Ruth and the Green Book*
by Calvin Alexander Ramsey
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
ISBN: 978-0-761-35255-6
Are you wondering what the "green book" is yet? That's what caught my attention, too. This story is ripe with 1950s history. The main character, Ruth, and her parents travel from Chicago to Alabama to visit Ruth's grandmother. Initially, Ruth is excited to for the journey. As the family travels southward, they come across many businesses that won't serve Ruth and her family because they are black. The family visits Esso stations (yes, I was unfamiliar and curious about Esso...they're a chain of gas stations that were precursors to Exxon that serviced black people during segregation years). Near Georgia, the family discovers The Negro Motorist Green Book. This book is a compilation of businesses that welcomed black people and were known not to foster prejudice or hostility toward African Americans.
Finally, the family reaches Grandmother's house, and it is evident that the struggles of the trip were worth it. The summary of the book highlights the purpose and usefulness of the Green Book.
Here Comes the Garbage Barge*
by Jonah Winter
Illustrated by the Red Nose Studio - Chris Sickels
ISBN: 978-0-375-85218-3
A fictional retelling of actual events of 1987, this amazingly illustrated book will sure to inspire readers to be cognizant of packaging and recycling. In 1987, Islip, New York had over 3,000 pounds of garbage that they needed to dispose of. The city loaded up the refuse onto a barge, and they decided to haul it to South Carolina where they intended to spread it on farmer's fields. Only there, the ship was not allowed to dock. Strike one. They next voyaged around the bordering states of the Gulf of Mexico. Each state turned the barge away. Countries of Belize and Mexico enlisted their military to protect their shores from the garbage barge. Finally, the barge returned to New York, and it sat in the New York Harbor until a judge finally ordered Brooklyn to incinerate the trash. The process took a half of a year to resolve, and the media coverage helped to make citizens more aware of their environmental impact.
Here are some sites sure to pique your interest in this genre!
Half Spoon of Rice: A Survival Story of the Cambodian
Genocide*
by Icy Smith
Illustrated by Sopaul Nhem
ISBN: 978-0-9821675-8-8
This story, although laden with heart wrenching horrors of genocide, has a heartwarming ending. It follows nine-year-old Nat from his forced and exhausting migration from his home in Cambodia to the countryside where is is expected to pick rice for the government. There, his family is split up...children in one camp, youths in another, women in another, and men yet in another. We find out about the forced starvation of Nat and his people, and we also find out about the killings of those that tried to steal extra grains of rice or kernels of corn that exceeded their government allocated 1/2 spoonful of rice. Furthermore, Nat is painfully aware of the soldiers and their gun positioned and ready to kill anyone caught running away or talking during their expected work time. Finally, after four years, the Vietnamese Liberation Army fights the oppressing Khmer Rouge government, forcing their soldiers to leave the countryside. Now, the migration to freedom begins! (Note: Sources feel this is a 6-8 book, but the editor of this guide feels it would be appropriate for about 4th grade and older. There is mild graphic language about stepping on the deceased bodies in order to not have a landmine detonate and Nat's eating of the live frog for survival).
Dear America: The Fences Between Us; The Diary of Piper Davis
by Kirby Larson
ISBN: 978-0-545-22418-5
Piper is a teenager that lives in Seattle, Washington right before and during World War II. Her mother has passed away, and she is being raised by her father. He is a pastor at a Japanese Baptist church. Her older brother enlists in the army and is stationed in Hawaii...far away from the fighting. That is true until December 7th, 1941.
This diary shares the worry about her brother after the attack at Pearl Harbor. It also chronicles the plight of the Japenese Americans. Piper's father decides to follow the Japenese parishoners to an incarceration camp, and he brings Piper with him. Piper initially is bitter about being uprooted, but soon she understands the plight of the Japanese during this era of history.
One of my favorite genres is historical fiction. I guess it's the perfect blend...stories that are rich with expression and emotion about something that could actually happen. My brain "can go there."
This genre opens doors and teaches us lessons from the past. We gain appreciation not only for the event, but also for the people. Like the multicultural literature, perspective is the gift received by reading this genre.
Between the Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys
ISBN: 978-0-399-25412-3
As Hitler did to the Jews, Stalin did to the Lithuanians. This is the story of the Lina, a sixteen-year-old, and her mother and brother's deportation to a Siberian work camp under Stalin's rule. Lina hopes that the father, who has already been arrested by the Russians and is housed at at different camp, rescues the rest of them. To communicate messages to her father, Lina creates artwork to secretly send to her father's camp. It is the creation of the artwork that helps Lina hold on to her identify and hope.
The Green Coat: A Tale from the Dust Bowl Years
by Rosemary McDunn
ISBN: 978-0-979-22587-1
This story chronicles the sad separation of Tressa Bauer and her brother, Will , from the rest of their family. The family lost their Dazey, North Dakota farm in the dust bowls of the 1930s, and that uprooted the tight-knit family. Their parents lived in a shelter and found employment, and Tressa and Will lived near Fargo, ND with a doctor's family. In exchange for their rooms and board, the two become servants for that family. The doctor's wife struggles with mental illness, and his daughter is the book's "mean girl."
Although written in novel form, this book has an academic aspect to it. It has vocabulary defined and comprehension questions listed by chapter.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - - 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
ISBN: 978-0440228004
Meet the "Wierd Watsons." This typical American family lives in Flint, Michigan. Told from the perspective of the second youngest member of the family, Kenny, follow the antics of the Watson family as they try to teach the oldest child, Byron, a lesson about his consistently poor behavior choices. The family judgement is that he is "a juvenile delinquent." The punishment? A sentence at his strict grandmother's home...located in the deep south...in the 1960s. What is the historical connection? The Watson family are African Americans. Soon, the funny story takes a heart-wretching turn as an American historical event is interwoven in the plot of this gripping and well-loved story.
Come along with author Christoper Paul Curtis as he chats about Elijah of Buxton.*