Which of these statement do you think are fact or fiction?

1. Harry S. Truman used to get up at 5 a.m. each morning to practice playing the piano.

2. Grover Cleveland personally answered the White House phone.

3. Jimmy Carter was the first president to be born in a hospital and he studied nuclear physics while attending Annapolis Naval Academy.

4. Lyndon Johnson did not like his official portrait. He said it was the ugliest thing he had ever seen.

5. At one time, Gerald Ford worked as a fashion model for Cosmopolitan and Look Magazines.

6. Ronald Reagan was the only president who had been divorced.

7. John Quincy Adams was the first president to have his photograph taken.

8. Woodrow Wilson was an avid golfer and used black golf balls when he played in the snow.

9. Warren Harding lost all the White House China while gambling in a card game.

10. Hubert Hoover donated his entire salary to charity.

11. Richard Nixon was the first president to visit all 50 states in the US.

12. Barack Obama is a collector of Spiderman and Conan the Barbarian comic books.

13. William Taft was the largest president. He weighed 332 pounds and got stuck in the White House bathtub the first time he used it.

14. George Washington was the first president who did not represent a political party when elected.

15. Harry S. Truman’s mother was a confederate sympathizer. When she visited the White House she refused to sleep in Lincoln’s bedroom.

Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.  All the statements above are true.

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark 

Released on September 20, 2016

By Debbie Levy and Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley

Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

In the first picture book about her life, Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg proves that disagreeing does not necessarily mean you are disagreeable!

 

 

 

 

Six Dots:  A Story of Young Louis Braille

Released on September 6, 2016

By Jen Bryant and Illustrated by Boris Kulikov

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

The story of Louis Braille, a blind boy who was so determined to learn to read that he invented his own alphabet which is still used today.

 

 

 

Ticktock Banneker’s Clock

Released September 1, 2016

By Shana Keller and Illustrated by David Gardner

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

 

In 1753, even though he was mostly self-taught, Benjamin Banneker (a free African American) built a strike clock based on his own drawings using only a pocket-knife.  He was inspired to do so after observing a pocket watch.

 

 

 

Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, a Life in Nature 

Released on September 6, 2016

By Cindy Jenson-Elliott and Illustrated by Christy Hale

Published by Henry Holt and Company

 

This picture book chronicles the life  of Ansel Adams from his restless youth in San Francisco to his climb to fame as an iconic nature photographer.

 

 

Happy Reading!

In 1902, Eastman purchased farmland in Rochester to finally build his dream home. He bought what he called the last farm within the city limits of Rochester. The eight-and-a-half-acre property was located on 900 East Avenue.

Within a few months, he hired an architect to design a colonial revival‒style mansion and a landscape architect to lay out the grounds. Eastman wanted to be able “to raise animals, grow vegetables, and entertain guests” in beautiful surroundings.

The stately fifty-room, four-story, stone-columned mansion took three years to build and cost five hundred thousand dollars (around five million today). The house had its own electrical generator, a twenty-one-station internal phone system, a built-in vacuum cleaning system, an elevator, and a central clock network.Located on the main floor of the house were a living room, small library, billiard room, music conservatory, and a dining room. In the conservatory, Eastman installed in organ, which cost $30,319.25. It was considered the top of the line in organs.

Upstairs were fifteen bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. On the third floor, Eastman established a laboratory where he cooked and experimented with photography; a projector room to show home movies; and a storeroom for his guns, fishing tackle, and camping gear.

Extensive grounds surrounded the house. They included a lily pond, flower gardens, vegetable gardens, a rock garden, orchards, berry patches, greenhouses, stables, a tool house, repair shop, a carriage house, and barns. Eastman, fond of his animals, gave each one a name.

Twenty-eight servants, supervised by a professional housekeeper, staffed Eastman’s home. The housekeeper had a yearly operating budget of one hundred thousand dollars. Part of her job was compiling monthly reports for Eastman.  She documented the about the amount of milk produced by his five Jersey cows, how much butter churned from cream obtained from the cows’ milk, how many eggs were laid by the chickens, and how many peaches were grown in his orchard.

 

[Excerpt from George Eastman:  Bringing Photography to the People]

 

Kid Artists: True Tales of Childhood from Creative Legends

David Stabler (Author), Doogie Horner (Illustrator)

Publisher: Quirk Books (Release date August 9, 2016)

This funny book tells the story of how great artists coped with the normal problems of growing up.   For instance, Jackson Pollock’s family moved constantly. Georgia O’Keeffe lived in the shadow of her older brother.  Jean-Michel Basquiat triumphed over poverty.  Other artist’s lives covered in the book are Claude Monet, Jacob Lawrence, Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Beatrix Potter, Yoko Ono, Dr. Seuss, Emily Carr, Keith Haring, Charles Schulz, and Louise Nevelson.

 

 

 

Snowman: The True Story of a Champion

Catherine Hapka (Author), Rutherford Montgomery (Draft Writer)

Publisher: Aladdin (release date August 30, 2016)

Snowman, an Amish plow horse, was bought at an auction by Harry deLeyer, a riding instructor for $80. When deLeyer sold Snowman to a neighbor, the horse had other ideas.  He kept jumping fences to go home.  Finally, deLeyer began training Snowman as a show jumper.  Two years later Snowman won the 1958 horse show jumping Triple Crown.  A great horse story!

 

 

 

 

She Stood for Freedom: The Untold Story of a Civil Rights Hero, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland

Loki Mulholland (Author), Angela Fairwell (Author), Charlotta Janssen (Illustrator

Publisher:  Shadow Mountain

“She Stood for Freedom” describes how Joan Trumpauer Mulholland’s youth was torn apart by racial injustice. In her heroic story, Mulholland describes how she as a white teenager in the South during segregation, put herself on the front lines of the Civil Rights struggle. This is the first biography about her experiences, published simultaneously in picture book and middle grade editions.

 

 

 

 

 Happy Reading!

 

Today is Beatrix Potter Day and the 150th anniversary of her birth. Potter was born in Kensington, London in 1866.  Here father, a lawyer by trade, and her mother were both artistic.  Their talents rubbed off on Beatrix.

 

While her brother was in boarding school, Potter spent a lot of time alone.  She had little social contact with other children her own age and began creating her own stories based on animals.  She also spent many hours drawing them.  In time, she also became interested in natural history and drew flowers and fungi.

 

 

 

In her twenties, Potter, started looking for a publisher for her stories and drawings. At first, she was unsuccessful but persevered. In 1902, when she was thirty-six, Frederick Warne and Company bought Peter Rabbit. The publisher insisted the drawings be in color and Potter insisted the book be kept short in length. She wanted the book to be easy for children to hold. By the end of the year, 28,000 copies were in print. Using her good business sense, in 1903 Potter patented a Peter Rabbit doll.

 

 

 

 

 

During her life time Potter wrote 23 books.  The best known titles are:

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
• The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903)
• The Tailor of Gloucester (1903)
• The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904)
• The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904)
• The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1905)
• The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan (1905)
• The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (1906)
• The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit (1906)

 

A film entitled Miss Potter starring Renee Zellwege was released in 2007.

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While visiting Rochester, New York, I read an article in the local newspaper about a slave graveyard that had been uncovered near Albany, New York.  I was impressed with how the community was coming together to rebury the slaves with the honor they deserve.

Shortly after reading article, I discovered Lois Miner Huey had written a book about slave graveyards entitled “Forgotten Bones:  Uncovering a Slave Cemetery.”  I met Lois several years ago at a Highlights Writer’s Workshop and asked to interview her.

In her book, Lois discusses three grave sites uncovered in New York City, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the Albany site on the Schuyler family farm.

How unusual is it to find slave graveyards in northern states?

Many sites have been found that date back to the 19th century in the northern states.  They are located mostly near churches.   Only three grave sites have been uncovered that date back to the 18th century.  All three were located away from white habitation sites and not near churches.

How did researchers identify who the burial grounds belonged to?

The slave cemetery found on the Schuyler property no doubt was associated with that family. It was identified by me and other archaeologists many years ago.  Because of its significance to local history it had been turned into a town park.  The second site was located on a colonial New York City map. When archaeologists tested this site, they found almost nothing. But when the construction machinery reached twenty feet below modern ground surface, they hit bone. That shows how much soil can build up in a city over time. The third site was in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, near what once was the water front. This burial ground was found under a street during construction of a new sewer line.

What did archaeologists and scientists learn about the lives of the slaves buried at the sites?

The bones from the three sites showed the tremendous amount of work these slaves did. Most people in the 18th century worked hard, but these people got room and board of varying quality and nothing out of what they did.  They weren’t working for themselves but for the benefit of their enslavers. They all showed traces of overwork: torn muscles on the bones, early arthritis, bone breakage, and, in New York City, traces of malnutrition.

The Schuyler slaves lived on a farm where they apparently were able to grow their own food (in the little time they had each day to do something for themselves) so signs of malnutrition weren’t found on their bones. The most surprising find was the differing backgrounds of these people. DNA studies showed Native American ancestry for some and Madagascarian ancestry for others.  Madagascar is located off the coast of East Africa, while most enslaved people came from West Africa.

What findings most impressed you as an archaeologist?

None of the people found in the Schuyler burial ground were related through the female line. So they had to form their own community despite differing backgrounds, perhaps language problems, and abilities. Fifty percent of the skeletons in each of the three burial grounds were children, so the slaves had to overcome those losses on top worrying about losing family members who might be sold. Their lives were pretty much out of their own control and the hard work reflected on the bones shows their amazing contributions to the building this country. They dug the ditches, lifted the timbers, plowed the fields, cooked the food, and trained the horses–all for someone else.

What has happened to the remains of the slaves found at the sites?

A public cemetery located near the Schuyler burial grounds gave land for the reburial. Local artisans donated their time to decorate the ossuary boxes, funeral homes offered transportation for the boxes, Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site had the boxes laid out for the public to view, and local clergy participated in the burial ceremony. A similar ceremony occurred in New York City where the skeletons were re-interred in the same ground, and a museum dedicated to them was opened. Signs have been installed along the street in Portsmouth identifying the grave site and funds are being raised for a memorial and reburial there.

Did you know today is Chocolate Day?  If you love chocolate as much as I do, you will want to share these books about chocolate with your children.  Plus, a book Sandra Boynton (a children’s author) wrote just for you!!!

 

Who Was Milton Hershey?

By James Buckley and Illustrated by Ted Hammond

Published by Grosset & Dunlap

Milton Hershey was the man who invented the chocolate bar! He was not afraid to dream big and work hard. In time, he discovered the secret to mass-producing milk chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Biography of Chocolate (How Did That Get Here?) 

By Adrianna Morganelli

Published by Crabtree Publishing Company

Learn how the ancient Aztecs created a special drink from the beans of the cacao tree and later how those beans became the delicious treat known as chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot”

By Michael O. Tunnell

Published by Charlesbridge

In 1948, the Soviet United blockaded West Berlin in an attempted to starve the people into accepting Communism.  The United States and Britain airlifted food and supplies to the people.  US Air Force Lieutenant Gail S. Halverson wanted to lift the spirits of the isolated children and started dropping chocolate and gum from his plane.

 

 

 

Chocolate:  The Consuming Passion

By Sandra Boynton

Workman Publishing Company

Can you believe it!  Sandra Boynton actually wrote a book about CHOCOLATE for grown-ups? A great read! Sumptuously illustrated and filled with both useful facts and funny misinformation.

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY READING!

Summer time is a great time for young people to relax and read a book. Below are nine of my favorite biographies and autobiographies for teens. These books can be found in bookstores or in your local library.

How I Came to Be a Writer 

By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Published by Aladdin

How I Came to be a Writer is Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s story about her writing journey, from her first work in kindergarten to her most recent books. The book includes samples of her writing and shows the inner workings of her writing process, from the spark of an idea to a book’s actual publication. Naylor has written numerous children’s books including Shiloh which received the Newberry Medal.

 

 

 

 

The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill: Growing Up Billy Cody in Bleeding Kansas

By Andrea Warren

Published by: Two Lions

This is the story of Buffalo Bill Cody the showman, scout, hunter and one of the greatest entertainers of his era.  His shows featured cowboys, Indians, trick riding, and sharpshooting.

 

 

 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind 

By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

Published by Puffin Books

This bestselling memoir from William Kamkwamba, a young inventor who bought electricity to his Malawian village, has been adapted for young readers.

 

 

 

 

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

By Martin Ganda and Caitlin Alifirenka

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

This is an enthralling dual memoir of an American girl and her pen pal from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe.  They exchanged letters for six years and their correspondence changed both their lives.

 

 

 

Parallel Journeys

By Eleanor H. Ayer

Published by Aladdin

This is story of Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck. They were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland. Helen was a young German Jew. Alfons was an ardent member of the Hitler Youth. Their lives took radically different courses: Helen’s to the Auschwitz extermination camp; Alfons to a high rank in the Hitler Youth.

 

 

 

The Courage to Compete: Living with Cerebral Palsy and Following My Dreams 

By Abbey Curran and Elizabeth Kaye

Published by HarperCollins

Abbey Curran’s has cerebral palsy.  She made history when she was the first contestant with a disability to win a major beauty pageant.

 

 

 

 

 

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery

By Steve Sheinkin

Published by Flash Point

Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. Arnold was reckless, heroic, and driven. The Notorious Benedict Arnold is the winner of the 2011 Boston Globe – Horn Book Award for Nonfiction.  [Sheinkin is a fabulous author who always tells a good tale. I recommend all his books.]

 

 

 

 

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

By Candace Fleming

Published by Schwartz & Wade

This award winning biography alternates between a frank recounting of the Romanov’s’ fairy tale lives and the stories of the improvised Russian peasants, workers, revolutionaries and soldiers they ruled.  The contrast between their living conditions is stunning.

 

 

 

 

Hope Solo: My Story 

By Hope Solo

Published by Harper Collins

Hope Solo, the 2015 World Cup champion and double Olympic gold medalist soccer player, shares her story in her own words. (This is the young readers’ edition of Hope Solo’s exciting life story, Solo: A Memoir of Hope.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer time is a great time for young people to relax and read a book. Below are twelve of my favorite biographies and autobiographies for ages 8-12. These books can be found in bookstores or in your local library.

Play, Louis, Play!: The True Story of a Boy and His Horn 

By Muriel Harris Weinstein and Illustrated by Frank Morrison

Published by Bloomsbury

This chapter book biography of jazz musician Louis Armstrong is written from and unusual point of view of – his first trumpet.  Armstrong bought it at a pawn shop in New Orleans for five dollars.  If you love Jazz, this is a great book to share with your children.

 

 

 

 The White House Kids:  The Perks, Pleasures, Problems, and Pitfall of the Presidents’ Children

By Joe Rhatigan and Illustrated by Jay Shin

Published by Imagine

Life in the White House has a lot of perks but there is a down side.  Check out what the President’s children had to say.

 

 

 

 

 

Girls Who Rocked the World: Heroines from Joan of Arc to Mother Teresa 

By Michelle Roehm McCann and Amelie Welden

Illustrated by David Hahn

Published by Aladdin/Beyond Words

This  inspirational book profiles forty-six “movers and shakers” who  made their mark on the world before they were 20 years old. Go Girl Power!

 

 

 

 

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas 

By Jim Ottaviani and by Illustrated by Maris Wicks

Published by Square Fish

This is the story of three women who loved primates and lived among them to study their behavior and learn from them.  If you are interested in Zoology this is a must read.

 

 

 

 

 

What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American

By Kareen Abdul-Jabbar

Candlewick

In this lively book, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (basketball’s all-time leading scorer) profiles African- American inventors who through their persistence against great odds made our world a better place.

 

 

 

 

Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Courageous Actions Around the World 

By Garth Sundem

Published by Free Spirit Publishing

This book contains thirty true stories about kids who did extraordinary things. Tilly saved lives in Thailand by warning people a tsunami was coming.  Malika fought against segregation in her home town.  Ryan raised money to drill for water wells in Africa.  An inspiring book about how kids can make a difference.

 

 

 

 

Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball Paperback 

By Howard Bryant

Published by Puffin Books

The title “Legends” tells it all.  The author Howard Bryant has compiled the best the sport has to offer by telling the story of the players, teams, and important moments in baseball history.

 

 

 

 

 

My Life in Dog Years

By Gary Paulsen and Illustrated by Ruth Wright Paulsen

Publisher by Yearling

My Life in Dog Years is a book for every dog lover and every Paulsen fan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Escape!: The Story of The Great Houdini 

By Sid Fleischman

Published by Greenwillow Books

This books is written by a magician, Sid Fleischman, about the great magician, Henry Houdini.  Fleischman shows you how Houdini walked through walls, escaped drowning, and was able to shatter iron chains tightly wrapped around him.  A fascinating book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Inventors of LEGO® Toys

By Erin Hagar and Illustrated by Paige Garrison

Published by Duo Press

In this engaging book Erin Hagar tells the story of the Danish carpenter and his family who overcame a desperate situation and created one of the most popular toys in history, LEGO® toys.  Knowing the story behind these amazing toys with make you appreciate them even more.

 

 

 

 

Marooned: The Strange but True Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe 

By Robert Kraske and Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

Published Clarion Books

After arguing with the ship’s captain, Alexander Selkirk, was thrown off the ship and put ashore on an uninhabited island.  He spent four years alone.  After he was rescued, his adventures became of basis of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

 

 

 

 

Girls Think of Everything:  Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women

By Catherine Thimmesh and Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Did you know that a woman invented Liquid Paper commonly known as “white-out” and a woman invented the “space bumper” that was used to protect spacecraft and the astronauts? These are only a few of the woman profiled in this collective biography. Colorful and inventive collage artwork by Melissa Sweet illustrates this unique book.

 

 

 

Happy Reading!

Summer time is a great time to relax and sit down and read with your children.  Below are twelve of my favorite picture book biographies – one for each week of summer.

 

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear

By Lindsay Matick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

This is an endearing true story of the bear Winnie, who inspired the character Winnie-the- Pooh.

 

The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans

By Barbara Walsh and Illustrated by Layne Johnson

Published by Calkins Creek

Miona Belle Michael, a school teacher in Georgia, wanted the soldiers who had lost their lives in WWI to be remembered.  She diligently worked to establish the red poppy as a symbol of honor to be used to remember the fallen heros.

 

Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American

By Don Brown

Published by Roaring Brook Press

The story behind the most famous duel in American history between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.

 

The House That Jane Built: A Story About Jane Addams

By Tanya Lee Stone and Illustrated by Kathryn Brown

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

Jane Addams was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.  She turned her house into a community center which helped transform a poor neighborhood in Chicago.

 

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art

By Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandpre

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy who studied math and history. He practiced the piano, sat up straight, and was perfectly polite. When his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers. But Kandinsky had other ideas.

 

Manfish:  A Story of Jacques Cousteau

By Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Eric Puybaret

Published by Chronicle Books

Jacques Cousteau was a curious little boy who grew up to be an international oceanographer and champion of the seas. This lovely book, with poetic text and gorgeous illustrations, portrays an inspiring and magical portrait of Cousteau.

 

Trombone Shorty

By Troy Andrews and illustrated by Bryan Collier

Published by:  Abrams Books for Young Readers

Troy Andrews was a musical prodigy and earned the nickname “Trombone Shorty” because he wielded a trombone twice as long as he was high.

 

In Mary’s Garden 

By Tina Kugler and illustrated by Carson Kugler

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books

Wisconsin artist Mary Nohl made art out of anything she liked and turned common things into unusual art.  Her garden became her art gallery.

 

Barnum’s Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World

By Tracey Fern and illustrated by Boris Kulikov

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Barnum Brown’s parents named him after the circus tycoon P.T. Barnum. They hoped he would do something extraordinary. And he did! He became a paleontologist for the American Museum of Natural History and discovered the first documented skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Barnum’s Bones is one The Washington Post‘s Best Kids Books of 2012.

 

Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King

Written and Illustrated by Bonnie Christensen

Published by Henry Holt and Company

Release date: April 21, 2015

Elvis Presley was a shy kid who found solace in singing at church and learning to play the guitar.  One day on a lark, he recorded a song for his mother’s birthday at Sun Record Studios and the rest is history.

 

The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch

By Chris Barton and illustrated by Don Tate

Published by:  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

John Roy Lynch was born a slave in Mississippi. But, with the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, he was able to begin a new life.  Eventually he was elected to the United States Congress.

 

Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower 

By Greg Pizzoli

Viking Books for Young Readers

Robert Miller was a con artist.  In 1900, he moved Paris, France, to practice his trade.  Using the alias “Count Victor Lustig” he sold the Eiffel Tower twice.

 

 

Happy Reading!!!