Another month, another laserlike focus on a fascinating 50-year period of U.S. history with seven-year-old S. With the turn of the 20th century behind us, we’ve gotten back around to 1900-1950, which is where we were last year when I started documenting our monthly book selections.
Last year, I described that period as “after Kitty Hawk and before Pearl Harbor,” and that’s still a good way of framing things — though I did forget last month and slip a WWI picture book into the mix. But if S didn’t read it, it’s like it didn’t really happen, right?
Here are the titles that I’ve either brought home or pulled from our own collection for more prominent display this month:
The Arts
My Name Is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter
José! Born to Dance: The Story of José Limón by Susanna Reich and illustrated by Raúl Colón
Harlem Stomp by Laban Carrick Hill
Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People by Bonnie Christensen
Advances in Technology/Engineering
Radio Rescue by Lynn Barasch
Sky Boys by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by James E. Ransome
Aliens Are Coming: The True Account Of The 1938 War Of The Worlds Radio Broadcast by Meghan McCarthy
Prohibition
Moonshiner’s Son by Carolyn Reeder
Bill by Chap Reaver
The Great Depression
Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929 by Karen Blumenthal
Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman
Down Cut Shin Creek: Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer
One other book that fits this period — and takes place in our own back yard — is You Can’t Do That, Dan Moody!: The Klan Fighting Governor of Texas by Ken Anderson. I read it for the first time this past weekend. It’s an engaging combination of Texas history, courtroom drama, and good whooping up on evil. It’s also a bit more than I want S to know about just yet.
Here are links to my previous posts on U.S. history reading, which is my main contribution to the homeschooling of my two sons. I always welcome your suggestions for new titles and older books I’ve overlooked.
Prehistory-1621: The List and The Wrap-Up
1622-1750: The List and The Wrap-Up
1750-1800: The List and The Wrap-Up
1775-1825: The List and The Wrap-Up
1800-1850: The List and The Wrap-Up
1825-1875: The List and The Wrap-Up
1850-1900: The List and The Wrap Up
1875-1925: The List and The Wrap-Up
1900-1950: List #1 and Wrap-Up #1
1925-1975: The List and The Wrap-Up
1950-2000: The List and The Wrap-Up
1975-present: The List and The Wrap-Up
Chris, for the Woody Guthrie bio, a nice companion book would be the picture book version of “This Land Is Your Land” with illustrations by Kathy Jakobsen; comes with a CD with a few songs performed by both Woody and Arlo…
Chris, for the Woody Guthrie bio, a nice companion book would be the picture book version of “This Land Is Your Land” with illustrations by Kathy Jakobsen; comes with a CD with a few songs performed by both Woody and Arlo…
Chris, for the Woody Guthrie bio, a nice companion book would be the picture book version of “This Land Is Your Land” with illustrations by Kathy Jakobsen; comes with a CD with a few songs performed by both Woody and Arlo…
John Erickson (of Hank the Cowdog fame) has written a terrific Texas Prohibition era book called “Moonshiner’s Gold.” Ranch life in the 1920s in the Texas Panhandle during the early years of the Texas oil boom.
John Erickson (of Hank the Cowdog fame) has written a terrific Texas Prohibition era book called “Moonshiner’s Gold.” Ranch life in the 1920s in the Texas Panhandle during the early years of the Texas oil boom.
John Erickson (of Hank the Cowdog fame) has written a terrific Texas Prohibition era book called “Moonshiner’s Gold.” Ranch life in the 1920s in the Texas Panhandle during the early years of the Texas oil boom.
Great suggestions, both — thanks a bunch. Camille, S adores Hank the Cowdog — is “Moonshiner’s Gold” written in the same light, comic style accessible to a seven-year-old, or is it for older readers?
Great suggestions, both — thanks a bunch. Camille, S adores Hank the Cowdog — is “Moonshiner’s Gold” written in the same light, comic style accessible to a seven-year-old, or is it for older readers?
Great suggestions, both — thanks a bunch. Camille, S adores Hank the Cowdog — is “Moonshiner’s Gold” written in the same light, comic style accessible to a seven-year-old, or is it for older readers?
Hmmm…seven…second grade? It is not happy clappy the way Hank is but it is a good story. Probably a little old for him. Maybe next year, third/fourth grade. You would enjoy it I bet. I nominated it for the Texas Bluebonnet list but I think one line about some “ladies in outlandish dress” standing on a street corner of the boomtown, nixed it. That was a few years ago. Given some of the Bluebonnet selections on recent lists that line seems pretty tame. sigh. It would have been a great Bluebonnet book.
Hmmm…seven…second grade? It is not happy clappy the way Hank is but it is a good story. Probably a little old for him. Maybe next year, third/fourth grade. You would enjoy it I bet. I nominated it for the Texas Bluebonnet list but I think one line about some “ladies in outlandish dress” standing on a street corner of the boomtown, nixed it. That was a few years ago. Given some of the Bluebonnet selections on recent lists that line seems pretty tame. sigh. It would have been a great Bluebonnet book.
Hmmm…seven…second grade? It is not happy clappy the way Hank is but it is a good story. Probably a little old for him. Maybe next year, third/fourth grade. You would enjoy it I bet. I nominated it for the Texas Bluebonnet list but I think one line about some “ladies in outlandish dress” standing on a street corner of the boomtown, nixed it. That was a few years ago. Given some of the Bluebonnet selections on recent lists that line seems pretty tame. sigh. It would have been a great Bluebonnet book.