Speare, Elizabeth George. 1958. THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395071143.

Katherine “Kit” Tyler is a free-spirited young woman of sixteen who has been brought up by her unconventional grandfather in the beauty of the Barbados islands. After her grandfather’s death, Kit is forced to relocate to the cold, bleak Connecticut Colony of 1687 to join a family she has never met. But she is unprepared for the religious intolerance and rigidity of the Puritan community. Kit tries hard to fit in with the restrictive ways, but she frequently shocks her aunt, uncle, and cousins with her unconventional dress, behavior, and ideas. The townspeople of the stern Puritan village view her with suspicion and disapproval.

Only the Meadow with its windswept openness is a sanctuary for Kit and she finds a sympathetic friend in Hannah Tupper, the elderly Quaker widow who lives in a tiny cabin there. Kit’s friendship with Hannah, who is shunned by the superstitious townsfolk, and Kit’s championship of Prudence, a poor child who Kit teaches to read, proves more dangerous than she could have imagined.

When a deathly sickness strikes the village, first Hannah and then Kit are accused of being witches. This threat ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty in order to rescue Hannah and to defend her own life against the accusations of the angry and vengeful townspeople. Through these conflicts and experiences, Kit comes to know and accept herself, to understand others, and to value the steadfastness of the New England colonists. This knowledge ultimately leads her to romance and happiness.

The story’s characters are fully developed and realistic. Readers will find themselves caring about the characters and sharing Kit’s emotional reactions to her circumstances. Kit is a dynamic character, discovering insights and growing in understanding throughout the story. “Going through the shed door one morning,…Kit halted, wary as always, at the sight of her uncle. He was standing not far from the house, looking out toward the river, his face half turned from her. He did not notice her. He simply stood, idle for one rare moment, staring at the golden fields…As Kit watched, her uncle bent slowly and scooped up a handful of brown dirt from the garden patch at his feet, and stood holding it with a curious reverence, as though it were some priceless substance. As it crumbled through his fingers his hand convulsed in a sudden passionate gesture. Kit backed through the door and closed it softly. She felt as though she had eavesdropped. When she had hated and feared her uncle for so long, why did it suddenly hurt to think of that lonely defiant figure in the garden?”

Speare has created a believable, entrancing novel about being true to one’s own feelings while still valuing and respecting the ways of others. Her narrative style and vivid period details combine to authentically depict early colonial life. The language, clothing, daily activities, and attitudes of the Puritan community are recreated faithfully, helping to bring this time and place to life for the reader and create a moving vicarious experience. Expressive descriptions of the Connecticut colony, countryside, and climate enable the reader to easily visualize the story’s setting, making it an integral part of Kit’s story.

Though many editions with multiple cover illustrations are in print, the original 1958 hardcover edition features an evocative jacket painting by watercolor artist Nicholas Angelo, which also helps the reader to picture the time period.

Reviews and Awards

Newbery Medal Winner, 1959
ALA Notable Children's Book, 1958
Children's Book Committee: Children's Book of the Year, 1958

Booklist: "Strong plot, fully realized characters, and convincing atmosphere distinguish this historical narrative."

The New York Times: “The book has a lively plot and excellent characterizations. The background has every dimension of reality.”

The New York Herald-Tribune: “Rarely has a book taken us back into seventeenth-century life as this does.”

Connections

One literature-based activity to enrich the social studies curriculum would be to compare and contrast the early colonial life Kit experienced with the attitudes and experiences of young adults today, finding the similarities and differences between Kit’s world and contemporary life. Additionally, students could research and give a brief presentation on some aspect of New England life in the late 1600s. A unit on this subject, especially around November when early American history is in the forefront of the curriculum, might be a welcome change from the usual Pilgrim lessons. An afternoon of presentations, complete with costumes, could culminate with foods and activities representative of the period.

Other historical fiction novels by Elizabeth George Speare:

Calico Captive, notable Children’s Books, 1957
Bronze Bow, Newbery Medal winner, 1962
Sign of the Beaver, Newbery Honor Book, 1984

Krull, Kathleen. 2005. HOUDINI: WORLD’S GREATEST MYSTERY MAN AND ESCAPE KING. New York: Walker & Company.
ISBN 0802789536.

In this brief picture book biography, Kathleen Krull introduces young readers to Harry Houdini, born Erik Weiss of Budapest, who became the world’s foremost escape artist at the beginning of the 19^th century. The timeline traces Erik’s drive for fame from his self-taught trapeze act at age eight through his teenage athletic achievements (some self-bestowed) to his fascination with the life of the French founder of modern magic, Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin and his subsequent change of identity to focus on magic and “the art of the escape.” The book recounts how Houdini became famous with his daring escapes from chains, handcuffs, and even locked water-filled cabinets, then ends with a Behind the Scenes note giving further particulars of Houdini’s life, philosophy, and details of his death in 1926.

Interspersed with the story of Houdini’s life are double-page snapshot spreads showcasing his stage performances: The Milk Can Escape, The Metamorphosis (with his wife Bess), and The Underwater Handcuff Release, The Water Torture Cell, and The Suspended Straitjacket Escape. “Velasquez's impressive framed, posed oil paintings portray the magician's intensity and sense of showmanship. Most of the illustrations feature Houdini and his performances, and the design and varied layout are very effective.” (School Library Journal, 2005)

The text is interesting, giving young readers an overview of Houdini’s accomplishments and emphasizing his dedication to his craft, appreciation of learning, and devotion to family. Personal quotes bring out the man behind the stage actor. A bibliography is included for interested readers to find out more about this real-life superhero who, 80 years after his death, remains “the most famous name in magic.”

Reviews and Awards

Booklist review: “In this biography of one of history's most successful showmen, Krull's expository narrative periodically pauses to revisit the old-fashioned theater depicted in the splashy title-page sequence. These clever interludes feature vivid, free-verse poems that cast children as audience members at Houdini's most fabled performances.”

School Library Journal review: “An attractive, oversize picture-book biography. Framed descriptions of some of Houdini's most famous stunts are interspersed within the overview of his life. The author's crisp narrative style and careful choice of detail are evident here. Readers get a sense of Houdini's commitment, determination, and dedication to his family.

Connections

One third grade class I know made lifesize paper cutouts of themselves, then “dressed” their paper doll as their chosen biographee and displayed them next to their written biography reports outside the classroom in the hallway for everyone passing by to admire. And of course it would be great fun to invite a local magician to the library to present a demonstration of magical illusions.

Other picture book biographies by Kathleen Krull:

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chaves, 2003

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman, 2000

The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss, 2004

Albert Einstein (Giants of Science series), 2009

Simon, Seymour. 2006 (revised edition). THE BRAIN: OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM. New York: HarperCollins.

ISBN 9780060877187.

In this informational title for children, award-winning author Seymour Simon introduces readers to the anatomy and function of the human brain. “Wiggle your toes. Scratch your nose…Think about what you would like to do tomorrow…Your brain is the control center for everything you do.” This visually engaging title in Simon’s Human Body series presents the latest facts about brain structure and the current theories regarding brain function, and was produced in conjunction with the Smithsonian and Dr. Orli R. Etingin (mentioned in the acknowledgments).

The expository text examines how the brain is organized from the smallest microscopic neuron cells to the brain portions of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and stem, then expands to cover the spinal cord and the brain’s interaction with the rest of the body through nerves.

The visually appealing images are colorful and interesting, produced by various kinds of technologically advanced equipment: scanning electron microscopes, x-rays, and positron computed tomography. The authoritative text is straightforward and age-appropriate, clearly explaining complex ideas without sounding simplistic.

Browsable yet thorough, Simon again demonstrates his enthusiasm for the world around us, encouraging young readers to think, explore, and be amazed. “Simon has a knack for piquing the curiosity of youngsters and clearly communicating scientific facts. The Brain, written for ages 8 and older, is a solid launching pad for further investigation of the organ that makes us who we are.“ (Amazon Review, 1997) Readers can visit the author’s blog at http://www.seymourscience.com.

Reviews and Awards

Kirkus Reviews: “Full-color photographs, computer simulations, drawings, and three-dimensional models are used to grand effect to clarify, explain, and celebrate the remarkably complex system of brain and nerves… a case in which the picture-book format works perfectly to complement text with illustrations, but by no means indicates simplicity."

Booklist review: “The vivid illustrations catch the eye, but the clearly written text provides a fuller understanding of what happens in various parts of the brain and nervous system. The relatively large print and generous use of white space make the text look easy... Simon's way of explaining what's happening in everyday terms enhances the book's readability.”

School Library Journal review: “His clear, concise writing style is complemented by stunning color images taken with radiological scanners, such as CAT scans, MRIs, and SEMs (scanning electron microscopes.) Included in his explanation are descriptions of the anatomy and function of the parts of the brain, long and short term memory, neurons, dendrites, and more.”

Seymour Simon has been called "the dean of the [children's science book] field" by the New York Times. He has written more than 200 books for young readers and is the recipient of the Science Books & Films Key Award for Excellence in Science Books, the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people, and the Educational Paperback Association Jeremiah Ludington Award. (Barnes and Noble Author Biography, 2009)

Titles in his Human Body series have garnered these awards:

The Brain: Our Nervous System - NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 1998

Eyes and Ears, 2003 - NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 2003

Bones: Our Skeletal System, 2000 - NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 1999

Guts: Our Digestive System, 2005 - NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 2005

Connections

I like the idea of a “Did You Know?” poster where children could list their favorite fast facts about a subject and add their own artwork to illustrate the concepts. For a unit on the human body, children could work with a partner to draw a life-sized outline of their body, cut it out, hang it up for display, and draw on the body systems as they are studied. Fun poems about each body part could also be printed and pasted on. A photo of each child’s face could be printed and pasted to personalize the drawing.

Other books by Seymour Simon about the human body:
The Heart: Our Circulatory System, 2006
Muscles: Our Muscular System, 2000
The Human Body, 2008
Lungs: Your Respiratory System, 2007

Note: some of these titles were originally published in the late 1990s and revised approximately ten years later with new pictures and updated text. Dates given are for the revised editions.

Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. New York: Clarion Books.

ISBN 0395776082.

In this dramatic account, Jim Murphy brings to life a horrifying episode in American history, giving readers first hand descriptions of the doctors, politicians, and residents who battled the yellow fever epidemic with few resources and little help from the local government. The book traces the course of the disease as it spread from a single neighborhood to envelop the entire city of Philadelphia, then the capital of the newly formed United States, containing nearly 51,000 inhabitants. While efforts were made to contain the disease, they were almost totally ineffectual as the cause of the disease was unknown and medical science was in its infancy. Little could be done to avoid contagion, and historians estimate that 25,000 people fled the city while as many as 5,000 people died between August and November 1793.

The author possesses a reputation for outstanding research and includes many pages of source notes. The book itself is attractive, with interesting cover art, well laid-out pages with numerous illustrations, quotations, and even poetry. “Hot dry winds forever blowing/Dead men to the grave-yards going/Constant hearses/Funeral verses/Oh! What plagues – there is no knowing!” The writing style is straightforward and communicates the subject matter clearly, resulting in a version that is as absorbing and readable as fiction.

Murphy explains that few artists or engravers from the 1790s documented the plague visually, but he included in his book many images to “help readers imagine what the city was like back then – the narrow streets, the press of people, and so on.” Engravings, paintings, copies of newspaper articles, handwritten letters, and medical journal treatises are included, giving the text authenticity and immediacy. “Black-and-white reproductions of period art, coupled with chapter headings that face full-page copies of newspaper articles of the time, help bring this dreadful episode to life” (SLJ, 2003).

Reviews and Awards

Kirkus Reviews: “Drawing heavily on primary sources, Murphy takes readers through the epidemic, moving methodically from its detection by the medical community; through its symptoms, treatment, and mortality; its effects on the populace, and what Philadelphia did to counter it. "

Booklist review: “History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation’s capital more than 200 years ago.”

School Library Journal review: “The author masterfully weaves facts and fascinating stories in describing the course of the disease and the heroic roles played by a few doctors and the free African-American citizens of the city. Murphy chronicles this frightening time with solid research and a flair for weaving facts into fascinating stories… An afterword explains the yellow fever phenomenon, its causes, and contemporary outbreaks, and source notes are extensive and interesting.”

Winner Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, 2004
Newbery Honor Book, 2004
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004
ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 2004
Finalist Young People's Literature National Book Award, 2003
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2003

Connections

Create a time period display by having children locate books that deal with persons, politics, clothing, trade, or other aspects of life in the 18th century: whaling, artisans, Benjamin Franklin, etc. Children could write short booktalks about their selections, which could be printed on colored cardstock to make promotional bookmarks. One could also gather other titles by Jim Murphy to create an author display.

Other historical nonfiction books by Jim Murphy:
The Great Fire, 2006
The Real Benedict Arnold, 2007
Inside the Alamo, 2003

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 061804597X.

Experience a family camping trip without leaving the library with this selection of thirty poems celebrating the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the great outdoors. Included poem themes range from pitching a tent to fishing and hiking, through wildlife encounters and exploring caves, to packing and returning home.

Award winning children’s poet Kristine O’Connell George uses sensory words and unexpected descriptive phrasing to create vivid mental pictures for the reader:

Cave
The cave breathes icy and ancient,
measuring time with slow drips
that echo as water hits granite
somewhere deep in this cavern.

Owl
I hear you, Owl.
The wind rush
of your wings
shouldered and spread,
pleating the night,
the satin flap of your feathered cape.

The Best Paths
The best paths
are whispers
in the grass,
a bent twig,
a token, a hint,
easily missed.

The best paths
hide themselves
until the right
someone
comes along.

The best paths
lead you
to where
you didn't know
you wanted to go.

Artist Kate Kiesler uses acrylics to paint illustrations that capture the mood and setting of each poem. Her paintings are detailed yet impressionistic. Kiesler’s painting technique perfectly captures the soft radiance of campfire light, the shimmer of sunlight sparkling on river water ripples, and the silvery gleam of moon and star light far from the glow of urban lights.

Reviews and Awards

Booklist starred review: “this fine collection brings the outdoors up close in quiet, immediate poems that engage all the senses.”

Publishers Weekly starred review: “George's poems are well crafted, varied and easily accessible. George's poems shine, the images clear and startling. {Kielser] suffuses her acrylic landscapes with light filtered through leaves. A concrete poem in the shape of a waning moon is exquisite…Readers will definitely want S-mores.”

School Library Journal starred review: “the poems are varied and inventive, replete with marvelous images and universal truths.”

School Library Journal Best Books Of The Year, 2001
Best Books For Children 7^th & 8^th Editions
Bulletin of The Center For Children's Books Recommended Titles

Connections

Try a Campout Story Time program featuring some of the following books, along with campfire songs from Camp Granada: Sing-Along Camp Songs by Frane Lessac, while sitting around a flashlight campfire and munching a no-bake S’mores mix of Teddy Grahams, mini marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips - fun!

S is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet, Helen Foster James, 2007
A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee, Chris Van Dusen, 2003
When I Go Camping With Grandma, Marion Dane Bauer, 1996
Camping With the President, Ginger Wadsworth, 2009
When We Go Camping, Margriet Ruurs, 2001

Other collaborative poetry books by George and Kiesler:
Great Frog Race and Other Poems, 1997
Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems, 1998

Grimes, Nikki. 2004. WHAT IS GOODBYE?. Ill. by Raul Colon.

New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0786807784.

What is goodbye?
Where is the good in it?
One leaves
and many hearts
are broken.
There must be
a better arithmetic
somewhere.
--Nikki Grimes, What is Goodbye?

Jerilyn and Jesse’s older brother, Jaron, has died. Told in poems alternating between the voices of sister and brother, this novel explores the feelings of those left behind – the disbelief, the sorrow, the anger, the guilt, the coping, and the eventual goodbye. Though trim in size and containing only sixty-four unnumbered pages, this novella in verse eloquently portrays the grieving process in a way that is heartfelt and genuine.

Nikki Grimes uses imagery and figurative language to give the voices of Jaron’s two siblings emotional impact. The poems are presented in twos, with each pair sharing a title, expressing viewpoints from both Jesse and Jerilyn. Jesse’s poems are told in rhyme, while older sister Jeri’s poems are expressed in free verse.

Mad -- Jerilyn Mad -- Jesse
With every step I take How could you die and
I slice my feet break your word to me?
on the jagged pieces You’re nothing but a
you’ve smashed lying little rat.
our family into. You left me, Jaron.
I hate you for that!

It is only after the anniversary of Jaron’s death that the family begins to heal. The book’s final poem, Photograph, is written for two voices to read together,

“Mom and Dad, Jesse and me,
a new kind of family, one piece missing,
but we’re whole again.”

Small, poignant vignettes by Raul Colon perfectly express the disjointed lives and strong emotions experienced by survivors as they try to understand and rebuild around the emptiness caused by the loss of their loved one. “Colón's paintings in muted colors combine imagism with realism to create an emotional dreamscape on nearly every page.” (School Library Journal, 2004)

Reviews and Awards

Booklist: “Moving and wise, these are poems that beautifully capture a family's heartache as well as the bewildering questions that death brings, and they reinforce the message in Grimes' warm author's note: 'There's no right or wrong way to feel when someone close to you dies'. "

Kirkus Reviews: “Grimes succeeds in creating distinct personalities for each member of the family and distinctly different ways of dealing with their grief as well.”

School Library Journal starred review: “Grimes' novella in verse is a prime example of how poetry and story can be combined to extend one another."

ALA Notable Children's Books, 2005
School Library Journal Best Books Of The Year, 2004

Connections

Class discussions - is there a right way or a wrong way to express grief? Is it okay not to express grief? How could reading this book help someone who has experienced loss?

Art projects – if you could draw a picture of ‘grief’, what would it look like?

Library – display books dealing with the subject of sorrow:
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, Michael Rosen
Behind You, Jacqueline Woodson
The Last Invisible Boy, Evan Kuhlman
Sun and Spoon, Kevin Henkes
I Wish I Could Hold Your Hand, Pat Palmer
Remembering Mrs. Rossi, Amy Hest
The One Left Behind, Willo Davis Roberts

Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0590360809.

Set during the Great Depression, this compelling tale introduces us to Billie Jo, a fourteen-year-old girl struggling with her family to survive on an Oklahoma wheat farm that is suffering the effects of the Dust Bowl. The novel covers the period of January 1934 to December 1935, but is far more than an account of an agricultural disaster or one family’s perspective of it. Told in the form of free verse poems from first-person point of view, Hesse balances the “black storms” of the Oklahoma plains with the internal storms besetting Billie Jo after a tragic fire takes the lives of her mother and unborn brother. Billie Jo blames herself for the accident, though she suffers severe burns on her hands in trying to put out the fire.

Billie Jo shares her mother’s musical gift and plays jazz on the family’s prized piano but sadly the injuries to her hands preclude Billie Jo’s best chance for emotional healing, preventing her from expressing her grief or reaching out to friends following the tragedy.
Despite everything, Billie Jo copes with her circumstances and learns to forgive nature, her father, and herself. Through her poems, Hesse explores Billie Jo's feelings of pain, grief, longing, rage, and occasionally joy, revealing a “determined heroine who confronts unrelenting misery and begins to transcend it.” (Kirkus Reviews, 1997)

The author’s descriptions of the efforts the residents took to cope with the dust present an authentic representation of the time period and help the reader gain insight into what it was like to battle the pervasive, windblown soil that permeated and smothered houses, lungs, and livelihoods. Notes on the book’s sources and resources for further exploration of the subject were not included, perhaps to focus attention on the emotional aspects of the story. “Hesse's ever-growing skill as a writer willing to take chances with her form shines through superbly in her ability to take historical facts and weave them into the fictional story of a character young people will readily embrace.” (SLJ, 1997)

Reviews and Awards

Publishers Weekly: "This intimate novel, written in stanza form, poetically conveys the heat, dust and wind of Oklahoma. With each meticulously arranged entry, Hesse paints a vivid picture of her heroine's emotions."

Booklist starred review: “the story is bleak, but Hesse's writing transcends the gloom and transforms it into a powerfully compelling tale of a girl with enormous strength, courage, and love.”

School Library Journal starred review: “The author's astute and careful descriptions of life during the dust storms of the 1930s are grounded in harsh reality.”

Newbery Medal winner, 1998
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 1998
School Library Journal Best Books Of The Year, 1997
ALA Best Books For Young Adults 1998
ALA Notable Children’s Books, 1998
Numerous state book awards

Connections

The Dust Bowl of the 1930s is hard for young people of today to imagine. To give students perspective and to help them understand the nature of this ecological disaster, one extension activity would be to show a video documentary on the subject. This excellent video from PBS examines both the Dust Bowl’s environmental causes and it’s human impact:

THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Surviving The Dust Bowl
Director: Mark Samels, Rocky Collins
Rated: NR Run time: 55 min.
Studio: PBS Home Video
Video Release Date: April 28, 1998

Other historical fiction novels told in verse, letter, or diary format by Karen Hesse:
Aleutian Sparrow, 2003
Letters from Rivka, 1992
Stowaway, 2000
Witness, 2001