Patience Wright: America's First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy

Patience Wright: America's First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy

Written by: Pegi Deitz Shea
Illustrated by: Bethanne Andersen

"Born in 1725 in the American colonies, Patience Wright discovered her talent for art at an early age. As an adult, she joined her sister in a wax-sculpting business and later moved on her own to England. There, Patience became a spy for the colonies, hiding messages in the sculpted busts she sent to her sister's waxworks in America. Here is the story of a woman who lived an extraordinary life, full of art and intrigue."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2009/01/patience-lovell-wright.html
http://bordentownhistory.org/Current_Exhibits/PatielceWright/index.html

Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving

Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving

Written by: Joseph Bruchac
Illustrated by: Greg Shed

"Squanto, friend of the Pilgrims, who taught them how to survive in the New World, has been remembered every November in classrooms across America. Little is known, by most children or adults, of his life and sacrifice. Now Joseph Bruchac tells us the whole story in a beautifully illustrated picture book. He sets the record straight about those hats and the food we continue to eat on Thanksgiving Day, but, more importantly, he makes us aware of how close we came to losing the colony."

Children's Literature Review

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=757

The First Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving

Written by: Jean Craighead George
Illustrated by: Thomas Locker

"George's consummate skill as a storyteller takes what could have been "just another" Thanksgiving book and raises it above the mundane. Beginning "in a time so long ago that only the rocks remember," she focuses on Plymouth Rock, a 200-ton boulder of Dedham granite, as the loom upon which to weave the heroic and tragic tales of the people who settled this land. The storytelling is direct, filled with details, and firmly grounded in place and time. Quickly drawn but very effective portraits of the times and the people heighten the presentation. Squanto's tragedy is movingly sketched. Readers will not miss the ironic contrast between the fate of the native population and those who came seeking a freer, more tolerant life, but George does not belabor the point, letting the events of history subtly underscore the irony."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.visit-plymouth.com/plymouthrock.htm
http://plimoth.org/kids/stories.php

Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving

Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving

Written by: Ann Mcgovern
Illustrated by: Elroy Freem

"The Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving lasted three whole days. The author's simple text introduces children to the struggles of the Pilgrims during their first year at Plymouth Colony and the events leading to the historic occasion we celebrate today - Thanksgiving."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/

Thank you, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Thank you, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Written by: Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrated by: Matt Faulkner

"We the people of the United States… almost lost Thanksgiving? Yes. That’s right!
Way back when “skirts were long and hats were tall” Americans were forgetting Thanksgiving, and nobody seemed to care! Thankfully, Sarah Hale appeared. More steadfast than Plymouth Rock, this lady editor knew the holiday needed saving. But would her recipe for rescue ever convince Congress and the presidents?

Join Laurie on a journey of a woman and a pen that spanned four decades, the Civil War, and five presidents, all so you could have your turkey and eat it too!"
1s
Product Description

Online Resources:
http://madwomanintheforest.com/youngreaders-thank-you-sarah/

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

Written by: Jean Fritz

"The history of the Lost Colony is more than a simple tale of settlers who disappeared, leaving a cryptic message behind. Fritz weaves the tangled threads of historical records, the multiple voyages, and the large cast of significant figures into a single narrative that enables children to envision the main events as well as many colorful details. The presentation is surprisingly traditional in some ways, from a Eurocentric reference to America as the "newfound land" to the anecdote (undocumented, as the appended notes acknowledge) about Sir Walter Raleigh's laying his coat across a puddle for Queen Elizabeth. In four chapters, Fritz discusses the English exploration of the region, the settlement on Roanoke Island, the mysterious disappearance of the colonists, and the conjectures, hoaxes, and evidence that have fueled speculation about the colony for 400 years."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/mystery/roanoke_files/frame.htm
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/roanoke1.htm
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_Roanoke.html

Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage

Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage

Written by: Peter Arenstam, John Kemp, Catherine O'Neill Grace, & Plimoth Plantation

"Plimoth Plantation and the National Geographic Society come together to tell the true story behind the legendary voyage of the Mayflower. A meticulously researched work, Mayflower 1620 offers children a compelling, fresh account of this much-told story.

Vibrant photography of a rare reenactment using the Mayflower II leads readers imaginatively into the narrative. The vivid and informative text explores the story behind the exhibits at the living-history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Primary sources record what the voyagers wore, what they ate, and telling details of their journey. First-person accounts reveal the hopes and dreams they carried. Readers share in the long hours at sea, and in the dangers faced after landfall. Extensive end notes, a map, a detailed chronology, and a bibliography round out the full story of the Mayflower.

Readers experience a new look at this seminal historical event through the eyes of those who now regularly inhabit the world of the pilgrims—the actors who interpret the Pilgrim Voyage. This eye-opening book teaches children the value of closely reexamining everything we think we know."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.plimoth.org/

1607: A New Look at Jamestown

1607: A New Look at Jamestown

Written by: Karen Lange

"In 1994, scientists unearthed important new evidence about the original Jamestown fort. The work is ongoing and has changed many established ideas about the early settlers. 1607 incorporates these findings and offers a fascinating look at archaeology in action. Color photographs of costumed interpreters and re-created buildings from the Jamestown Settlement living-history museum depict both English and Native American ways of life. Varying perspectives of the period are represented, including evidence that suggests that Native women married English settlers and lived at the fort; how the arrival of English women changed the dynamics of the settlement; and the importance of indentured servants versus the relatively small presence of African slaves. Attractive, engaging, and informative, this title should be in every collection."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=269
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/page2.html

Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607

Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607

Written by: Elisa Carbone

"Twelve-year-old Samuel Collier is a lowly commoner on the streets of London. So when he becomes the page of Captain John Smith and boards the ship the Susan Constant, bound for the New World, he can’t believe his good fortune. He’s heard that gold washes ashore with every tide. But beginning with the stormy journey and his first contact with the native people, he realizes that the New World is nothing like he had ever imagined.The lush Virginia shore where they establish the colony of James Town is both beautiful and forbidding, and it’s hard to know who’s a friend or foe. As he learns the language of the Algonquin Indians and observes Captain Smith’s wise diplomacy, Samuel begins to see that he can be whomever he wants to be in this new land."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.elisacarbone.com/educators/BloodRiverStudyGuide.html

The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-but-True Survival Story of Plymouth Colony

The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-but-True Survival Story of Plymouth Colony

Written by: Cheryl Harness

"Instead of a standard biography, Harness chronicles the history of the Plymouth Pilgrims from their troubles in England to their first years in North America, with the focus on Standish. Separating documented history from speculation, the narrative explains religious movements, introduces key figures, and gives a balanced account of Pilgrim-Indian relationships. In contrast to many Pilgrim histories, the tone is casual (e.g., "Without Squanto the translator, these English wouldn't be able to go around getting cozy with everybody, messing up the balance of power.") Harness' familiar detailed pictures appear here as prints. A bibliography of resources is appended, along with lists of Mayflower passengers, recommended Web sites and places to visit. A reader-friendly approach to history."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/MylesStandish.php

Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence

Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence

Written by: Russell Freedman

"Known for his stellar biographies and superb nonfiction, Freedman now offers a fine book about the creation of one of the nation's most important historical documents. The first five chapters vividly bring to life the events that led to Colonial uprising and revolt. The next three chapters describe the Second Continental Congress, formation of the Continental Army, Battle of Bunker Hill, and drafting of the Declaration by Thomas Jefferson.

The final chapter discusses the impact of the famous document at the time it was written and its continuing importance, and offers practical information about its preservation, storage, and display. The author points out the important roles women, slaves, and free blacks played in the Revolution, but is also careful to note the restrictions placed on these groups by the white male majority. Quotations from journals, essays, speeches, letters, and songs of the day add color to the compelling narration. Many bold reproductions, in color and black and white, supplement the text. A must for every collection."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=787_type=Book_typeId=2637
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/revolutionary_war/american_revolution.htm

If You Were There in 1776

If You Were There in 1776

Written by: Barbara Brenner

"This book demonstrates how the concepts and principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence were drawn from the experiences of living in America in the late eighteenth century, with emphasis given to how children lived on a New England farm, a Southern plantation, and the frontier."

Publishers Description


Online Resources:
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/therevolutionarywar/

The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689

The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689

Written by: Betsy Maestro
Illustrated by: Giulio Maestro

"An excellent, evenhanded account of European immigration to North America during Colonial times. In clear language, the Maestros explain this often confusing part of American history. They take readers from the French explorers of the early 1600s, to the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620, to 1689, when the European population here numbered over 200,000. With beautifully rendered full-color illustrations that are well labeled, this book will leave students with a glimpse of how greedy some settlers were, how religious intolerance played an important role in establishing certain settlements, how hostilities were bound to grow between Europeans and natives, and how the struggle for this continent had only just begun."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Colonial_America/
http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/ushistory/colonial.html