The Story of Religion

The Story of Religion

Written by: Betsy Maestro
Illustrated by: Erika Weihs

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"This informational book provides a brief introduction to various religious such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The art in the book is related to the cultures of each of the religious groups. This book can introduce a study in which students research one of the religions discussed."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.uri.org/kids/world.htm

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela: A Tale from Africa

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela: A Tale from Africa

Written by: Cristina Kessler
Illustrated by: Leonard Jenkins

Elementary Grades

"A traditional Ethiopian tale describing one girl’s attempt to challenge society’s
views of women and their roles, and her quest to be the best beekeeper in her village."

Online Resources:
http://www.cristinakessler.com/Books_8.htm

Geronimo

Geronimo

Written by: Joseph Bruchac

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Thoroughly researched “memories” of Geronimo and the captivity of the Chiracahua
Apaches are narrated by Geronimo’s fictional adopted grandson. Geronimo is portrayed as
a dignified, caring, resourceful, and humorous leader of his people."

Notable Trade Books for Social Studies

Online Resources:
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/B/geronimo/geronixx.htm
http://www.biography.com/articles/Geronimo-192835

The Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl

The Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl

Written by: David Kherdian

Junior High and High School Grades

"David Kherdian re-creates his mother's voice in telling the true story of a childhood interrupted by one of the most devastating holocausts of our century. Vernon Dumehjian Kherdian was born into a loving and prosperous family. Then, in the year 1915, the Turkish government began the systematic destruction of its Armenian population."

Online Resources:
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/resources/cob0005t.html

Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia

Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia

Written and Illustrated by: Ted and Betsy Lewin

Elementary Grades

"This colorful travelogue recounts the Lewins' trip to Mongolia to experience the annual summer celebration Naadam, in particular the horse-racing competition. It focuses on young Tamir as he prepares for and participates in the event. Information about Mongolian culture and the holiday's traditions are interspersed with an account of the competition. An introduction provides brief background, and unfamiliar terms are explained in context and in the glossary."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/horse_song_talk.mhtml

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Written by: Dee Brown

Junior High and High School Grades

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's classic, eloquent, meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold over four million copies in multiple editions and has been translated into seventeen languages.

Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the series of battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them and their people demoralized and decimated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee changed forever our vision of how the West was won, and lost. It tells a story that should not be forgotten, and so must be retold from time to time."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Wounded_Knee,_South_Dakota

Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears

Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears

Written by: Alex W. Bealer

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"From 1837 to 1838, thousands of Cherokee Indians were marched from their homelands in Georgia to exile in Arkansas by the same white men they has once befriended. The Cherokees journeyed through bitter cold and blazing heat, with little food or water. One out of every four died and with them died a culture that had existed for hundreds of years, a civilization that had existed for hundred of years, a civilization that had embraced the white man's ways only to perish through his betrayal. Today, only the names remain of this once great nation."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/history/trail.html
http://www.cherokeebyblood.com/trailtears.htm