Reflection

The blog assignment for this class is the first blog that I have ever written and have kept up with. I did write a one-time post blog for another class that I had taken last year but that was the only other time and it wasn’t continuous like this blog was. I will say that it was difficult for me to remember to keep up with the different book posts for the blog. I am just not a blog person and so this was a new experience for me to post in a blog. However, I am glad that I had the opportunity to create and post in a blog for class because it made me try something new that I normally wouldn’t have done on my own.

            For this blog, I tried to find nonfiction books that I had not read or have heard of before and I used the resources that were available on the syllabus and class resources. I was also looking at authors of those books to see what else they had written to see if their other books were about the same topic or similar. I did think it was fairly easy to comment on other blogs. I enjoyed looking at what others had created in their blog and what nonfiction books they chose to write about. There were some very creative blogs that I looked through and made comments about. Links to the comments that I made:

1. http://lisaloep.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-new-way-things-work-book-by-david.html

2. http://lisaloep.blogspot.com/2013/11/picture-books-about-libraries_3.html?showComment=1385394712917

3. http://leidelit.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/midieval-madness/#comments

4. http://leidelit.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/monstrous-mythology/#comments

5. http://www.ecsbooklovers.blogspot.com/2013/10/amelia-lost-life-disappearance-of.html#comment-form

6. http://www.ecsbooklovers.blogspot.com/2013/09/american-revolution-fact-tracker-magic.html#comment-form

7. http://booksarethebomb.weebly.com/1/post/2013/11/connecting-with-youth-targeting-boys.html#comments

8. http://booksarethebomb.weebly.com/1/post/2013/09/the-great-starvation-experiment.html#comments

Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg

Title: Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg

Author: Tanya Anderson

Genre: Nonfiction

ISBN: 1467706922

Copyright: 2013

The book: Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg is about 15-year-old Tanya Pierce who witnessed the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. To interest and involve young readers the author, Tanya Anderson, has included: diary entries from Tillie, documents, real historical photos, and an interactive google Earth activity. (activity) During the battle, Tillie's parents sent her to a nearby farm so she would be safe, but Tillie was actually put even closer to the battle. With other women on the farm, Tillie helped to take care of wounded Union soldiers and saw the horrific scenes of the battle of Gettysburg. I think the reading level for this book would be for ages 10 and older, and when students begin learning about the Civil War. Tanya Anderson wrote other books that may interest young readers including: Dr. Seuss: (Theodore Geisel) from the series Who Wrote That? and Della Reese. The author has also written under many pen names as well so it can be hard to find her books unless you know who you are looking for. I also think youth would be interested in other books about the Battle of Gettysburg as well, especially if they are Civil War buffs. 

A link to Tanya Anderson's website:

Tanya Anderson

A website that gives history into the Battle of Gettysburg and goes into more detail about the life of Tillie Pierce. 

Eyewitness to History

-A photo of what Gettysburg looked like during the battle

A link to a Youtube Video of Tillie Pierce's house that is now an Inn in Historic Gettysburg. 

Tillie Pierce Inn

History of the Inn and of Tillie Pierce

History

A portrait of Tillie Pierce from the Inn website history section. 

Lady Liberty: A Biography

Title: Lady Liberty: A Biography
Author: Doreen Rappaport
Illustrator: Matt Tavares
Genre: Nonfiction
ISBN: 0763653012
Copyright: 2008


The book, Lady Liberty: A biography, is written by Doreen Rappaport and was illustrated by Matt Tavares. Lady Liberty is recommended for children between the ages of 7-10. The story of the Statue of Liberty is told in this book through poems spoken from the point of view of those who were responsible for creating and building her. Some of these people include: Edouard De Laboulaye, Auguste Bartholdi, Marie Simon, Gustave Eiffel, and many others. 

Other books that are written by Doreen Rappaport that children might be interested in include: Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln, Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy, Helen's Big World: The Life of Helen Keller, and many others. 


A link to the National Park Serive page dedicated to the Statue of Liberty:
National Park Service: Lady of Liberty

Claudette Colvin

Title: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
Author: Phillip Hoose
Genre: Nonfiction
ISBN: 0312661053
Copyright: 2010


The book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is a book about Claudette Colvin, a young woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955 Alabama. It was later the same year that Rosa Parks started the famous Bus Boycott. Claudette Colvin is a fairly easy book to read, with most of the book being narrated by Claudette herself. There are many photos of the time period including photos of segregation, photos of what the buses looked like, photos of Claudette's life, and more. The book by Phillip Hoose has won many awards including: the Newberry Honor Book Award, the Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Award, National Book Award Winner, and it was a finalist in the Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction. Similar books that may interest readers include: We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History by Phillip Hoose.

A summary of Claudette Colvin's life from Biography.com:

"Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. On March 2, 1955, she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and became one of four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, which ruled that Montgomery's segregated bus system was unconstitutional. Colvin moved to New York City and worked as a nurse's aide. She retired in 2004."

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Title: Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Author: Russell Freedman
Genre: Nonfiction
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2031-5
Copyright: 2006


Freedom Walkers is a great book written by author Russell Freedman about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The book is pretty easy to read and to follow and there is even a street map in the first few pages of what Montgomery, Alabama looked like at the time of the Boycott in the years 1955-1956. There is a table of contents of the chapters in the book as well as an introduction that discusses why blacks chose to walk instead of riding the bus. Most of the chapters focus on famous African-Americans who where involved in the Bus Boycott at that time and those who fought for equal rights as well including: Jo Ann Robinson, Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. Freedman also uses pictures to show the segregation of the time period and there are also photos of those involved in the Boycott as well. Russell includes a Notes Section and a Bibliography section in the back of the book for those who are interested in reading more about the Bus Boycott, the Equal Rights Movement, and more. The age level for this book would be for children ages 10 and up and is a great book for students who are learning about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Equal Rights Movement. Other books written by Russell Freedman that children would enjoy if they liked reading this book include: Give Me Liberty! The story of the Declaration of Independence, In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights, and more.

Benjamin Franklin

Title: Benjamin Franklin

Series: DK Biographies

Author: Stephen Krensky

Genre: Nonfiction

ISBN:978-0-7566-3528-2

Copyright: 2008

This book about Benjamin Franklin by Stephen Krensky is an autobiography and "A photographic story of his life." Krensky writes about Franklin's life growing up in Boston. Throughout the book, Krensky includes notations in the form of boxes where he defines words for the reader such as: molasses, wharf, and joiner. I think this is a great idea especially for younger readers that it helps with their vocabulary and also in a creative manner. The author goes on to talk about how Benjamin Franklin was an apprentice for his older brother in a printing shop and about the "Silence Dogood" letters that Franklin wrote pretending to be a woman named Mrs. Dogood. Later chapters in the book, Stephen Krensky writes about the inventions and ideas that Benjamin Franklin invented or thought of including: the Franklin Stove, the first edition of Poor Richard's Almanack, his experiments with electricity, helping to draft the Declaration of Independence, and more. I feel that this is a great book for younger readers to learn about the life of Benjamin Franklin. It's easy to read with notations and photos which are creative ideas to keep the reader interested and to learn more. There is also a timeline in the back of the book titled Events in the Life of Benjamin Franklin. Also included in the back of the book are other biographies from DK Biographies including: Joan of Arc, Charles Darwin, Princess Diana, and more. 

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Title: Laura Ingalls Wilder: Young Pioneer

Series: Childhood of Famous Americans

Author: Beatrice Gormley

Illustrator: Meryl Henderson

Genre: Nonfiction

ISBN: 0689839243

Copyright: 2001

When I was growing up, one of my favorite book series to read were the Little House on the Prairie books, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would also enjoy watching the television show with the same name starring Melissa Gilbert as Laura.

This book describes the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder starting with the experiences she had growing up with her family: Charles-Pa, Caroline- Ma, and her sisters Mary, Carrie, and Grace. Gormley goes on to write about how Laura became a teacher, and met and fell in love with her future husband Almanzo Wilder. The author also writes about Laura and Almanzo's only child Rose Wilder(Lane) and how Laura was inspired to write the series based on her life experiences. I feel the book is easy to read and there are also illustrations throughout the book as well.

The age range for this book is for ages 8 and up and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about history and especially those who liked reading the Little House on the Prairie series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would also recommend the other books in the series, Childhood of Famous Americans.