Engaging books make history come alive
History is fascinating, especially if it is presented in such a way to grab the reader or listener quickly, and then hold that interest.
We learn a lot more from history than simply facts. History provides the individual with the opportunity to vicariously live through the characters and events and imagine what their own life might have been like had they lived at that time.
That mental exercise inevitably shapes decisions today and in the future.
Wonderful, worthy, important pursuits ¿¿ all because you took the time to read engaging books that contain historical information.
The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>"The Salem Witch Trials: An Unsolved Mystery from History" </B>by Jane Yolen and Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple, illustrated by Roger Roth, Simon & Schuster, 32 pages; read aloud: age 8 and older; read yourself: age 8 to 9 and older.In Salem, Mass., in 1692, a group of girls became very ill. When the doctor couldn't find a diagnosis in his medical books, he and the townspeople declared they were bewitched and the girls were asked who was bewitching them. They named three women: Sarah Good, Sarah Osbourn, and a servant known as Tituba. From there, more and more people were accused of witchcraft and the hunt for witches was in full swing.By the end of 1692, the witch trials had come to an end, but not without a heavy price ¿ more than 141 people had been arrested, 20 people had been put to death and four others died in jail, awaiting trial.One of several books in "An Unsolved Mystery from History" series, this intelligent, fast-paced book provides facts as well as thought-provoking questions to encourage readers to find their own answers to this dark and troubling chapter in American history.
<B>Library:</B> Prospect Community Library, 357 Main St., Prospect<B>Library Director:</B> Jeanne Sarnese<B>Children's Librarian:</B> Jill Hambley<B>Choices this week: "Smash! Crash!"</B> by Jon Scieszka; <B>"Fancy Nancy"</B> by Jane O'Connor; <B>"Flotsam" </B>by David Wiesner
The following books are available at bookstores.<B>"Tricking the Tallyman"</B> by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by S.D. Schindler, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, 40 pages, $17.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 5 to 8; read yourself: age 7 to 8.In 1790, the government of the United States needed to know how many people lived in each part of the country. That's why Tallyman Phineas Bump rode on his horse to the town of Tunbridge, Vt. His job was to count each and every person living in Tunbridge, but the people of Tunbridge were suspicious of the government's intent.Would the count mean more taxes?Would it mean their men would be sent off to war?Mrs. Pepper and her oldest son decided it would be best to trick the Tallyman, and hilarious events ensued. But as she and the townspeople came to realize that the census wasn't just about taxes and war but had to do with government representation and other important things for the citizens of Tunbridge and Vermont, they quickly tricked the Tallyman again.Would Phineas Bump ever get the right head count?A comical book in every regard, this interesting and informative work about the first American census is certain to appeal to children and educators alike.<B>"Camping with the President" </B>by Ginger Wadsworth, illustrated by Karen Dugan, Caulkins Creek/Boyds Mills Press, 2009, 32 pages, $16.95 hardcover; read aloud: age 7 to 9; read yourself: age 8 to 9.President Theodore Roosevelt loved nature, and while he loved being president, he missed being able to spend time in the great outdoors.One evening after he had finished reading John Muir's newest book, "Our National Parks," the president wrote to Muir and said he was coming West in the spring of 1903 and wanted to camp with Muir in the Yosemite wilderness and drop politics for four days.Once the president met with Muir, he made the reporters, camera men and others stay away while he set out with Muir and three other men deep into the forest.What the President saw and experienced was even greater than he expected, and he assured Muir that once back in Washington, he would wake Congress up to do good things to preserve the lands and forests around the entire country.A fast-paced, engaging true story, "Camping with the President" is certain to elicit reflective thought in young and old alike.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.
