“Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whoooooooo….
Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo.” That’s the sound of a Great Horned Owl. It’s
the call a little girl’s father makes as she accompanies him on a silent,
shadowy, forested moonlit night as they seek to hear an owl return the call.
It’s cold, and a little bit scary. But: “When you go owling you have to be
brave.” What a beautiful book. In Owl
Moon, author Jane Yolen draws on her own experience of owling with her family,
and John Schoenherr, who received the Caldecott Medal in 1988 for this book,
recalls features of his own family farm in his outstanding watercolor
illustrations. This is a book about the inimitable companionship of a parent
and child, about the hope that accompanies a journey, about the courage needed
in darkness, about the near-magic of the natural landscape and a reverence for
its creatures. It is also superb for reading aloud. "Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whoooooooo." Ages 3-8.
Related interviews and activities may be found at: TeachingBooks.net
“A very old woman stands at the bottom
of a very steep hill. It’s Voting Day, she’s an American, and by God, she’s
going to vote. Lillian is her name.” This is the opening paragraph of Jonah
Winter’s superb picture book Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the
Voting Rights Act of 1965. Winter bases his story of Lillian’s walk to the
polls on a real person, Lillian Allen of Pittsburgh, granddaughter of a slave.
The “very steep hill” Lillian trudges up is metaphorical in this story: a
journey remembering the many obstacles to voting, over the years, and the acts
of courage that enabled all citizens, regardless of race or gender, to vote.
She can see her great-grandpa Edmund voting for the first time with the passage
of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870; yet Grandpa Isaac is turned away at the
polls in Alabama due to a poll tax he can’t afford; Uncle Levi is required to
answer ludicrous questions when he tries to register to vote; Lillian’s parents
are chased away from the polls by an angry mob, and a burning cross is placed
in their yard; even Lillian, years later when she first tries to register, is
asked to write down from memory a section of the U.S. Constitution. She also
sees Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis on the Selma to Montgomery marches,
and she hears President Lyndon Johnson declare, “Every American citizen must
have an equal right to vote…There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us
than the duty we have to ensure that right…” before signing into law the Voting
Rights Act of 1965. Shane W. Evans’s strong, handsome images convey the
poignancy and power of the story. An author’s note at the end reminds readers
that the right to vote still, even now, needs protection. Ages 5-9.
Related activities and interviews may be found at: TeachingBooks.net
Nine months after the vicious attacks of
September 11, 2001 – in Pennsylvania, at the Pentagon and in New York City –
hearts in America remained broken. Across the world in an African village a
remarkable gesture of friendship and hope was being made to our nation in
mourning. Kimeli Naiyomah had returned to his west Kenyan home from New York
with news of the attacks, and villagers responded with the most heartfelt gift
they had: 14 cows. To the Maasai, cows mean life; they provide shelter and
food. An American diplomat received the gift in June 2002, surrounded by
hundreds of Maasai people. The event was reported in media around the globe,
evidence of the depth of feeling inherent in this gift. The hues and textures
of the African landscape in Thomas Gonzalez’s paintings draw readers into 14
Cows for America with a distinct immediacy. Storyteller and author Carmen
Agra Deedy collaborates with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomaah to bring elegant prose,
profound in its simplicity, to a true story that shows how generosity and
compassion can bridge cultures and bring healing in the name of our common
humanity. Ages 5-9.
Related activities and interviews may be found at: TeachingBooks.net
Rachel Carson may have been a quiet hero
for much of her lifetime, dedicating herself to exploring the natural world as
a writer and a biologist, but the results of her work have been anything but
quiet. Her book Silent Spring, published in 1962, was an alarm clock for
the nation, indeed the world. It declared that pesticides have a decidedly
harmful effect on our environment, compromising the delicate web of life.
Carson said: "Once you are aware of the wonder and beauty of earth,
you will want to learn about it." Laurie Lawlor’s picture book biography Rachel
Carson and Her Book That Changed the World touches on almost every aspect
of Carson’s life and the convictions that drove her even as “she knew she was
walking into dangerous territory” defying industries, government and research
institutions. In her epilogue, Lawlor describes the enduring legacy of this
remarkable woman, stating “…it’s important to keep in mind how truth eloquently
expressed continues to have the power to change the world.” For ages 5-9, but a
stirring introduction for all ages to an important environmental crusader.
Related activities and interviews may be found at: TeachingBooks.net
