Synergy: Border Barrier

A BORDER BARRIER is a fence, wall, or other structure intended to stop movement between two spaces such as countries. They are designed for defense or to prevent illegal activities such as immigration and smuggling. Unintended consequences of these structures include limiting the natural movement of wildlife.  

Read the recently published nonfiction picture books for children, then learn more at the websites:

BORDER CROSSINGS written by Sneed B. Collard II and illustrated by Howard Gray shares the story of how wildlife are impacted by the US-Mexico border wall. Specifically, the powerful picture book follows endangered ocelots who attempt to cross the border. ARC courtesy of Charlesbridge.

OCELOT from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance provides useful background information about the endangered ocelot. To read the web page, go to https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/ocelot.

THE RIVER AND THE WALL is a full-length documentary following five friends who document wildlife migration and immigration issues along the US-Mexico border. Use this video to better understand the issues as you read the suggested picture book with children. To view the documentary, go to https://youtu.be/3TK4oMtSJfI

Book Review: Illegal

ILLEGAL by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin is a graphic novel examining a child refugee’s struggle to survive.

Alternating between past and present, this full-color graphic novel follows the quest of a Ghanaian refugee trying to reconnect with his siblings in Europe. As the fast-paced story unfolds, young readers are exposed to the horrific realities of crossing hostile borders and trying to survive in unbearable conditions.

Don’t miss the backmatter that effectively connects the fictional story to the real lives of refugees.

Librarians will find this middle grade book to be an excellent addition to the library’s growing collection of books about refugees. Feature it in a display exploring immigration issues. Work with English and social studies teachers to build an interdisciplinary unit weaving in this timely title.

Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on August 7, 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Disappeared

DISAPPEARED by Francisco X. Stork tells the powerful story of siblings navigating a world of kidnapping and crime in Juarez, Mexico.

When her best friend is kidnapped, Sara uses her skills as a journalist to attract attention to her friend’s case despite death threats to herself and her family. At the same time, Sara’s brother Emiliano faces the question of whether to take the easy path into the world of crime or work hard to establish a legal business. Stork’s well-developed characters and authentic situations will draw young adults into this suspenseful story.

Librarians will find this to be a popular addition to the growing number of thoughtful, coming-of-age novels focusing on timely issues related to crime and politics along the American-Mexican border. Although the setting is different than Stork’s other novels, fans will quickly become immersed in this fast-paced thriller.

Published on September 26, 2017 by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Scholastic. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: The New Europeans

THE NEW EUROPEANS from National Geographic explores the voices of a changing continent.

This interactive web project presents the stories of dozens of Syrian and other refugees who streamed into Europe in the past couple years. The website includes dozens of videos along with a news story and photographs.

Librarians will find this website to be an interesting way for students to explore issues related to immigration. Use this website to jumpstart an inquiry into global immigration issues. Ask students to make comparisons with immigration issues in the United States. This website could also be used as part of an informational reading experience in social studies.

To visit the website, go to https://www.nationalgeographic.com/…/europe-immigration-mu…/.

Website Review: American Panorama

AMERICAN PANORAMA: AN ATLAS OF UNITED STATES HISTORY is an interactive historical atlas.

This online atlas project currently contains five maps. The Mapping Inequality (1935-1940) project explores New Deal America, the Forced Migration (1810-1860) map examines enslaved people, the Overland Trails (1840-1860) project focuses on trails west, the Foreign-Born Population (1850-2010) map features immigrants from around the world, and the Canals (1820-1860) project focuses on canals of the Northeast US.

Librarians will find this atlas is helpful for students who learn best though the use of visual communication. Involve students in discussing other topics that would benefit from an interactive atlas approach. Because the topics cover a variety of topics, the project can be integrated into both history and social studies classes.

To visit the website, go to http://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/.

For another historical atlas, go to http://dsl.richmond.edu/historicalatlas/.

Book Review: Stormy Seas

STORMY SEAS by Mary Beth Leatherdale tells the refugee stories of five young people from around the globe.

Using collage-based design, this highly-illustrated book shares the true stories of boys and girls who sought to escape violence or poverty by sailing to a new country. Fact boxes, sidebars, timelines, and other informational asides contribute to the value of this work of nonfiction for both literature activities and social studies reports.

Librarians will find this timely book to be popular with upper elementary and middle school youth. The unusual illustrations are an added draw for young readers.

Published by Annick Press, an imprint of Ingram on April 11, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Spotlight: Immigration to the US, 1789-1930

IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES, 1789-1930 explores the aspirations, acculturation, and impact of immigrants through a wide range of primary source documents.

Contents: Part of Harvard University Library’s open collections programs, this digital collection features historical materials from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. In addition to browsing for digital objects, users can explore materials by topic including the immigrant diaspora, new lives, and restricting immigration.

Classroom Connections: History and social studies teachers will find a wealth of useful resources in this collection that connect directly to the standards. Of particular note are the many acts and other legal documents associated with immigration. In addition, students will enjoy the diaries, photographs, and other documents related to the everyday lives of immigrants.

Featured Digital Objects:
The Chinese Exclusion Act http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/exclusion.html
The Statue of Liberty http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/statueofliberty.html
California Gold Rush http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html

To visit the collection, go to http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration.

Book Review: A Piece of Home

A PIECE OF HOME by Jeri Watts tells the story of a young boy who moves from Korea to West Virginia and his struggles to fit in.

When his father accepts a job in West Virginia, Hee Jun’s family moves from Korea to a strange new world where people speak and act differently. However, he soon begins to assimilate and feels increasingly comfortable in his new home.

Librarians will find this picture book to be an excellent addition to their growing collection of books focusing on immigration. Teachers will find the book to be useful in helping new immigrants as well as other children learn about the realities of living in an unfamiliar world.

Published by Candlewick on June 14, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Ellis Island

ELLIS ISLAND by Elizabeth Carney traces the history of Ellis Island.

Written for fluent readers, the book contains short chapters exploring the history of Ellis Island. Throughout the story, readers will find boxes containing facts, quotes, and key words. Photo captions and labels provide additional information for readers. The book also contains a quiz, glossary, and index.

Librarians will find this short book to be a valuable addition to their nonfiction collection. The many black and white, as well as color photographs will draw the interest of primary grade students. With lots of visuals and easy-to-read text, this National Geographic Readers title would be particularly useful for reluctant readers working on history reports. Use this title along with other nonfiction works in this collection as part of an informational reading, literature circle activity.

Published by National Geographic on April 12, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Technology Review: In the News: Refugees

IN THE NEWS: REFUGEES by Annenberg Learner provides high-quality curriculum resources for teaching about refugees.

The web-based resource is divided into student and teacher sections.

The Student Section provides links to content resources about the refugee crisis and the connection issue of immigration. Students can hear stories of ordinary people forced to flee their homes to escape violence and persecution. Links are provided to online exhibits that explore the lives of refugees from around the world, collections of stories about refugees that made their way to the United States, and art exhibits focusing on cultural connections. Finally, two resources explore maps related to displacement of people and immigration patterns.

The Teacher Section provides links to activities, lesson plans, and other professional development resources focusing on the refugee crisis and the related topic of immigration. Activities connect youth to photographs, literature, and writing projects. Lesson plans focus on the connection of migration to population and resource distribution. Articles explore the history of human migration, ancient immigration, immigration law, and public empathy for refugees.

Librarians will find that the topic of refugees and immigration can be woven across the curriculum. From map and data literacy to social issues projects, this hot-button issue works well for digital and information literacy curriculum connections.

To learn more, go to the website athttp://www.learner.org/resources/refugees/.

Book Review: I See Reality

I SEE REALITY: TWELVE SHORT STORIES ABOUT REAL LIFE presents a dozen short works of realistic fiction aimed at mature young adults.

From contemplating a breakup to surviving a school shooting, the widely varied stories in this collection will drawn in new readers to realistic fiction. With contributions from both well-known and lesser known authors, the thought-provoking and sometimes funny stories will connect with teens readers.

The stories are well organized alternating very short stories and graphic works with longer prose. Timely topics including addiction, violence, sexuality, and immigration will add to the appeal.

Librarians will find this anthology to be an effective way to feature realistic literacy fiction and draw readers to some new authors. Consider starting a short story club that focuses on reading short works rather than longer novels.

Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan on January 26, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

App Review: The New Immigrants: NYC 1880-1924

THE NEW IMMIGRANTS: NYC 1880-1924 by Vanguard Direct and the New York Department of Education invites users to explore the immigrant experience in America.

This outstanding history app is divided into six sections: a new beginning, the migration process, tenement life, earning a living, nativism, and assimilation and cultural preservation.

Users begin by scrolling down to the first topic, a new beginning. Or, they can click on one of the six sections. Each section provides an overview along with a sidebar containing three areas to explore. The sidebar options reveal a primary source document and an explanation. Users can then swipe through additional examples, choose the information icon for related materials, reveal questions and prompts geared at particular grade levels, save materials to a collection, or use the crop tool to zoom and crop an area of the screen.

Navigation is very intuitive making the app easy to explore and use. The images and other elements are high-quality. Students can create a collection of their materials, print or email PDFs from their collections, and use the search tool to explore related documents.

Teaching materials are provided for elementary, middle school, and high school levels. They include document based performance tasks along with instructional strategies and activities.

Social studies teachers and librarians will enjoy the focus on the carefully curated primary source collection of over 100 artifacts woven into the app including documents, newspaper articles, cartoons, photos, audio, video, and more. The New Immigrants app deals with a broad spectrum of topics from the journey and hardships to the triumphs of the immigrant experience. As such, it should work well in a classroom situation where it’s important to explore multiple perspectives and experiences.

Librarians will find this to be an excellent addition to the school’s history app collection. There’s a need for an app like this on every topic in American history!

To download the app, go to iTunes. 

Book Review: West of the Moon

WEST OF THE MOON by Margi Preus is a unique combination of traditional folktale and historical fiction. 

Set in the mountains and forests of Norway, a young girl seeks to escape to America to join her father. The author masterfully weaves together traditional folktales and a young girl’s dreams into a rich story of determination and a quest for a better life. The prose is beautifully written and fits perfectly with the story’s themes.

This dark story for middle grade children shows the harsh reality of hunger, child labor, and cruelty often glossed over in the folktales found in picture books. Preus skillfully examines the difficult decisions that must be made in desperate situations. The book provides a wonderful opportunity to talk with students about folktales along with the stark reality of the immigrant experience. Often our social studies curriculum explores the lives of immigrants without providing the context of their lives prior to their decision to seek a new life in another county.

This well-research work includes an excellent Author’s Note at the end of the book. This section connects the story to the author’s family heritage. It also provides insights into some of the historical aspects including topics such as rickets, tetanus, cholera, and charm books. Finally, it discusses the many folktales references in the book. Youth will have fun connecting the specific folktales with incidents in book.

The unique combination of myth and reality makes WEST OF THE MOON a book to revisit as you put together your “best of 2014” list.

With recent interest in stories related to the Brother’s Grimm, this book is one that may expand this interest into other regional folklore.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.margipreus.com/