bookshelf

WITNESSES TO FREEDOM

Name: WITNESSES TO FREEDOM
Author: Belinda Rochelle
ISBN: 0-525-67377-6

YOUNG PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

by Belinda Rochelle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1993

bookshelf

A workmanlike survey of the civil-rights movement, focusing on the experiences of several individuals who were children or teenagers at the time: participants in sit-ins (Harvey Gantt, later mayor of Charlotte and a North Carolina senatorial candidate); one of the ``Little Rock Nine''; Claudette Colvin, predecessor to Rosa Parks; freedom riders; a student in the Brown v. Board of Education suit; etc. The clear, simply phrased presentation is appropriate for younger and less able readers, but the best feature here is the boxed ``Profiles'' by the young people themselves, which have a special immediacy and authenticity; though they are apparently quotes, they're not explicitly sourced. Interested readers can go on to books listed as ``Further Reading for Children,'' especially Ellen Levine's excellent Freedom's Children (1992, for a slightly older group), with its more extensive quotes from participants. B&w photos; source list; index. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-525-67377-6

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORY

- BOOK REVIEW
WORDS WITH WINGS
edited by Belinda Rochelle

- BOOK REVIEW
JEWELS
by Belinda Rochelle & illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying-Hwa Hu

IF YOU LIVED DURING THE PLIMOTH THANKSGIVING

bookshelf

IF YOU LIVED DURING THE PLIMOTH THANKSGIVING

by Chris Newell ; illustrated by Winona Nelson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 2, 2021

Essential.

bookshelf

A measured corrective to pervasive myths about what is often referred to as the “first Thanksgiving.”

Contextualizing them within a Native perspective, Newell (Passamaquoddy) touches on the all-too-familiar elements of the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving and its origins and the history of English colonization in the territory now known as New England. In addition to the voyage and landfall of the Mayflower, readers learn about the Doctrine of Discovery that arrogated the lands of non-Christian peoples to European settlers; earlier encounters between the Indigenous peoples of the region and Europeans; and the Great Dying of 1616-1619, which emptied the village of Patuxet by 1620. Short, two- to six-page chapters alternate between the story of the English settlers and exploring the complex political makeup of the region and the culture, agriculture, and technology of the Wampanoag—all before covering the evolution of the holiday. Refreshingly, the lens Newell offers is a Native one, describing how the Wampanoag and other Native peoples received the English rather than the other way around. Key words ranging from estuary to discover are printed in boldface in the narrative and defined in a closing glossary. Nelson (a member of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa) contributes soft line-and-color illustrations of the proceedings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Essential. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-338-72637-4

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction

Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

bookshelf

FARMER GEORGE PLANTS A NATION

by Peggy Thomas & illustrated by Layne Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2008

bookshelf

A pleasing new picture book looks at George Washington’s career through an agricultural lens. Sprinkling excerpts from his letters and diaries throughout to allow its subject to speak in his own voice, the narrative makes a convincing case for Washington’s place as the nation’s First Farmer. His innovations, in addition to applying the scientific method to compost, include a combination plow-tiller-harrow, the popularization of the mule and a two-level barn that put horses to work at threshing grain in any weather. Thomas integrates Washington’s military and political adventures into her account, making clear that it was his frustration as a farmer that caused him to join the revolutionary cause. Lane’s oil illustrations, while sometimes stiff, appropriately portray a man who was happiest when working the land. Backmatter includes a timeline, author’s notes on both Mount Vernon and Washington the slaveholder, resources for further exploration and a bibliography. (Picture book/biography. 8-12)