A Woman for President by Kathleen Krull

Bibliography
Krull, Kathleen. 2004. A Woman for President. Ill. by Jane Dyer. New York, NY: Walker Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 0802789099.

Plot Summary
In A Woman for President Kathleen Krull tells the unknown story of Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States in 1872. Born into poverty, she was the 7th child out of the ten born to her parents. To help support her family, she began preaching at the age of eight. Along with running for president, Woodhull was also the first woman to own a newspaper, speak before Congress, and hold a seat on the stock exchange. Krull presents a chronological look at Woodhull's life that is both fascinating and inspiring.

Critical Analysis
A Woman for President is the amazing and inspiring story of Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States. This chronological look takes the reader to Woodhull's early childhood days of spending time with her neighbor, Rachel. Through this relationship, Victoria was taught to read. By the age of 8 she and her sister, Tennessee, was supporting her family by preaching and communicating with the dead. Krull takes the reader through Woodhull's first marriage, her relationship with Cornelius Vanderbilt which resulted in financial success, and the creation of Woodhull, Chaflin & Co., the first female-owned American company in the business of buying and selling stocks.

Even though Woodhull was able to gain much success, she was very concerned with the treatment of women that she witnessed. As a result, she declared that she would run for president during the 1872 campaign. She was not allowed to vote for herself during the election as women were not allowed that right and of course did not win the election. However, she did spend the rest of her life fighting for women's right.

Krull did an excellent job in presenting this often forgotten story. The book is well organized and researched. A bibliography of resources are included in the back of the book. Jane Dyer's illustrations add to the story by further defining the time period with pictures of the clothes, homes, and the newspaper press. This is a great biography that both children and adults will enjoy.

Reviews
Children's Literature: "The book has a perfect blend of the personal and the political which give an in-depth sense of the woman, her times, and her contributions."

School Library Journal: "Krull's writing style is lively and engaging and Dyer's large, photo-realist watercolors capture the sense of the age and involve both eye and imagination."

Connections
*Use this biography as an introduction to a woman's right movement lesson.
*Have students create their own newspaper and cover the 1872 election.

Wild Babies by Seymour Simon

Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 1997. Wild Babies. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0060230339.

Plot Summary
Since many children have opportunities to see kittens and puppies in action, Seymour Simon decides he would explore the animals that children are not as familiar with. In Wild Babies, Simon gathers pictures and information on 13 different animal babies found in the wild. Each entry provides a picture of the animal along with basic information like location, size, diet, and parenting techniques. Simon's writing and presentation is very simple and understandable for young readers. Children will love it.

Critical Analysis
Wild Babies is an adorable look at 13 different animal babies and how their parents relate to them after birth. The book is very well organized. The author opens the book with a small introduction describing some of the information found in it and then takes us through each one. Each entry has a picture of the animal and a description of their home, size at birth and adult, diet, and how long they live with their mother or if they do. For example, Simon explains how the after the female frog lays her eggs that she has very little to do with them.

The author also grouped the wild babies together by like qualities making it very easy to follow and understand. For example koalas, kangaroos, and opossums are grouped together because how their babies live in the mother's pouches after birth. Children will fall in love with the pictures and devour the interesting tidbits included in Wild Babies.

Reviews
School Library Journal: "The full-color photographs are striking and generous, and most often portray the youngster with its mother. The accompanying page of information is written in a simple but lively manner to pique the interest of young readers. The book has a logical flow as animals from similar environments follow one another, and both the text and the photographs provide some glimpses of the diverse habitats in which these creatures live."

Children's Literature: "Young children always enjoy looking at pictures of baby animals so these photographs by Seymour Simon are sure to fascinate them."

Connections
*Have children pick one of the animals listed in the book and create a reproduction of its habitat.
*Create a bulletin board display the animal facts listed in the book. Also have the children do additional research to be included on the bulletin board.

Team Moon by Catherine Thimmesh

Bibliography
Thimmesh, Catherine. 2006. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618507574.

Plot Summary
Team Moon is the story of how Apollo 11 landed on the moon and returned safely home. In order for this great event to take place, thousands of people had to work together to achieve this and make history. Catherine Thimmesh writes about this very long and ultimately successful process in Team Moon. She includes everyone from the flight directors and technicians to the seamstresses who designed the space suit. Thimmesh provides us with a close up and detailed look at America's achievement of putting a man on the moon.

Critical Analysis
Catherine Thimmesh opens up Team Moon by providing a picture of the flight path of Apollo 11 to the moon and reminding us of the dream and the challenge of this great event in our history. Throughout the book, she details the journey by providing pictures, quotes, and facts. The time period is reflected in the black and white pictures and pages. The book is very well organized starting with the anticipation that was felt throughout America while they waited for the news. Thimmesh then starts at the beginning of the quest and takes the reader through each challenge and ending with the astronaut's return home.

Thimmesh's extensive research is evident. To assist readers with further research and to guide them through her own research, she provides the sources, chapter notes, acknowledgements, and photo credits at the end of the book. Both children and adult will be thrilled with the results. To quote Walter Cronkite, "Isn't this something" (pg 45).

Reviews
Children's Literature: "All in all, Thimmesh's book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in the story of America's effort to put a man on the moon."

VOYA: "This book will be a useful and interesting overview of the Apollo 11 mission for reluctant readers. Public and school libraries will find it a helpful addition to their nonfiction collection. The photographs and easy to read format make it suitable for browsing. Teens interested in space exploration will love this overview and want to read more."

Connections
*Use this book as additional material when presenting the subject to students. The pictures will bring the journey to life.
*Have children draw their own space shuttle for the trip to the moon.

Toasting Marshmallows by Kristine O'Connell George

Bibliography
George, Kristine O'Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 061804597X.

Plot Summary
In Toasting Marshmallows, Kristine O'Connell George created 30 different poems connected by the theme of camping. She opens the collection with a short poem about putting up a tent with the word arranged as a tent. The collection continues just like a weekend of camping would by describing creatures in the woods, adventures taken, sleeping outside, and the return trip home. Kids will feel like they are sitting by a campfire after listening to a couple of these poems.

Critical Analysis
George does a wonderful job describing a typical camping trip in her collection of poems, Toasting Marshmallows. Readers will discover an abandoned cabin in the woods, how to dress in a sleeping bag, what a moose eats for lunch, and that the best path is sometimes not known. George's writing is simple but enthusiastic. She will have everyone wanting to take a family camping trip.

Kate Kiesler's illustrations create the perfect camping atmosphere. The colors are bright and vivid and the pictures are realistic. She does a great job adding details to each illustration. For example the picture of the lake for the poem, Storm, versus the picture of the lake for Gone Fishing, reveal a lake during a storm and a calm lake. Her double page spreads add even greater depth to the poems. George's writing and Kiesler's illustrations are a perfect combination.

Reviews
Publishers Weekly: "Like their previous collaborations, The Great Frog Race and Old Elm Speaks, this volume by George and Kiesler is as delicious as a toasted marshmallow treat. Readers will definitely want S-mores."

School Library Journal: "A terrific idyll for summertime sharing, even for confirmed couch potatoes."

Connections
*Create a camping atmosphere and have the children sit around the "campfire" while you read the poems.
*Ask children to write their own poems based on their family trips.

Witness by Karen Hesse

Bibliography
Hesse, Karen. 2001. Witness. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439271991.

Plot Summary
Witness by Karen Hesse is an unforgettable story set in a small Vermont town during the 1920's. Eleven different characters describe how their town is changed when the Ku Klux Klan moves in. The entire town is affected; from the local preacher to local businesses. Witnesses include Leanora, a 12 year old African American girl, and Esther, a 6 year old Jewish girl.

Critical Analysis
Newbery Award winning author, Karen Hesse, uses her familiar free verse style in Witness. Taken right out of history, Witness is a story of how the Ku Klux Klan changed a community and the families living there. Hesse creates 11 characters to share their side of the story. The addition of their pictures and ages adds to the realism of the book. Everything is included; friendship, betrayal, and the social injustice apparent during the 1920's. This historically accurate novel is a must read.

Reviews
Children's Literature: " The book is a fast read, but is one that will not release the reader's mind and heart."

VOYA: "Using poetic form with no capitalization allows Hesse to crystallize the voices of her eleven characters. Each speaks from his or her personal experiences of fears and prejudices. This lyric work is another fine achievement from one of young adult literature's best authors."

Connections
*Assign the different characters to students and read the novel aloud as an introduction to a Civil Rights lesson.
*Select other titles written in free verse poems and have students compare the writings.

Please Bury Me in the Library by J. Patrick Lewis

Bibliography
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2005. Please Bury Me in the Library. Ill. by Kyle Stone. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Books. ISBN 0152163875.

Plot Summary
In Please Bury Me in the Library, J. Patrick Lewis created 15 fun and catchy poems that are all connected by the themes of books and reading. He brings humor into his poetry by asking the question, What If Books Had Different Names? and also explains that a book person "has a spine, a heart, a soul, and a goal" in Are You a Book Person?. Children will love to read these poems over and over again.

Critical Analysis
J. Patrick Lewis shows us how much fun reading poetry can be in Please Bury Me in the Library. In this collection of 15 poems, he reminds readers of the power of reading and how words can carry us to a new and Ab-so-lu-tas-ti-cal place.

Kyle Stone does a wonderful job with the illustrations. Bright colors and childhood images are carried throughout. He created a garden from books and flies a girl to the sky in a paper airplane. From the content page to the acknowledgments page, each illustration adds to the excitement of the book.

Reviews
Kirkus Reviews: "Finishing with "Acknowledgements" to "Shel and Jack and Myra Cohn," plus other "word wizards," this offering from the prolific Lewis won't stay buried long, no matter where it's planted."

Children's Literature: "For a wild and whimsical time, let acclaimed poet J. Patrick Lewis accompany your kids on their next book-borrowing trip."

Connections
*Have children create their own poem using the letters of their first and/or last name like Lewis did in Necessary Gardens and the word language.
*Have children pick out their favorite poem from the collection and create the illustrations for it.