33 Vegbooks reviews tagged History.
I share my birthday (March 2) with Dr. Seuss AKA Theodor Seuss Geisel, which is pretty cool. BUT I’m envious of children’s author Nancy Furstinger who shares hers with the legendary Henry Bergh, founder of the ASPCA…
Tags: Animal WelfareAnimal Welfare Books for KidsBiographyCarolyn M. MullinHenry BerghHeroesHistoryNancy FurstingerNew York CityOlder ElementaryVincent Desjardins
Martin & Mahalia is a book that wants to be read out loud. Andrea Davis Pinkney combines history, biography, and poetry to tell a story of two influential people in the Civil Rights Movement: Martin Luther King Jr.,…
Tags: Andrea Davis PinkneyBrian PinkneyCivil RightsEarly ElementaryGospel MusicHistoryIllustrationMahalia JacksonMartin Luther KingMusicPeacemakers
Historically inspired children’s books shine, I think, when they don’t try to take on too much of an era or answer all questions because they can spark an interest in further investigation on the part of the reader.…
Tags: Black History MonthEarly ElementaryEugene WaltonHistoryHoma WoodrumIllustrationPhilip ReidR. Gregory ChristieSlaverySteven Sellers LaphamWashington D.C.
Using rhythmic and staccato lines, Susan VanHecke’s Under the Freedom Tree tells a true story from the Civil War that may be new to many children and their parents. Three southern slaves, Frank, James, and Shepard,…
Tags: Black History MonthCivil WarEarly ElementaryHistoryKristin WaldLondon LaddPicture BooksSlaverySusan VanHecke
Fifty Cents and a Dream covers the humble beginnings of Booker T. Washington, from his early life as a slave through his emancipation, early school attendance, and eventual fulfillment of his goal of attending…
Tags: AdversityAmericanBiographyBooker T. WashingtonBryan CollierEarly ElementaryHeather ClarkHistoryIllustrationJabari AsimPerseverenceReadingSlavery
In 1906, an elderly Native American named Buffalo Bird Woman related the story of her childhood during the mid-19th Century to a visiting anthropologist. More than 100 years later, author and illustrator S.D. Nelson…
Tags: 19th CenturyAndrea ZollmanEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistGreat PlainsHidatsaHistoryIllustrationNative AmericanNative PeoplesNonfictionOlder ElementaryS.D. Nelson
Eve Bunting’s latest work has my passion for animals, culture, history, artifacts, and social justice all wrapped up into one children’s book that addresses a brief, albeit important moment in our nation’s collective…
Tags: AnimalsCarolyn M. MullinCivil RightsDeathEarly ElementaryEve BuntingHistoryMartin Luther KingMulesSocial Justice
When I opened the box containing this review copy from Sleeping Bear Press, my visiting sister-in-law told me that she had just finished a unit of teaching with her third graders about “paper sons” in American…
Tags: Early ElementaryHelen Foster JamesHistoryHoma WoodrumVirginia Shin-Mui LohWilson Ong
As a history buff and an avid animal lover-advocate, I can’t help but do a little dance when these two interests come together in a historical picture book for kids. I’ve reviewed others that have told history from…
Tags: BiographyCarolyn M. MullinCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryHistoryKathryn SelbertWinston ChurchillWorld War II
Today is Albert Schweitzer’s birthday. Those of us who work to instill in our children reverence for life are indebted to the Nobel Peace Prize winner for developing an ethical framework based on the basic principle…
Tags: Albert SchweitzerBiographyCompassionEarly ElementaryHistoryReverenceVegetarian Protagonist
The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China is a beautiful tribute to author Ed Young’s father and childhood home as well as it is a window into his own childhood. Young’s illustrations are a delightful…
Tags: AsiaAutobiographyChinaDepictions of Meat in BooksEarly ElementaryEd YoungFamilyFathersHistoryHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationPicture BooksWar
Once upon a time, Newfoundlands were a very popular canine companion to keep, or so it seems. Emily Dickinson, one of America’s most beloved poets, joined the ranks of Newfoundland lovers when she was bestowed a…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistHistoryMarty Rhodes FigleyMassachusettsPoetryPoets
Spike Lee – yes, the famous filmmaker and the man with his own cable channel – is a children’s author! Giant Steps to Change the World isn’t his first work, but it sure is a heavy hitting one. Its message is solid,…
Tags: Albert EinsteinBarack ObamaCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryHeroesHistoryInspirationJean-Michel BasquiatLangston HughesPreschoolersSean QuallsSpike LeeTonya Lee
You don’t hear much historical lore about bald eagles outside of them being known as the United States’ national bird, and even that was famously contested by Benjamin Franklin’s favoritism for the American turkey.…
Tags: Anne LeeBirdsCaptive WildlifeCarolyn M. MullinCivil WarEaglesEarly ElementaryHistoryPatrick YoungPreschoolersRaptorsWarWild Animals in Captivity
I’m naturally drawn to historical accounts involving animals, and the story of Gracie, a lighthouse cat whose kitten becomes imperiled during a storm is a short, action-packed and dramatic one. Based on a true…
Tags: Animal EmotionAnimal FamiliesCarolyn M. MullinCatsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryHistoryPreschoolersRuth Brown
Buffalo Music, a fictionalized account the life of Mary Ann Goodnight, chronicles the deeply disturbing annihilation of the American buffalo from the perspective of the woman credited with helping save the species…
Tags: Animal ExploitationBuffaloEarly ElementaryHistoryJennifer GannettMary Ann GoodnightWildlife RehabilitationYellowstone
With special attention paid to the animals encountered during the travels of Robert Scott, Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, and Charles Darwin, author Sandra Markle not only created an award-winning book series, but…
Tags: BeetlesCarolyn M. MullinCharles DarwinEarly ElementaryEvolutionFlamingosHistoryHuman-Animal StudiesIllustrationNatural HistoryOlder ElementarySandra MarkleZina Saunders
“I think [bicycling] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…” I absolutely love this quote by Susan B. Anthony, but it…
Tags: BicyclesCarolyn M. MullinFeminismHistoryMarguerite GastOlder ElementaryParentsSue MacySusan B. AnthonyWomen's History
I have a very big soft spot for Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910). His literary works are touchingly raw and honest, and he himself was a unique character with a great affinity for animals,…
Tags: Animal ResearchBarbara KerleyCarolyn M. MullinCatsCybils AwardDewin FotheringhamEarly ElementaryHistoryMark TwainPreschoolersVivisection
As a follow-up to her historical fiction piece on Clara the Rhino, author/ curator/ teacher Mary Tavener Holmes depicts the life and travels of one other influential animal in A Giraffe Goes to Paris. Born in 1824,…
Tags: African AnimalsCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryGiraffesHistoryJon CannellMary Tavener HolmesWild Animals in CaptivityWildlife
In the affecting spirit of Japanese nature poetry (like that of Basho), comes Wild Horse Winter, a flowing and dramatic tale of a colt and his mother who survive four seasons on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersHistoryHorsesIllustrationJapanMothersNaturePoetryPreschoolersSeasonsSnowTestuya HondaWinter
The Curse of Akkad may seem like an ancient Egyptian legend, but it reflects the demise of another of the world’s greatest civilizations; the first one in fact, dating some 4,000 years ago. Due largely to changes in…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinClimate ChangeEarly ElementaryEnvironmentHistoryMesopotamiaNonfictionPeter Christie
When I was a kid, I had no idea what the Silk Road was, much less the dramatic impact animals have had in shaping our world. In Animals that Changed the World, author Keltie Thomas brings to life not only the ancient…
Tags: AnimalsAnimals as FoodBeaversCaptive WildlifeCarolyn M. MullinClimate ChangeElephantsFarmed AnimalsFishGuinea PigsHistoryIdiomsKeltie ThomasMosquitosOlder ElementaryWildlife
Deborah Noyes is a wonderfully attentive and insightful author and photographer. Melding these two strengths into One Kingdom, she has summarized our oftentimes quirky, odd, abusive, symbiotic, and vastly interesting…
Tags: AnimalsAnimals in CaptivityCaptive WildlifeCarolyn M. MullinDeborah NoyesHistoryHuman-Animal StudiesOlder ElementaryPhotographyZoos