Three informational books are reviewed below:
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book: They Called Themselves the K.K.K. by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Informational Picture Book: How to Clean a Hippopotamus by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
- Biography: Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Plot Summary
Susan Campbell Bartoletti's work covers the Reconstruction time period from the end of the Civil War in 1865 to the election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877. While it includes a quick summary of major events and laws of the civil rights movement through the present, the majority of the book focuses on the twelve years immediately following the Civil War. The text covers the time period chronologically and the information is not limited to one geographic area of the South or to one subset of people. Broad overviews of social attitudes and historic political events are woven with personal stories of attacks or involvement with the Ku Klux Klan.
The final chapter, "The Sacredness of the Human Person," shares information about the federal government's involvement in investigating and prosecuting members of the K.K.K. In this chapter, many of the former slaves whose stories appeared throughout the book are reintroduced. The reader learns that these people were willing to step forward and speak out against the injustices they endured and were key in bringing to justice some of those who committed atrocities in the name of the K.K.K.
The final chapter, "The Sacredness of the Human Person," shares information about the federal government's involvement in investigating and prosecuting members of the K.K.K. In this chapter, many of the former slaves whose stories appeared throughout the book are reintroduced. The reader learns that these people were willing to step forward and speak out against the injustices they endured and were key in bringing to justice some of those who committed atrocities in the name of the K.K.K.
Critical Analysis
While highly informative and well-supported with a bibliography and extensive source notes, the focus of this book is likely to leave readers a bit disappointed. While the title, cover illustrations, and 150 pages of text suggest that the book offers an extensive study of how the Ku Klux Kan was formed and how it operated in its early stages, this is really not the focus of Bartoletti's research. Instead, They Called themselves the K.K.K. gives the reader a thorough overview of the Reconstruction era. Her clear and plentiful explanations of historic events, political changes, and social reactions are interrupted by vignettes that involve the K.K.K.; most often these short stories introduce a person who sought to improve the lives of their fellow former slaves and was punished by the K.K.K. as a result.
The title, in the end, appears to be a publicity stunt to hook readers who might not otherwise care to learn about the Reconstruction period in its entirety. While Bartoletti's explanation of the social and economic circumstances that would allow a terrorist group like the K.K.K. to flourish does point back to the title, much more of the book is focused on broader aspects of Reconstruction, and few unexpected facts and interesting details about the K.K.K. itself are included.
That being said, the book itself is not lacking in informational value. As an overview of the Reconstruction period, the book offers a concise but information-rich reading experience. Adding value to the work are the excerpts from spoken and written words of former slaves as well as other Southerners struggling with integration in a drastically changed economic world. The vignettes of individual experiences as well as the photographs included serve to personalize the social climate of the post-Civil War South, helping the reader understand the uncertainty that plagued both black and white Southerners.
Review Excerpts
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
- ALA Notable Book
- Horn Book Fanfare List (2010)
- YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
- Starred review in Booklist (08/01/2010): "Bartoletti... examines how the Ku Klux Klan formed and grew out of the ashes of the Civil War. Bartoletti, who taught eighth-graders for 18 years, writes in admirably clear, accessible language about one of the most complex periods in U.S. history, and she deftly places the powerfully unsettling events into cultural and political context without oversimplifying.... Like the individual stories, the powerful archival images on every page will leave an indelible impression on young readers, who will want to move on to the extensive annotated resources."
- Review in Publisher's Weekly (07/26/2010): "In this comprehensive, accessible account, Newbery Honor author Bartoletti (Hitler Youth) draws from documentary histories, slave narratives, newspapers, congressional testimony, and other sources to chronicle the origins and proliferation of the Ku Klux Klan against the charged backdrop of Reconstruction politics and legislation.... Copious photos, engravings, and illustrations provide a hard-hitting graphic component to this illuminating book. And while Bartoletti notes that contemporary “hate groups wield none of the power or prestige that the Ku Klux Klan held in earlier years,” her account of attending a Klan meeting while researching the book is chilling to the core."
- Review in School Library Journal (08/01/2010): "This richly documented, historically contextualized account traces the origin and evolution of the Ku Klux Klan from a small mischievous social club into a powerful, destructive organization.... Bartoletti includes excerpts from slave narratives, archival illustrations, and historical quotes to convey the human drama of KKK terrorism."
Connections
- The scope and accessibility of this book make it ideal for use as a supplemental text in a U.S. History class. The book could be shared by the teacher during lecture; in this case, showing photographs via a document camera and reading selected vignettes from the text would be ideal. Students interested in learning more about the subject should be encouraged to check the book out from the school or local library. If it is desirable that the entire class read the book, it could also be assigned as independent reading.
- The Bibliography included along with the source notes offers a rich collection of literature that students or adults might explore as interest or research needs require. As a related reading, students might also be interested in the brief overview of the Ku Klux Klan included in Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics (pp. 49-59; 2006, ISBN: 0061234001).
- Even middle school students will benefit from a general understanding of economic, social, and political circumstances that make hate groups possible. Excerpts from They Called themselves the K.K.K. would complement Holocaust units or any language arts or social studies unit in which one of the goals is to inform and encourage students in the areas of tolerance and equality.
- Bartoletti refrences the Southern Poverty Law Center as a valuable resource. The website can be found here. It offers a rich variety of resources including a link to their "Teaching Tolerance" program, which offers high quality, free teaching resources on a variety of topics.
Bibliography
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2010. They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780618440337.
How to Clean a Hippopotamus by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Plot Summary
How to Clean a Hippopotamus is a collection of descriptions of symbiotic relationships from the animal world. Laid out in frames reminiscent of a comic book, each relationship is described in about a page and with a fair amount of detail. Although the pages are not interconnected apart from the symbiosis occurring, the colorful, detailed illustrations draw the reader into this engaging informational picture book.
Critical Analysis
Although the authors did not include a large amount of supplemental material with this text, the information presented is clearly based on research and is reliable in presenting current understanding of the relationships between the included animals. The selected format allows a large amount of information to be presented very concisely; the frames on each page include brief textual explanations in addition to the detailed illustrations that even pre-literate children will enjoy and learn from. Repetition of the word symbiosis throughout the text helps children link this term to the numerous examples provided and likely leads to most children being able to express a correct understanding of the term after reading or being read the book.
Review Excerpts
- American Library Association Notable Book for Children
- Starred review in Booklist (03/15/2010): "The format is entertaining, but as always, the authors' attention to scientific facts is serious, and their lucid explanations avoid any suggestion that these arrangements are cozy pairings between interspecies BFFs: Animals . . . remain in these relationships only because the partnership somehow helps them survive. These fascinating stories from the natural world will easily interest young people, many of whom will want to move on from the appended notes about each featured critter to more in-depth titles that further explain the mysteries of animal symbiosis."
- Review in Publisher's Weekly (05/03/2010): " Jenkins's meticulous cut-paper illustrations, as eye-catching as ever, reveal fascinating stories of animal symbiosis on each page. The paneled layout-graphic novel style-offers a dynamic format for these concise, present-tense stories of mutualism, complete with catchy titles... Closeups, aerial views, and vignettes of animals realistically rendered in Jenkins's trademark collage have a cinematic quality. An author note about the different types of symbiotic relationships, as well as appended pages detailing each animal's size, habitat, and diet, reinforce the book's value as a scientific introduction to the topic."
- Review in School Library Journal (04/01/2010): "This title is another outstanding offering from this extraordinarily talented, wonderfully symbiotic couple."
Connections
- The subject matter of this book clearly supplements upper elementary science curriculum. The opening of the appendix, titled "More about symbiosis...," is an excellent overview of different types of symbiosis. This brief section might be shared as a review of previously presented information in a science class. The relationships described, which are mostly mutually beneficial, can be shared during a study of symbiosis to engage students with specific examples from the animal world. Students will enjoy exploring this book independently if enough copies are available to allow them to do so. If the book is to be presented to an entire class, a document camera would be critical as it would allow students to view the carefully crafted, eye-catching illustrations.
- Jenkins and Page offer a list of related texts that will teach the reader more about animal symbiosis (see the final section of the appendix materials).
Bibliography
Jenkins, Steve and Page, Robin. 2010. How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780547245157.
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
Plot Summary
In Amelia Lost, Candace Fleming shares the life of Amelia Earhart in a way that even those familiar with her story will find entertaining and informational. Fleming begins by sharing information about the moments when the crew of the Itasca, a coast guard ship responsible for ensuring that she landed safely on Howard Island to refuel, realized that Earhart's location was unknown. Then Fleming alternates between sharing portions of Earhart's childhood, teen years, and adulthood and sharing additional details about the ongoing and eventual termination of the search for Earhart.
Fleming has included pull boxes that provide supplemental information so the reader can understand inventions used during this time period; for example, the reader is introduced to radio basics (e.g. "Call Letters" (2), "The Way it Works" (3), and "Radio 101" (25)) as well as bloomers (13) and the first planes built for commercial air travel (87). Other pull boxes offer additional insight into Earhart's personal life including romantic interests and her motives for various choices she made throughout her life.
By providing clear reading cues throughout as well as a wealth of photographs, journal entries, and newspaper clippings, Fleming has created a book that can enjoyably be perused or read in its entirety.
Fleming has included pull boxes that provide supplemental information so the reader can understand inventions used during this time period; for example, the reader is introduced to radio basics (e.g. "Call Letters" (2), "The Way it Works" (3), and "Radio 101" (25)) as well as bloomers (13) and the first planes built for commercial air travel (87). Other pull boxes offer additional insight into Earhart's personal life including romantic interests and her motives for various choices she made throughout her life.
By providing clear reading cues throughout as well as a wealth of photographs, journal entries, and newspaper clippings, Fleming has created a book that can enjoyably be perused or read in its entirety.
Critical Analysis
Amelia Lost provides a comprehensive picture of Amelia Earhart and is a valuable addition to literature already written about Earhart's famous disappearance. The chronological jumps serve to make the book very readable as the sometimes more mundane aspects of her early life are broken up by additional information about her final flight. Extensive inclusion of first person accounts of the incident as well as the writing and words by Earhart herself personalize the story and verify that Fleming has written a well-researched and accurate account of Earhart's life.
As a celebration of the accomplishments of one woman, Fleming has done an excellent job in illuminating Earhart's perseverance and accomplishments while also including mistakes she made and the criticisms of others. Earhart comes across as a very believable human being, and the bibliography and source notes verify that the reader will come away with a true picture of this remarkable woman.
As a celebration of the accomplishments of one woman, Fleming has done an excellent job in illuminating Earhart's perseverance and accomplishments while also including mistakes she made and the criticisms of others. Earhart comes across as a very believable human being, and the bibliography and source notes verify that the reader will come away with a true picture of this remarkable woman.
Review Excerpts
- School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
- American Library Association Notable Book for Children
- Orbis Pictus Award nominee
- Golden Kite Award winner
- Starred review in Horn Book Magazine
- Starred Kirkus Review
- Review in Booklist (12/01/2010): "Drawing on her training as a historian and her considerable writing talents, Fleming (The Great and Only Barnum, 2009) offers a fresh look at this famous aviatrix.... Appended with a generous bibliography and detailed source notes, this is a book most libraries will want both for its fascinating story and as an illustration of how research can alter historical perspective."
- Review in School Library Journal (03/01/2011): "Even though readers likely know the end of the story, Fleming makes this book difficult to put down.... Quotes from primary sources are woven so seamlessly throughout that it seems as though the individuals involved are telling the story. The Art Deco-inspired book design and excellent black-and-white photographs help to transport readers back in time. Fleming has made a phenomenal woman accessible to a new generation of readers; she unapologetically shows Earhart as a real person and dispels the mythology surrounding her."
- Review in Publisher's Weekly (01/17/2011): "An overview of the era's social and political climate, particularly as it pertained to women, should help readers grasp the significance of Earhart's accomplishments. Some anecdotes evidence a cutthroat nature... This honest depiction of Earhart's professional and personal life forms a complete portrait of a complex woman, making her final doomed flight... all the more affecting."
Connections
- This book offers a wealth of information and possibilities making it idea for sharing with groups of students. Students in grades four and above will all enjoy this book on different levels. Social studies or science teachers might find this a valuable addition to a unit about inventions of the early twentieth century while language arts teachers can tie the book to a thematic unit about perseverance or overcoming stereotypes. The book might be shared in at least the following three ways:
- For an overview of the events of Earhart's disappearance, a teacher might, over the course of a few days, share the gray-shaded pages only.
- If time is limited and technological changes are the focus of the unit of study, many of the pull boxes from the book can provide interesting supplemental material for study. Before sharing the technology information, the teacher might offer a brief overview of the story of Earhart, such as that found on the Encyclopedia Britannica website.
- To focus on Earhart's characteristic perseverance in overcoming stereotypes, the teacher might offer a general overview of Earhart's life and then share only the chapter titled "Fame: 1927 to 1928" (pp. 47-61). Students will get a taste of the sudden changes and unexpected success Earhart experienced and can be led to discuss qualities required for a person to challenge the status quo.
- In the bibliography, Fleming offers a valuable, annotated list of web resources related to Amelia Earhart's disappearance (see pp. 113-14). Hyperlinks to the pages are provided here:
Bibliography
Fleming, Candace. 2011. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Lettering by Jessica Hische. New York: Schwartz. ISBN 9780375841989.
No comments:
Post a Comment