Synergy: John Hancock and Samuel Adams

John Hancock (1736-1793) was a wealthy merchant and Samuel Adams (1722-1803) was a politician and activist. As a result of the Stamp Act, they joined forces to create a peaceful boycott of British goods. For a decade, they led protests in Boston prior to the Revolutionary War.

Read the recently published children’s picture book, then learn more at the websites:

MOST WANTED written by Sarah Jane Marsh and illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham explores the partnership of John Hancock and Samuel Adams in Boston. Readers follow Hancock and Adams through the ten years leading up to the Revolutionary War. The picture book features both well-known and lesser-known quotes from primary source documents. It concludes with additional background information, a timeline, and author notes.

THE COMING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1764-1776 is a web project of the Massachusetts Historical Society. The project focuses on over a dozen key primary source documents. Many of these documents are featured in the Marsh’s picture book.

The Coming of the American Revolution
http://masshist.org/revolution

ARC courtesy of Disney/Hyperion.

Synergy: Working Dogs

Working dogs are trained to perform specific tasks such as detecting bombs or assisting a visually impaired person. In most cases, the dogs are breed to promote particular physical characters such as herding dogs.

Read the recently published children’s picture book on this topic, then learn more at the websites:

CADI: THE FARM DOG by Lisa M. Gerry is part of the new DOGGY DEFENDERS series celebrating the experiences of real-life working dogs. Each book explores a different type of dog such as the fire dog, therapy dog, police dog, and search dog. Cadi is a farm dog that protects farm animals and assists humans. Each two-page spread contains colorful photographs and engaging, easy-to-read text. The book concludes with information about Cadi and his human family.

WORKING DOGS is a short video from National Geographic that introduces the concept of working dogs to viewers. A YouTube search for particularly types of working dogs returns lots of videos.

Working Dogs https://bit.ly/3cmxFx8

ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

Synergy: Mister Rogers

Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003) was a beloved American television personality and producer who hosted a television series for children titled Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood from 1968-2001.

Read the recently published children’s picture book on this topic, then learn more at the websites:

YOU ARE MY FRIEND written by Aimee Reid and illustrated by Matt Phelan tells the story of Mister Rogers. This beautifully illustrated biography explores the elements of Fred Rogers’ childhood that impacted his decision to create a television program for children that emphasized kindness and celebrated individual differences.

MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD is a website dedicated to Fred Rogers and his television programs. It features information about his message and music; his guests, puppets and colleagues; and key locations. The website also provides excerpts from the early television program.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
https://www.misterrogers.org/

ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Synergy: Racial Equity in Education

Racial educational equity refers to fairness, inclusion, and equal opportunity in schools. In the United States, many schools were segregated by race until this practice was declared unconstitutional in the 1954. As schools throughout the American South began the process of desegregation, many students found themselves in the middle of local conflicts.

Read the recently published nonfiction children’s book on this topic, then learn more at the websites:

THIS PROMISE OF CHANGE by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy tells the story of a girl’s fight for school equality. The book begins by providing a context for readers about the time leading up to the summer of 1956. Author Jo Ann Allen was one of a dozen students enrolled at Clinton High School in Tennessee in August of 1956. As the school year began, outsiders joined by locals rioted causing conflict in this small town through the Fall. This middle grade novel weaves together free-verse with primary source documents to immerse readers in this true story of risk and courage. The book concludes with information about the key people and a scrapbook of photos and other resources.

CLINTON DESEGREGATION CRISIS is a web page telling the story of desegregation in the town of Clinton, Tennessee. This short article provides useful background information for youth reading the story of the Clinton Dozen.

BEFORE LITTLE ROCK is a photo gallery from Life Magazine telling the story of mob violence through a set of photographs.

Clinton Desegregation Crisis
https://bit.ly/2ZW4sGG

Before Little Rock
https://bit.ly/3ewEr4E

ARC courtesy of Bloomsbury Children.

Synergy: Collections

A collection is a group of things someone has gathered. A person is a collector when they bring things together into a group. People collect many different types of things. Collecting is a popular hobby.

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

FINDING TREASURES written by Michelle Schaub and illustrated by Carmen Saldaña is a picture book about collections and collecting. When the class is given the assignment of sharing their personal collection, one student goes on a quest to learn about the collections of friends and family. From teapots and coins to baseball cards, the exploration leads to the discovery of her own passion.

THE LEARNING LAB from the Smithsonian invites youth to discover, creative, share, and learn using the Smithsonian collections.

THE LEARNING LAB
https://learninglab.si.edu/

ARC courtesy of Charlesbridge.