Welcome to this week’s edition of Nonfiction Monday! This is my first time as host for this round-up, and I’m excited you are here! Nonfiction Monday is simply a collection of links from around the blogosphere that highlight or recommend great nonfiction books for kids or other nonfiction posts of interest.

Please add the link to your blog/review for Nonfiction Monday using the Mr. Linky’s Magical Widget below my post. You should be added immediately, but if you have any problems, please leave a comment in the box about your post and I’ll get it added ASAP. Keep checking back throughout the day to discover more great books/posts for Nonfiction Monday!

Oh, Pioneers! Heading West

Fall is right around the corner, and it might just be the perfect time to pull out some great books or do unit studies about the pioneers or westward expansion in the United States.

Something about sitting around a campfire on a cool evening just makes me think of those brave men, women and children who left kith and kin to set out on a cross-country journey to find a better life or adventure thousands of miles away. The hardships were many, and danger was a daily companion, but the joy, excitement, and expectation of something better pushed them forward.

Children love to study this period of history, and the ideas for activities are countless. A great resource to use is Pat McCarthy’s book, Heading West: Life With the Pioneers, 21 Activities. Not only does it cover the life and daily activities of the pioneers; information about our country’s prominent leaders at the time, events that were happening in the nation, conflicts with Native Americans, etc. is also included.

According to information from the publisher, here is a synopsis:

“Tracing the vivid saga of Native American and pioneer men, women, and children, this guide covers the colonial beginnings of the westward expansion to the last of the homesteaders in the late 20th century. Dozens of firsthand accounts from journals and autobiographies of the era form a rich and detailed story that shows how life in the backwoods and on the prairie mirrors modern life in many ways–children attended school and had daily chores, parents worked hard to provide for their families, and communities gathered for church and social events. More than 20 activities are included in this engaging guide to life in the west, including learning to churn butter, making dip candles, tracking animals, playing Blind Man’s Bluff, and creating a homestead diorama.”

Ms. McCarthy has done the research and legwork to provide educators and homeschooling families with a resource that is interesting and practical. The activities are fun and do-able, and they don’t require materials that are hard to find. Students will enjoy the experience of doing ‘pioneer’ chores and learning what life was like for children on the trail and out West. They will find out that everyone had to pull together to survive, yet they still found time to have fun and fellowship.

So why not consider a study about pioneers and the westward movement soon? You can use Pat McCarthy’s book, Heading West: Life With the Pioneers, 21 Activities to help you ‘hit the trail.’

Now let’s hear from YOU!

Here is my post for today’s Nonfiction Monday round-up hosted by L.L. Owens. Be sure to head on over and check out more posts about nonfiction books for kids!

I’ve often said that children are fascinated by topics that have a high gross factor. And what is more gross than exhuming skeletons that have been buried for over four hundred years so that forensic scientists can learn more about life (and death) in the 1600s and 1700s?

Forensic Anthropology

This branch of science is called forensic anthropology and involves special archeological techniques that keep the digging from ruining the skeletons and preserve the site as much as possible to keep everything intact.

Interestingly, Dr. Douglas Owsley, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institute, teamed up with award-winning children’s writer, Sally M. Walker, so she could create a book called Written In Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland to chronicle just such an archeological/forensic adventure!

Dr. Owsley and his team of scientists excavated several graves at the site of the old James Fort in Jamestown, Virginia in 2005, with the “goal of better understanding the Europeans and Africans who lived in Jamestown and the Chesapeake Bay area during the 1600s and 1700s.” (From front flap of Written in Bone)

“Just as forensic scientists use their knowledge of human remains to help solve crimes, they use similar skills to solve the mysteries of the long ago past. From the skeletons, the burial practices, and remnants of objects found nearby, scientists can determine gender and ancestry, along with probable age, what the person ate, what lifestyle he or she lived, and the cause of death. In some cases, further research helps scientists speculate on who the dead were.” (From front flap of Written in Bone)

Colonial Lives and Deaths

The author, Sally Walker, was able to experience firsthand another dig in Talbot County, Maryland when Dr. Owsley and his crew excavated the unmarked graves of twelve colonial settlers. Therefore her book gives an absolutely fascinating peek at what this type of archeological project involves. Within the pages of Written in Bone, we learn about a teenage boy who probably lived a harsh life and died with an Indian arrow embedded in his thigh. We find about the ceremonial burial of a high ranking ship’s captain who was laid to rest with his leading staff by his side. We also learn about a family buried in lead coffins, another young boy who obviously died a violent death and was buried in a trash pit underneath a house, and an African slave girl.

Books/Resources

Forensic anthropology, and even forensics in general, is a very interesting subject to investigate further. Here are a few more suggestions:

The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes and Uncover Mysteries of the Dead by Donna M. Jackson and Charlie Fellenbaum

The Forensic Anthropologist (Crime Scene Investigations by Diane Yancey

Forensic Science (DK Eyewitness Books) by Christopher Cooper

You can also learn more about Written in Bone at www.writteninbone.si.edu

My Thoughts on Written in Bone:

I was enthralled with Ms. Walker’s book, and I stayed up late into the night reading the stories of the excavations and the theories surrounding each featured ‘skeleton.’ This non-fiction children’s book is a page-turner, and I learned a great deal about the science of forensic anthropology and the reason behind the study.

I was especially intrigued by the fact that scientists tried to retrieve an air sample from one of the sealed lead coffins so that they could analyze and compare it to modern air to discover how the atmosphere had changed over the centuries!

Written in Bone is an exceptional read, and children (and adults) who are really ‘into’ science will love it! As Ms. Walker said in closing, “…the graves and remains of colonial settlers carry a message to the people of today. They remind us not to forget their lives and accomplishments—and not to lose our connection to the past.”

Originally published at the National Writing for Children Center on 9-14-10.

P is For Peach: A Georgia Alphabet

Written by: Carol Crane

Illustrated by: Mark Braught

Published by: Sleeping Bear Press

• ISBN 13: 9781585360468
• ISBN 10: 1585360465

Sometimes you just find a book or series that makes your heart beat a bit faster, and you know you’ve hit a resource jackpot! That’s how I felt as I was browsing the non-fiction shelves in the juvenile section of our regional library last week. A picture book with a beautifully illustrated cover of a peach tree caught my eye, so I pulled it off the shelf for a closer look. I was so excited to find that it was P is for Peach: A Georgia Alphabet by Carol Crane, and I quickly started flipping through the pages. All I can say is WOW—a geography/history/alphabet book all in one! And of course, being a Georgia gal AND a history/geography buff, I put it in my ‘check out’ stack with a sigh of contentment and a feeling of anticipation!

Sleeping Bear Press has found a niche for educators, homeschoolers, elementary school students, and state history enthusiasts with their wonderful series, Discover America State By State. A few other book titles in the series include:

L is for Lonestar: A Texas Alphabet

S is for Sunshine: A Florida Alphabet

T is for Tar Heel: A North Carolina Alphabet

L is for Last Frontier: An Alaskan Alphabet

P is for Peach is the perfect book to introduce young children to the alphabet AND the wonders and natural splendors of Georgia, but it also contains thorough information appropriate for older children and adults as well—no fluff here! In fact, according to the Sleeping Bear Press/Gale website, here is a description of the book:

“As you travel through the Okefenokee Swamp, keep an eye out for Tiger Swallowtails and Brown Thrashers, and be sure to pick some Yellow Confederate Daisies before taking a nap under a Live Oak Tree. This is the Georgia that becomes a wondrous reality within the beautiful rhyming verses of Carol Crane and the colorful images of Mark Braught. At the same time the rhymes entertain and inform younger readers, Crane’s in-depth expository text will appeal to older ones, creating a two-tiered teaching tool for educators in the Peach State and across the country.”

Carol Crane has done an excellent job compiling information and fascinating facts about Georgia, and the illustrator, Mark Braught, adds much to the book with his gorgeous and vivid illustrations. Well done!  I like this picture book so much, that I plan to purchase a copy for my own state history bookshelf! And an extra bonus? There is a free teacher’s guide on the Sleeping Bear Press/Gage website to go along with this book and the others in the series as well. I plan on using the book and the teacher’s guide to add more interest and variation to our Georgia history studies.

For more information about P is for Peach, or any of the other Discover America State by State books, check out the website above. Highly recommended!

For more great Nonfiction Monday posts, head on over to Practically Paradise, (the host for today’s round-up).

It’s  Non-Fiction Monday, and today’s round-up is hosted by Lerner Books Blog. The following review is one I previously had published at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine website on their product/curriculum reviews page. I have also reviewed a lot of Sylvan Dell books at the National Writing for Children website.

A Day in the Salt Marsh

By Kevin Kurtz

Sylvan Dell Publishing

976 Houston Northcutt Blvd., Suite 3

Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

1-877-958-2600

www.sylvandellpublishing.com

In our homeschool, we enjoy using whole “living” books as much as possible, especially in the area of science. A Day in the Salt Marsh by Kevin Kurtz is a delightful picture book that certainly falls into that category!

This high-quality, soft cover book (aimed at ages 4-8) gives the reader a peek into the ecology of a salt marsh, and it also introduces the various plants and animals that live in this particular habitat. The ‘focus’ of the book is showing children how a salt marsh can change hour by hour, depending on whether the tide is coming in or going out.

The rhyming verse format of the book is lively and fun, but the scientific information included is far from being ‘fluff’! On the contrary, even I learned about new things such as Spartina grass which is covered by salt water every day, but has special glands to ‘spit’ the salt back out! And the full color illustrations by Consie Powell are outstanding. There are ‘inset’ drawings within the larger drawings, providing the reader with greater detail to view, examine, and study. They give lots of scope for the imagination, yet they are very realistic as well.

There is an educational section at the end of the book called ‘For Creative Minds’ that provides multiple choice questions to check the child’s comprehension if the parent desires to use it. There is also a ‘Tide Animals Activity’ and more information about what causes tides, why salt marshes are important, and an extra page about Spartina grass and its adaptations. Of course, all these extras are optional, and the ‘story’ itself is very enjoyable and can stand alone.

Overall, I highly recommend the book A Day in the Salt Marsh. We have personally had the opportunity to visit a salt marsh in the past, and this book certainly reinforces and expands upon what we learned there. But if you have never had the opportunity to visit one, Mr. Kurtz’s book will allow you to ‘experience’ a salt marsh from the comfort of your own home. And who knows…after reading this book, you may decide that a field trip to a salt marsh needs to be on your homeschool agenda!

*Be sure to visit Lerner Books Blog to check out more Non-Fiction Monday entries!

Today is Non-Fiction Monday—and my first time participating. The host for this week’s round-up is The Miss Rumphius Effect.

We are literature-based homeschoolers, and my son has been using a Winter Promise course this year called ‘American Culture.’ We have BOTH loved it. Right now he is learning all about the Stock Market Crash of 1929, but recently he learned about immigration and the living conditions in New York City during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the core texts for this section was Deborah Hopkinson’s fabulous book, Shutting Out the Sky.

Shutting Out the Sky by Deborah Hopkinson

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Orchard; 1St Edition edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439375908
• ISBN-13: 978-0439375900

Deborah Hopkinson truly captured the immigration experience in her book. She used original writings from immigrants, and the story is told through those ‘voices’ from the past, featuring two women and three men from the countries of Belarus, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania. Those individuals came to America between the years of 1891 and 1901, and their ages at the time of immigration ranged from twelve to sixteen. Most came with family; one came alone.

Of course, I have studied about immigration in the past, but Hopkinson’s book certainly made an impression on me. As I read about the living conditions, sights, sounds, and smells of the tenements on the Lower East Side of New York City at this time in history, I was appalled and my sympathies stirred. My heart especially went out to the mothers who tried to make their home in one small room of an overcrowded building in a strange city. Most had no grasp of the language and even less money. Add to that a lack of good sanitary conditions, and you have a recipe for possible hopelessness.

Most immigrants came to America searching for a better life. They believed they were leaving behind poverty and persecution, and they sacrificed to get to the ‘promised land.’ Many were told that gold was scattered in the street, and all they needed was a shovel and a sack! Of course, this ‘golden land’ sounded like paradise.

Yet, they had no idea what actually lay ahead. Would they have still come if they had known? I believe that, yes, most would have. Because although the parents had a hard time adjusting and the conditions were deplorable, the children adapted more easily. Many had the opportunity to receive an education that had been denied them in the past and a chance to change the course of their lives in the future. Mothers and fathers were willing to sacrifice for their children, and in the end, that is what mattered.

Hopkinson has interwoven the ‘voices’ of the immigrants to create a complex, yet compelling, book. Yes, she does tell about the poverty, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions; but she also emphasizes the indomitable human spirit and the importance of family ties and traditions.

The photographs are a huge part of this book, and Hopkinson has chosen well. As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the photos of immigrant families crowded into small rooms, or the countless lines of laundry strung between tenement buildings should make us all thankful for what we have. America has truly been the land of opportunity, and I have great respect for the men and women who worked, scrimped, saved and determined to make better lives for themselves and their descendants.

My favorite paragraph in the book was about young Leonard Covello. When it was time for his family to leave Italy for America, he tiptoed into his grandmother’s room to say goodbye. He understood he’d never see her again, so he always remembered the words she whispered in his nine-year-old ears. She told him that the gold he would find in America would not be in the streets, but in the dreams he would realize—the golden dreams of the future.

If you visit Deborah Hopkinson’s website, you will find links and lesson plans to go along with Shutting Out the Sky.

This book is a fantastic historical resource, yet it touches the heart as well. Highly recommended!

I wanted to pop in and tell everyone about a great new ’round-up’ I discovered last week. It’s called Non-Fiction Monday. You can read a description of it here at Anastasia Suen’s blog. She also lists the sites that are hosting Non-Fiction Monday each week. This week’s host is Books Together.

I just love the whole idea of a non-fiction book round-up all in one place as I’m always looking for great new books to share with my children. And besides, children’s non-fiction is my main writing interest. I also hope to share in this round-up starting next week!

Check it out!