Join authors Roland and Marie Smith and illustrator Michael Roydon as they take you on a journey across the Oregon Trail and through the picturesque Beaver State. In B is for Beaver, the Smiths' rhyming verse and sidebar expository text illuminate the wonders of Hell's Canyon, the lush lands of the Willamette Valley, and the surging seas of the neighboring Pacific Ocean. An effective educational tool inside the classroom and out, readers of all ages in the state of Oregon and beyond can embark on this journey any time they wish.
From Arlington National Cemetery (once part of Robert E. Lee's homestead) to magnificent Monticello, Virginia has always had a prominent place in American history. Jamestown, Williamsburg, and even the Pentagon are just a few of the many places highlighted in O is for Old Dominion. Readers will also be introduced to such history makers as George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Booker T. Washington. Pamela Duncan Edwards came from England to live in Virginia twenty years ago and fell in love with her new home. Pamela was a children's librarian before becoming the author of nearly twenty-five picture books. She thinks Virginia is the most beautiful state and hopes she will live there forever. Pamela makes her home in Vienna, Virginia. Artist Troy Howell has had a prolific career as a children's book illustrator, with countless books to his credit. He received his formal art education from the Art Center in Los Angeles and the Illustrators' Workshops in New York. Troy lives in Falmouth, Virginia.
What country is made up of 95 islands, invented the game of golf, and raised a warrior worthy of the name "Braveheart"? Welcome to Scotland! In B is for Bagpipes: A Scotland Alphabet, Scottish native Eve Begley Kiehm gives an A-Z tour of the country that may be small in size but a giant in history and rich in tradition. Kick up your heels at a Highland dance, visit the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby as he stands guard near his master's grave, and finally dig into a dish of haggis with a side helping of "tatties and neeps." From the splendors of capital city Edinburgh to the stories of Robert Louis Stevenson to the gloomy waters of Loch Ness and its lonely "Nessie," the treasures of Scotland are revealed. Colorful artwork captures the proud spirit of its landscape and culture.Eve Begley Kiehm was born in Bridge of Allan, Scotland. She has a master's degree in Scottish History and Literature from Glasgow University and an early childhood education certification from the University of Toronto. Her books about Scotland include a YA historical adventure novel. Eve lives in the San Diego area. Alexa Rutherford lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has illustrated many books for UK publishers and a handful of US publishers, as well as US children's magazines.
According to Roman legend, what famous twins were raised by a she-wolf? Who wrote the epic poem, The Aeneaid? What famous leader brought law and stability, yet was stabbed to death by a group of senators? Life in ancient Rome was certainly not for the faint of heart! In G is for Gladiator: An Ancient Rome Alphabet, readers are given an A-Z introduction to ancient Rome, including its social, political, and civil customs and practices. Husband-and-wife writing team Debbie and Michael Shoulders explore topics such as Roman law, architecture, mythology, and of course, the ultimate "fight club" (gladiatorial combat). From the relaxed surroundings of the public baths to the rigid codes of the military legions, Rome's ancient civilization is unveiled. Colorful, entertaining artwork from Victor Juhasz, the illustrator of Z is for Zeus: A Greek Mythology Alphabet, brings it all to vivid life. Debbie and Michael Shoulders also coauthored D is for Drum: A Native American Alphabet. Debbie teaches middle school and reviews children's literature. An educator for 30 years, Mike now writes and travels year-round, championing literacy. He has written 10 books for Sleeping Bear Press. They live in Clarksville, Tennessee. Victor Juhasz's books include R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet and D is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet. His work appears regularly in many major magazines and newspapers including Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Victor lives in Stephentown, New York.
In New England Vermonters will be welcoming its state alphabet book, titled M is for Maple Syrup. With colorful pages that focus the spotlight on the flora and fauna specific to Vermont (and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream), the book utilizes a two-tiered educational format where the rhyming verse appeals to younger readers the substantive expository text proves an engaging tool for older students. In Vermont this fall, as it always is, L is for Lake Champlain and R is for the Red Clover, H is for Hermit Thrush and D is for Dairy.
Lake Shore Drive, the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier...just the mention of these iconic sights conjures up a skyline known the world over as the Windy City. Welcome to Chicago! And there's no better guidebook to the city than W is for Windy City: A Chicago Alphabet. Following the alphabet, the city's character and familiar landmarks are fully captured in poem and expository text. A is for Art Institute or Adler Planetarium. And if we want a "triple A," we'll add the Shedd Aquarium. Young readers can marvel at the treasures on display at the renowned Art Institute, go window shopping along Michigan Avenue's mile-long Magnificent Mile, or take in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs. W is for Windy City brings this famous city to life.A faculty member in the Department of Education at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois, Dr. Steven L. Layne is a respected literacy consultant and keynote speaker, working with educators and children at schools and conferences throughout the world. With more than 20 years as an educator, Deborah Dover Layne has worked at elementary and middle school levels and has been a reading specialist. Currently, she is an elementary principal in Elgin. The Laynes live in St. Charles, Illinois. Rhode Island School of Design graduate Michael Hays teaches illustration and drawing at Columbia College and lives in Oak Park, Illinois. Judy MacDonald and Michael started Painted Pony Studio in Chicago several years ago, each of them bringing their own unique style to the drawing table while illustrating books and creating art for children.
Located in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic, the Nordic Countries/Territories are comprised of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Aland. And while they may share a region and some traditions, each has its own distinct geography, history, and heritage. Explore Greenland where, contrary to its name, more than 80 percent of the land is covered by an ice cap. It is home to the polar bear, as well as walrus, reindeer, and seal. Stop off in Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmar - the statue of the Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale can be found near the harbor. Visit Sweden's lively Jokkmokk Winter Market which draws visitors from around the world, or sample the tasty fare of a Swedish smorgasbord. D is for Dala Horse: A Nordic Countries Alphabet gives young readers an A-Z tour. Kathy-jo Wargin is the author of 45 books for children, including The Legend of Sleeping Bear. Her many awards include an IRA Children's Choice Award for The Legend of the Loon and an IRA Teacher's Choice Award for Win One for the Gipper. Kathy-jo lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Rene Graef has illustrated more than 70 books for children. The most well-known are the "Kirsten" books in the American Girl Collection and the "My First Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Rene lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, with her family.
From its achievements in architecture (Chartres Cathedral), science (Louis Pasteur), and literature (Marcel Proust), the country of France has had a profound impact on the world. E is for Eiffel Tower: A France Alphabet explores its venerable history and cultural heritage. Sumptuous artwork magnifies each letter topic's poem and expository text. Artists and critics tried to stifle The daring design of Gustave Eiffel. Yet a hundred years later, still it stands A symbol of France to other lands. Young readers can experience the treasures of the Louvre Museum, play hide-and-seek in the gardens of Versailles Palace, or get a bird's-eye view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower. The achievements of Claude Monet and Victor Hugo come to life alongside stunning monuments, breathtaking scenery, and history-in-the-making moments. This is Helen Wilbur's fourth book with Sleeping Bear. Helen also authored Lily's Victory Garden; M is for Meow: A Cat Alphabet; and Z is for Zeus: A Greek Mythology Alphabet. She lives in New York City. Yan Nascimbene's work includes over 40 books. Among his prestigious awards are the Society of Illustrators' Silver Medal and the Bologna International Book Fair Graphic Award. His book, Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers, received the Society of Illustrators' Gold Medal. Yan lives in France.
From "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" to "Doe, a deer, a female deer," many people have grown up humming the tunes or singing the lyrics to the songs from the beloved movie The Sound of Music. But what is the real story behind the brave von Trapp family? V is for von Trapp: A Musical Family Alphabet gives a behind-the-headlines look at this real-life singing family made famous in the classic movie. Starting with their idyllic early life in Austria where their love of music and performing began, author William Anderson takes readers along on the family's courageous mountaintop escape from Nazi authorities to their new life in America and the famous von Trapp family lodge in the Vermont hills. Meet determined Maria, the dashing Captain, and their talented children; the famous von Trapps whose life story captivated thousands and continues to inspire with its legacy of hope and achievement. Author, historian, and lecturer William Anderson did extensive research and interviews with the von Trapp family. His previous book with Sleeping Bear is M is for Mount Rushmore: A South Dakota Alphabet. William lives in Lapeer, Michigan. Linda Graves is the illustrator of over 30 children's books, published worldwide. She was born in Eureka, California, and graduated with a degree in illustration from San Jose State University. Linda is a member of the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and lives in the woods of Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
Get answers in this nonfiction storybook to your fascinating questions! Colorful pictures, short sentences, and a small amount of predictable text per page make this book perfect for reluctant and struggling readers.
This timeless ballad has been part of American folklore for over a century. Born with a hammer in his hand, John Henry discovers his true calling as a steel-driving man but he inevitably meets his match in a race against a steam drill that provides a powerful metaphor for the disruption and loss of innocence created by the industrial age. Thornton's charcoal drawings deftly capture the triumphal spirit of this cautionary tale.
What is the same and what is different about life long ago and today? Read this book to find out.
Just like you, people long ago used transportation to get around. See how transportation has changed over time.
This fascinating book shows children what to include in a book about history. Children are shown how to create a book about an event in history or about social history, such as life in a colonial city or a pioneer village. Suggestions for research include a visit to a nearby historic site, reading stories or watching television shows about children who lived during that time in history, and reading non-fiction books about the subject.
A collection of authentic stories from the years around 1492. These tales have been carefully crafted to sound as exciting and mysterious as they were when first told five hundred years ago by sailors around a lantern on a ship, shared by explorers reclining around a campfire, enjoyed by Native Americans in a grass hut, whispered inside a stone palace in the Totonac city of Zempoala, or fondly remembered by an adventurer back home in Europe.
Just who was Robin Hood? What did William Tell do that was so special? Why is Joan of Arc so famous? Author Lorna Czarnota presents medieval tales that answer these questions and many more in a highly entertaining format. Czarnota offers solid historical background for each story so that young readers have a framework to enhance the significance of each story. As they explore these action packed stories, young readers will be able to imagine themselves pulling Excalibur from the lake, untying the Gordian Knot, or fighting with Roland and the Frankish army.
Young or old, playful or terrifying, clad in the brocades of the 16th century or the jeans of today, the phantoms of these tales vary as much as the places they haunt. Whatever their demeanor, wherever they are, however their actions are explained or dismissed, these ghosts have a common power: anyone reading this anthology will see that they still haunt us today.
This fifth volume in W.C. Jameson's Buried Treasure series contains 38 tales and legends about Native American Indian hoards, Civil War caches, lost mines, and robbery stashes. Jameson includes classic treasure stories like The Lost Treasure of Pirate William Kirk (Virginia), Chief Sontechee's Silver Hoard (North Carolina), Natchez Trace: Treasure Trail (Mississippi) that are part myth and part history.
The Mid-Atlantic States are rich in history, legends of lost fortunes, and buried treasure stories. This twelfth book in W.C. Jameson's Buried Treasure collection offers thirty tales of this region that have remained largely untold for generations. Lost mines, buried loot, caches of gold and silver ingots, gangsters, Native American Indians, pirates, chests of precious stones -- such are the ingredients of a rich stew of folklore gathered from the melting pot of the Mid-Atlantic region.
Do Native Americans know the location of the cursed Lost Gold of Devil's Sink? Did Sir Francis Drake bury millions of dollars' worth of ancient Incan treasures? Has anyone found the box of gold coins buried by a reputed giant in the Washington rain forest? Is there a noble family's fortune buried near an old log cabin in the Cascades? The Pacific Northwest provides a picturesque backdrop for these stories as it stretches from the rugged coastline east over the snowy mountains and into the vast plateau that leads to Idaho. For over a century, outlaws, prospectors, Russians, Indians, loners, soldiers, and immigrants have thrown themselves into all of the adventure and intrigue money can buy.
These 32 tales from the Backbone of America include The Gold Behind the Waterfall (Arizona), The Treasure of Deadman Cave (Colorado), Lava Cave Cache (Idaho), Henry Plummer's Lost Gold (Montana), The Curse of the Lost Sheepherder's Mine (Nevada), Lost Train Robbery Loot in Cibola County (New Mexico), Eighty Ingots in Spanish Gold (Utah), and Lost Ledge of Gold (Wyoming). As Jameson points out in his introduction, the Rocky Mountains still have many remote areas that even today can only be reached on horseback or on foot. Centuries ago Native American Indians, Spaniards, explorers, prospectors, miners, the occasional wandering cowboy and even outlaws fleeing the law roamed these rugged mountains. Today this land remains laced with hidden treasures just waiting to be found.
The dusty trails heading west of the Mississippi provided intrigue, adventure, and danger for the men and women who set out in search of a new life and fortune. Outlaws along with pioneers and forty-niners traveled this frontier often, finding and losing riches along the way. The Great Plains region - loaded with history from Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and Mexican, German, and Scots-Irish settlers, holds some of the country's most promising opportunities for finding buried treasure. Scattered from North Dakota to Texas, these stories provide a glimpse into the lives of fleeing outlaws, hard-working ranchers, priests, prospectors, and immigrantsall entwined in their search for treasure.
This book is a collection of more than thirty stories about long lost buried treasures and forgotten stashes that are said to be hidden along the Atlantic Coast.
A cedar chest that had been packed with gold coins robbed from a bank just south of Lexington, Kentucky in 1860 was recovered 50 years later by a fishing guide at King's Mill Pond. Only a handful of coins were left in the chest, which had mostly rotted away. Is the rest settled beneath the silt of the pond today? The Appalachian Mountains have witnessed untold fortunes gained and lost. The confluence and clashes of a number of cultures Native American Indian, French, Spanish, pioneer, and Union and Confederate forces - often resulted in struggles over mineral resources or fights about stashes of gold and silver that were hidden for later retrieval. W.C. Jameson gathered his material from journals, maps, on-site research in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and from interviews with people whose lives have been entwined with the search for long lost treasures. This book contains 40 legends with accounts of caves stacked from floor to ceiling with gold ingots; of caches guarded by skeletons and curses; and of Union payrolls scattered to the four winds.
Modern-day counterparts of the Spanish conquistadors and the early nineteenth-century settlers still cling to the image of El Dorado and the promise of riches. The folklore of the land still exerts its magical pull as the pickup truck has replaced the horse and mule, but treasure hunters still travel with little more than their dreams and hopes. They can be found even now in the mountains and the valleys of the American Southwest, still searching for the elusive riches that have been lost or remain buried in the rugged terrain.
