Monday, October 28, 2019

Synergy: Moonwalks



The first moonwalk happened fifty years ago. Between 1969 and 1972 a dozen men walked on the moon during NASA Apollo missions.

Read the recently published children's picture book, then learn more at the website:

DARING DOZEN: THE TWELVE WHO WALKED ON THE MOON by Suzanne Slade takes picture book readers chronologically through a dozen Apollo moonwalks. Including both paintings and photographs, the book concludes with background information about each mission.

NASA’s The Apollo Missions website contains information about each mission along with images and videos.


ARC courtesy of Charlesbridge.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Synergy: Biography



From farmers and factory workers to celebrities, biographies tell the stories of people.

Read the recently published children's books, then learn more at the website:

THE BOOK OF KINGS and THE BOOK OF QUEENS are companion reference books from National Geographic that explore the lives of people from around the world. Each thematic chapter includes visionaries, leaders, or scholars who made major contributions. The colorful illustrators and short articles provide a useful introduction to kickstart a deeper exploration of people from all walks of life.

Biography.com explores the lives of thousands of people from around the world. Although the ads can be annoying, the website is well-organized and easy to use. Users can search for individuals or browse by people, nostalgia, celebrity, history and culture, or crime and scandal. Videos are also available.


ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Synergy: The Stonewall Uprising



The Stonewall Uprising included a series of protests by the gay community in the summer of 1969 after a police raid in New York City. Many historians consider this event to have sparked the LGBTQ+ movement that continues today.

Read the recently published middle grades children's book, then learn more at the website:

THE STONEWALL RIOTS: COMING OUT IN THE STREETS by Gayle E. Pitman tells the story of the 1969 demonstrations that launched the LGBTQ+ movement.

Visit the Stonewall National Monument National Park Service website to learn about the site of the Stonewall protests. The website contains a history of the events and connections to the people, parks, and places associated with LGBTQ heritage.

Stonewall National Monument https://www.nps.gov/ston

ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Monday, October 07, 2019

Synergy: 1919



From the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to race riots, labor protests, and the Communist scare, the year 1919 has become known as a transformative year in American history.

Read the recently published children's book on this topic, then learn more at the website:

1919: THE YEAR THAT CHANGED AMERICA by Martin W. Sander explores six transformative events that have had a lasting impact on American history. This engaging work of nonfiction features photographs, primary source documents, and short narratives.

Wikipedia’s “year” pages provide a useful quick-reference for the key events of each year. In addition each year page contains births, deaths, Nobel prizes, and other useful information to jumpstart an investigation of a particular year such as 1919.


ARC courtesy of Bloomsbury Children.