BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stanley, Fay. THE LAST PRINCESS: THE STORY OF PRINCESS KA’IULANI of HAWAI’I. Ill. by Diane Stanley. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 0688180205
PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of the last princess in Hawai’i’s line of royalty. With a name meaning “the royal sacred one,” Ka’iulani was raised from birth knowing she would one day rule her people. To this end, she was given the best tutors, and was sent away to a private university in England. From the pictures we learn that it was not at all unusual for a woman to hold positions of power in Hawai’i at this time in history. Although she died at the age of 23, Ka’iulani worked hard to be a leader of her people even after Hawai’i was annexed to the United States in 1898.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Writer Fay Stanley and illustrator Diane Stanley work together seamlessly to provide a full picture of the last Hawai’ian princess’s childhood, and of her return to her country in its time of need. Written simply, and with the occasional nod to Hawai’ian customs and linguistics, THE LAST PRINCESS is a shallow biography of her life and experiences. Historical and geographical information is provided in one-page prologue and epilogue sections. The illustrator also does a great job of clarifying that the illustrations are imagined rather than factual, including useful information about political customs, local flora, and familial ties within the royal family as well.
REVIEW EXCERPT
The Horn Book: “The story sheds new light on long-forgotten history; the vibrant gouache illustrations establish the lush Hawaiian background and provide historic detail.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping-off point for discussing the unique race relations evident in the royal family of Hawai’i. Look at the marriage standards and rules for becoming the ruler in other royal families of this time period. Discuss what Ka’iulani’s experiences might have been like in Europe during her time there.
==> Talk about choices, courage, and responsibility. Why did she go to Washington D.C.? Why did she return to the islands? Do you think getting sick and dieing was also a decision she made? What other choices and responsibilities did Ka’iulani deal with in her lifetime? What sort of choices do you deal with in YOUR life? How do they effect the people around you?
Showing posts with label True Stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label True Stories. Show all posts
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Secrets of a Civil War Submarin
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Walker, Sally M. 2005. SECRETS OF A CIVIL WAR SUBMARINE: SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF THE H.L. HUNLEY. Minneapolis, MN: CarolRhoda Books, Inc. ISBN: 1575058308.
PLOT SUMMARY
Sally Walker first unfolds the adventure of building the first submarine, and then the drama of it’s first three fatal attempts at sinking a Union ship—the purpose for which it was commissioned during the Civil War. First-person accounts from letters and memoirs of the sailors and engineers who built and manned the H.L. Hunley make this portion of the story come alive. The idea of buoyancy, and the science of floating, diving, ballast and air are discussed briefly but relevantly in this section.
In the following section, the impetus for finding the sunken H.L. Hunley submarine is explained, readers get to experience the excitement of her eventual discovery in 1995, 130 years after she was lost coming home from her first mission. Here, the challenges of raising the submarine from the floor of the bay are discussed, as well as the important roles that math, engineering, mapping and scuba diving played in that process.
Once the submarine was raised, a whole new adventure began, with a host of exciting questions—how did the crew die? Why did the submarine sink? Who were the members of the final crew, anyway? It turns out that some of the previous historical records—made by the men who originally worked with the H.L. Hunley—were inaccurate, even including the number of people in the crew and the location of certain machinery inside the hull. Specialists are needed to help interpret the clues—from forensic experts to determine the age and birth place of the crewmen to an expert on reading sediment layers for clues about the sequence of events and decomposition within the submarine. Even an expert on stopped watches is brought in—did the captain’s pocket watch stop because it was not rewound, or did it stop at the exact time that the compartment flooded with water, commemorating the very minute of these men’s death? Some questions may never be answered.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photographs, charts, maps and other visual information helps to clarify unusual concepts and to bring this exciting adventure to life for the readers. The mystery style of writing, along with sharp questions and detailed knowledge help to make each stage of this story exciting and relevant. A select bibliography, list of websites, glossary, and note from the author at the conclusion of the book add to a plethora of educational opportunities that this well-crafted book provides. An ambitious middle school reader, an interested high school student or an adult researcher could each enjoy and learn from this excellent record of history and it’s recovery. Each page has something unique to offer, and the long sections of prose are full of great information, great discoveries, and great references to important contributions from various scientific fields of work. A little bit of history mixed with a little bit of humanity goes a very long way in this short and dense work by Sally M. Walker.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review, School Library Journal: “Walker brings a little-known story of the Civil War to life in this fascinating book…. his is a finely crafted account of the Hunley from its inception to the modern archaeological quest to exhume her from the water. It is divided into chronological chapters complete with pictures, maps, and primary sources.”
Starred Review, BookList: “Thoroughly researched, nicely designed, and well illustrated with clear, color photos, the book will serve as an informative guide to anyone interested in the Hunley or intrigued by archaeology.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for research into lifestyles, military service, clothing, class distinctions, or any number of other interests relating to the Civil War Era.
==> Discuss the considerations that finally went into the construction of the H.L. Hunley. Why would drowning be better than suffocation? Were there other contingency or safety measures that could have been taken with the submarine in that time period? Do you think the results of the final mission were worth the lives lost in it’s execution? Remember the other two crews, and the now long and invaluable history of submarine use in battles resulting from this one event.
==> Check out MEETING THE SUBMARINE CHALLENGE: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NAVAL UNDERWATER SYSTEMS CENTER by John Merrill and Lionel D. Wyld. Also, US SUBMARINES 1941-45 by Jim Christley. Follow up with a parent-approved viewing of the movie THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990), and discuss the considerations for safety that went into the Soviet submarine vs the US one in that time frame. Compare to those of the H.L. Hunley.
Walker, Sally M. 2005. SECRETS OF A CIVIL WAR SUBMARINE: SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF THE H.L. HUNLEY. Minneapolis, MN: CarolRhoda Books, Inc. ISBN: 1575058308.
PLOT SUMMARY
Sally Walker first unfolds the adventure of building the first submarine, and then the drama of it’s first three fatal attempts at sinking a Union ship—the purpose for which it was commissioned during the Civil War. First-person accounts from letters and memoirs of the sailors and engineers who built and manned the H.L. Hunley make this portion of the story come alive. The idea of buoyancy, and the science of floating, diving, ballast and air are discussed briefly but relevantly in this section.
In the following section, the impetus for finding the sunken H.L. Hunley submarine is explained, readers get to experience the excitement of her eventual discovery in 1995, 130 years after she was lost coming home from her first mission. Here, the challenges of raising the submarine from the floor of the bay are discussed, as well as the important roles that math, engineering, mapping and scuba diving played in that process.
Once the submarine was raised, a whole new adventure began, with a host of exciting questions—how did the crew die? Why did the submarine sink? Who were the members of the final crew, anyway? It turns out that some of the previous historical records—made by the men who originally worked with the H.L. Hunley—were inaccurate, even including the number of people in the crew and the location of certain machinery inside the hull. Specialists are needed to help interpret the clues—from forensic experts to determine the age and birth place of the crewmen to an expert on reading sediment layers for clues about the sequence of events and decomposition within the submarine. Even an expert on stopped watches is brought in—did the captain’s pocket watch stop because it was not rewound, or did it stop at the exact time that the compartment flooded with water, commemorating the very minute of these men’s death? Some questions may never be answered.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photographs, charts, maps and other visual information helps to clarify unusual concepts and to bring this exciting adventure to life for the readers. The mystery style of writing, along with sharp questions and detailed knowledge help to make each stage of this story exciting and relevant. A select bibliography, list of websites, glossary, and note from the author at the conclusion of the book add to a plethora of educational opportunities that this well-crafted book provides. An ambitious middle school reader, an interested high school student or an adult researcher could each enjoy and learn from this excellent record of history and it’s recovery. Each page has something unique to offer, and the long sections of prose are full of great information, great discoveries, and great references to important contributions from various scientific fields of work. A little bit of history mixed with a little bit of humanity goes a very long way in this short and dense work by Sally M. Walker.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review, School Library Journal: “Walker brings a little-known story of the Civil War to life in this fascinating book…. his is a finely crafted account of the Hunley from its inception to the modern archaeological quest to exhume her from the water. It is divided into chronological chapters complete with pictures, maps, and primary sources.”
Starred Review, BookList: “Thoroughly researched, nicely designed, and well illustrated with clear, color photos, the book will serve as an informative guide to anyone interested in the Hunley or intrigued by archaeology.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for research into lifestyles, military service, clothing, class distinctions, or any number of other interests relating to the Civil War Era.
==> Discuss the considerations that finally went into the construction of the H.L. Hunley. Why would drowning be better than suffocation? Were there other contingency or safety measures that could have been taken with the submarine in that time period? Do you think the results of the final mission were worth the lives lost in it’s execution? Remember the other two crews, and the now long and invaluable history of submarine use in battles resulting from this one event.
==> Check out MEETING THE SUBMARINE CHALLENGE: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NAVAL UNDERWATER SYSTEMS CENTER by John Merrill and Lionel D. Wyld. Also, US SUBMARINES 1941-45 by Jim Christley. Follow up with a parent-approved viewing of the movie THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990), and discuss the considerations for safety that went into the Soviet submarine vs the US one in that time frame. Compare to those of the H.L. Hunley.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Amazing Aircraft
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 2002. AMAZING AIRCRAFT. New York, NY: SeaStar Books. ISBN: 1587171791.
PLOT SUMMARY
Seymour Simon has written a picture book describing with both words and photographs the history of the human desire to fly. Starting with hot air balloons in 1783 and Leonardo da Vinci’s plans for flapping wings in 1487, the pictures and basic descriptions continue up through today’s airplanes, the Concord supersonic passenger jet which travels more than twice the speed of sound, and the Lockheed F-117 “stealth” fighter plane.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photography as his visual medium, and his occasional explanation of terms used to describe what makes each aircraft special helps the young reader to learn fun facts about each type of flight machine listed. Each photograph has been carefully selected for it’s clear depiction of the traits listed beside it, and gives the reader a good reference point for the information included. This book is definitely intended for a younger reader who already has an interest in the topic of airplanes, travel, and flight. While it may expand vocabulary, the author’s sparse and factual blurbs and single individual photo of each craft selected for the book seem to oversimplify an exciting topic. This book would be unlikely to grab the interest of a non-aircraft enthusiast.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Horn Book: “While well designed, this book doesn't adequately explain certain historical events (the [cf2]Hindenburg[cf1] disaster, Germany's cancellation of an invasion of England during WWII), which may confuse some newly independent readers.”
Booklist: “Although the words are not all simple, they appear in large, legible type. A typical double-page spread includes a colorful photo accompanied by a few lines of text. With clear photos and succinct writing, these volumes will fill a demand for informative books that are short and easy enough for primary-grade children to read independently.”
CONNECTIONS
==> With this book as an example, children could research and write books on their own topic of interest—photos for the project might be available on the internet or photocopied from print resources.
==> Children could make a vocabulary list of words whose meaning are unclear, or newly learned words from this book, look up the definitions, and share these with other children in the group.
==> Perfect for starting out a field trip to an airfield, balloon launching, or museum of flight.
Simon, Seymour. 2002. AMAZING AIRCRAFT. New York, NY: SeaStar Books. ISBN: 1587171791.
PLOT SUMMARY
Seymour Simon has written a picture book describing with both words and photographs the history of the human desire to fly. Starting with hot air balloons in 1783 and Leonardo da Vinci’s plans for flapping wings in 1487, the pictures and basic descriptions continue up through today’s airplanes, the Concord supersonic passenger jet which travels more than twice the speed of sound, and the Lockheed F-117 “stealth” fighter plane.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photography as his visual medium, and his occasional explanation of terms used to describe what makes each aircraft special helps the young reader to learn fun facts about each type of flight machine listed. Each photograph has been carefully selected for it’s clear depiction of the traits listed beside it, and gives the reader a good reference point for the information included. This book is definitely intended for a younger reader who already has an interest in the topic of airplanes, travel, and flight. While it may expand vocabulary, the author’s sparse and factual blurbs and single individual photo of each craft selected for the book seem to oversimplify an exciting topic. This book would be unlikely to grab the interest of a non-aircraft enthusiast.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Horn Book: “While well designed, this book doesn't adequately explain certain historical events (the [cf2]Hindenburg[cf1] disaster, Germany's cancellation of an invasion of England during WWII), which may confuse some newly independent readers.”
Booklist: “Although the words are not all simple, they appear in large, legible type. A typical double-page spread includes a colorful photo accompanied by a few lines of text. With clear photos and succinct writing, these volumes will fill a demand for informative books that are short and easy enough for primary-grade children to read independently.”
CONNECTIONS
==> With this book as an example, children could research and write books on their own topic of interest—photos for the project might be available on the internet or photocopied from print resources.
==> Children could make a vocabulary list of words whose meaning are unclear, or newly learned words from this book, look up the definitions, and share these with other children in the group.
==> Perfect for starting out a field trip to an airfield, balloon launching, or museum of flight.
The Good Good Pig
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montgomery, Sy. 2006. THE GOOD GOOD PIG: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER HOGWOOD. Detriot, MI: Thorndike Press. ISBN: 0786289511.
PLOT SUMMARY
Author Sy Montgomery, a widely traveled animal-writer, has used this chapter book as a format to share about her home life, and about her amazing pet pig named Christopher Hogwood. Sy has always had a great relationship with animals, and tells about some of her more exciting adventures and moments with wild animals in far-off countries throughout the book. Christopher, however, was her first domestic pig. He was the runt of runts in a large litter of pigs, and not expected to survive. After over thirteen years of living “high on the hog,” Christopher had outlived his litter-mates by twelve and a half years, and weighed 750 pounds when he died!
THE GOOD GOOD PIG is the story of how Christopher lived, his habits, his diet and exercise, and his intelligence. More importantly, however, this true story is about the relationships other people formed with him, and because of him. As sad as Christopher’s eventual death from old age was to so many people in the book, he left a legacy of human friendships and created family behind, and he helped a lot of adults and children deal with their sicknesses, traumatic experiences, and sadness over the course of his life. Readers are reminded that we make our own families, and while these include many wonderful humans, animals are a vital part of our family group, too.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author does a great job of painting pictures of some of the funnier moments with her words in this non-fiction work. Readers can easily picture the traditional “Running of the Pig” every day for his slops and spa treatments, hear the different noises and special grunts Christopher used for different situations and people, and sense his enjoyment of special culinary delicacies like bruised strawberries or stale blueberry muffins. Readers also get a good understanding of the author’s difficulties in relating to people rather than animals throughout her life, until Christopher gave her something to relate to them about. While the writing is occasionally repetitive—Sy tells us about about getting undressed by an Orangutan at least five times, without variation in telling or impact, for example—the prose will be clearly understood by a wide range of ages and ability levels from middle school to adult reader, and the topic covered also has wide appeal. Ms. Montgomery has also inserted many stories about other animals’ habits and her unusual relationships with them that one need not be a pig enthusiast to connect with the writing.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Library Journal: “As she recounts Christopher's adventures (his many escapes into neighbors' gardens, his picky delight in the slops offered to him by his many fans), Montgomery throws in fascinating tidbits of pig lore and natural history.”
School Library Journal: “This book is not merely a chronicle of her love for and life with Christopher Hogwood, but also a testament to the lessons learned through her 14-year relationship with him… More importantly, the author's engaging writing style will captivate even the most uninspired teen readers.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for a research project on an endangered species, the meat industry, unusual pets, or some other adventure author/naturalist.
==> Discuss the idea of a created family, and what kind of traits each person in the group wants in their chosen family members. What keeps most of us tied to the family we were born with? How do we interact/feel when we are with each family?
==> Make a large wall display including essays, poetry, stories, photos, and other information relating to the students’ pets or animals they have known or researched.
==> Great place to start talking about death, about discrimination (vegetarians discriminate against eating meat, Sy’s mom discriminated against Jews, etc), and why these things happen, and how different people choose to deal with them.
Montgomery, Sy. 2006. THE GOOD GOOD PIG: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER HOGWOOD. Detriot, MI: Thorndike Press. ISBN: 0786289511.
PLOT SUMMARY
Author Sy Montgomery, a widely traveled animal-writer, has used this chapter book as a format to share about her home life, and about her amazing pet pig named Christopher Hogwood. Sy has always had a great relationship with animals, and tells about some of her more exciting adventures and moments with wild animals in far-off countries throughout the book. Christopher, however, was her first domestic pig. He was the runt of runts in a large litter of pigs, and not expected to survive. After over thirteen years of living “high on the hog,” Christopher had outlived his litter-mates by twelve and a half years, and weighed 750 pounds when he died!
THE GOOD GOOD PIG is the story of how Christopher lived, his habits, his diet and exercise, and his intelligence. More importantly, however, this true story is about the relationships other people formed with him, and because of him. As sad as Christopher’s eventual death from old age was to so many people in the book, he left a legacy of human friendships and created family behind, and he helped a lot of adults and children deal with their sicknesses, traumatic experiences, and sadness over the course of his life. Readers are reminded that we make our own families, and while these include many wonderful humans, animals are a vital part of our family group, too.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author does a great job of painting pictures of some of the funnier moments with her words in this non-fiction work. Readers can easily picture the traditional “Running of the Pig” every day for his slops and spa treatments, hear the different noises and special grunts Christopher used for different situations and people, and sense his enjoyment of special culinary delicacies like bruised strawberries or stale blueberry muffins. Readers also get a good understanding of the author’s difficulties in relating to people rather than animals throughout her life, until Christopher gave her something to relate to them about. While the writing is occasionally repetitive—Sy tells us about about getting undressed by an Orangutan at least five times, without variation in telling or impact, for example—the prose will be clearly understood by a wide range of ages and ability levels from middle school to adult reader, and the topic covered also has wide appeal. Ms. Montgomery has also inserted many stories about other animals’ habits and her unusual relationships with them that one need not be a pig enthusiast to connect with the writing.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Library Journal: “As she recounts Christopher's adventures (his many escapes into neighbors' gardens, his picky delight in the slops offered to him by his many fans), Montgomery throws in fascinating tidbits of pig lore and natural history.”
School Library Journal: “This book is not merely a chronicle of her love for and life with Christopher Hogwood, but also a testament to the lessons learned through her 14-year relationship with him… More importantly, the author's engaging writing style will captivate even the most uninspired teen readers.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for a research project on an endangered species, the meat industry, unusual pets, or some other adventure author/naturalist.
==> Discuss the idea of a created family, and what kind of traits each person in the group wants in their chosen family members. What keeps most of us tied to the family we were born with? How do we interact/feel when we are with each family?
==> Make a large wall display including essays, poetry, stories, photos, and other information relating to the students’ pets or animals they have known or researched.
==> Great place to start talking about death, about discrimination (vegetarians discriminate against eating meat, Sy’s mom discriminated against Jews, etc), and why these things happen, and how different people choose to deal with them.
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