classroom or learning situation.

Verdict: This is a nice, basic resource for fluent, intermediate readers to learn both about the bison as an animal and a little basic US history. A good additional resource if you are expanding this area of your collection.

ISBN: 9780515159004; Published 2017 by Penguin Young Readers; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

introduces the cultural aspects of the chinese new year
1 large book

Fictionalized story, with re-enactors photographed, of a day in the life of a young boy who really did exist and really was seven in 1627. Very engagingly told in authentically 17th-century language, with a welcome glossary to elucidate difficult words (*I* didn't know that "gammy" meant clumsy) and other supplementary material on Samuel himself and his times, perhaps the most surprising of which was words and music (the music reproduced in facsimile) to a ballad which was sung during the working day in the story.

I would like this book even if my mother were not an Eaton with distant connections to the branch of the family that settled in Plymouth. But given the circumstances, it will be treasured.

Yes, there are poop stickers.

Ok, having gotten that out of the way, these two new titles from the Smithsonian imprint are excellent introductions to their subjects.

Poop Sleuth introduces a female scientist, Sarah Putnam, who studies poop! Readers will learn how and why poop is studied and the many things scientists can learn about animals, their diet and habitats. And, of course, there are plenty of pictures of different kinds of poop, including animals.... in action, as it were. There is a glossary, but no other back matter.

Curious about worms introduces readers to many different types of worms, from the familiar earthworm to parasitic worms and more. It includes bristle worms, deep in the ocean, similarities and differences between different worms, and their function in their various habitats. The glossary is the only back matter.

Both titles are a trim, 7x7 square. They are primarily available as paperbacks, but can also be purchased prebound. Text is limited to short paragraphs interspersed with copious photos, additional facts, and a varied layout. These will make a good addition to a nonfiction section to meet the needs of grade school students eager for science and nonfiction on a variety of topics at their reading level.

Verdict: Not a first purchase, but if you are building up a nonfiction collection and need more titles, these are a good option for intermediate readers. I'm currently short on nonfiction titles to meet the needs of my school district's new curriculum and these are just right for filling in the gaps.

Poop Sleuth
ISBN: 9780451533708; Published 2017 by Smithsonian/Grosset & Dunlap; Review copy provided by publisher; Prebound edition purchased for the library

Curious about worms
ISBN: 9780451533692; Published 2017 by Smithsonian/Grosset & Dunlap; Review copy provided by publisher; Prebound edition purchased for the library

In this informational text about the white house, we are basically brought through a tour of the house, learning important facts along the way. We are told that our first president was George Washington in 1790, and he along with congress decided that our new country needed a new capital city (the white house). We learn about the location of the white house as well as its many uses. it is used as an office, the nations welcoming stage, a home and a museum. This is a fantastic read to educate students on the white house.

an informational text about a little pilgram girl and how she lived her life
1 book

an amazing book about the chinese new year and all the traditions that come with it
1 book

The author takes the reader back to the 1600’s through the customs of the Native Americans. The beautiful photographs depict a short glimpse into the culture of the Wampanoag, as boy journeys into manhood. This book follows the daily life of a young Indian boy. He is chosen and begins preparing to become a warrior. He must learn to hunt and fish. He crosses paths with an elder. The elder begins to mentor him the ways of his tribe. I enjoyed reading this book. This would be a great book to use in the classroom to allow students to compare their life to the life of an Indian boy in the 1600’s.

On the Mayflower provides a great informational account of what it was really like to be a crew member and a passenger on the voyage to America. This book was full of historical information, but the story was made up. I really liked that the story focused on two young people on board the mayflower because it will be easier for students to think about the journey from England to America if they are reading about it in a similar point of view as their own. I also enjoyed that the pictures in the book were photographs of children and adults who volunteer at the Plymouth plantation in Massachusetts. All involved dressed in period clothing and posed onboard the Mayflower II, which is a recreation of what historians believed the real mayflower looked like. I also liked that after the story, there is a description of the characters in the story based on the real people that inspired the characters. There were also a labeled diagram of the Mayflower and a glossary of period terms used in the story.

This book tells the story of a young Wampanoag Indian named Tapenum, who lived near a Pilgrim settlement in the early 1600s. The story is complete with Wampanoag rituals, descriptions of living quarters, and information on the everyday lives of the men and women (their roles, what they did, why it was important). Wampanoag is training to be a warrior, and he gives lots of detail on how he goes about doing that and what makes a good warrior. We get great insight into their societal structure, their diet, their clothing, and their weapons as well. There are many pictures to accompany this as well, giving students great visuals. At the end of the story, there’s more information on the Wampanoag and the author tells how we know of their tribe. There’s also an extremely helpful glossary of both English and Wampanoag words, as well as pronunciations. Once again, the author did her research and made sure it was well-documented. The pictures, as is her usual style, are beautifully done and well-represent the subject of the story and give great attention to detail. We don’t often see the view of Pilgrims from anyone other than the Pilgrims themselves, so to see the life of a young Indian boy during the time of American settlement is very refreshing. The text, once again, is juvenile, but I think students will appreciate the story and the information one can get from it nonetheless.

This is the story of the Mayflower’s journey to the New World through two children, William Small and Ellen Moore. Small is an apprentice to the ship’s master and Moore is an eight year old passenger. Small’s story includes all the intricacies of sailing and navigation techniques of the time. The pictures came from photographs of the Mayflower II and are very well-done. There’s so much detail in the story that you don’t get from normal text, such as the ship’s ropes being sticky from tar. It was really interesting to see in such detail how sailing and navigation was done. The author was very meticulous in her research (as a reader, you can tell), and she makes sure everything is referenced, fact and fiction is distinguished, and even includes a glossary and diagram of the Mayflower. I think that students would gain not just another perspective from this book or more knowledge, but enjoyment as well. The text may be a little juvenile for high schoolers, but the picture quality more than makes up for it, I think.

Summary: This story details the daily activities of Sarah Morton, a pilgrim girl. It clearly relates the things she does each day from getting dressed, to preparing meals, to daily chores. The story takes place in 1627 and reveals many vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar to students in relation to life during the 17th century.

Personal Reaction: I really enjoy Historic Fiction and learning about the life of people that lived centuries ago is captivating. I also enjoy visiting museums that detail the life of the early settlers. History is all about the stories of people’s lives all woven together. That is what makes things so interesting.

Classroom Extension:
1. One way of adding to the lessons in this story would be to have the students visit a plantation that depicts life of the early pilgrims from the 17th century.
2. Another way of having the students relate to the story would be to have them write diary entries for their daily life that might be read three hundred years from now helping readers understand what life is like in the 21st century.