Series: First Picture Flap Books.
Subject Areas: French, Vocabulary.
Ages: 4 5 6 7 8.
Type: Picture Book, Flap Book

This delightful new hardback title was given to each of us that attended the Usborne National Convention in Tulsa last week -- it's beautiful, illustrated with the gorgeous clay models of Usborne's Jo Litchfield. A side note: I love the multicultural look of Jo Litchfield's models -- children of all races and color!

Each two-page spread is a setting that would be familiar to children, such as a birthday party, a schoolyard, a public park, a classroom, a cafe, and several other places. On each page you'll see one large and several smaller flaps to lift. The larger flap shows various objects found on those two pages, and the translation, in English, is hidden until you lift it and look. My very favorite large flap has all kinds of sweet little farm animals -- you also get a counting lesson in French on this flap. On each of the smaller flaps throughout the book are French expressions or questions, and under the flap is written the English equivalent.

The back cover gives directions to Usborne's quicklinks where your child can hear the correct pronunciations, if you need them. This book, together with the links, provides a friendly, fun introduction to the beautiful French language. (It's also available in Spanish!) If you enjoy this book, you could move on to First Hundred Words in French or The Usborne Picture Dictionary in French, First Words Flashcards in French, and then check out other Usborne French titles intended for older kids.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, ESL Teachers

I'll be in Tulsa, Oklahoma this week for the Usborne National Convention until Sunday evening -- Can't wait to see brand new titles and hear Peter Usborne speak again!

I'll be reviewing some of the new titles when I get back -- have a great week.

Series: Usborne Famous Lives Series.
Subject Areas: History.
Ages: 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16.
Type: Biography, Non-fiction Readers

Reading this Usborne title along with the one I reviewed last week (Anne Frank), will give your student a better understanding of the Holocaust and what led up to the horrors of that time period. One by one, all of my children have picked up this book to read it, and have all felt the darkness that characterizes Hitler's life. This book was written by Joachim Fest, a former prisoner of war and authority on Adolf Hitler. (He wrote Inside Hitler's Bunker which was also made into a film, Downfall.)

Much of Hitler's early history was new to me; I wondered how different his life might have been if his father had been a different type of man, if his mother hadn't indulged his laziness and selfishness, or what might have changed if he had been accepted into art school instead of being rejected.

It appears that he was easily influenced by the ideas of others, and had no good relationships with people. His hatred for the Jewish people grew steadily and ominously, with no basis or reason for it, and was helped along by other extremists. His skill at public speaking thrust him into the limelight, and he worked and connived his way to the top of the Nazi Party. It's chilling to read about his poisoned plans and the circumstances that brought him to power, and finally to his violent end. A timeline of his life is presented at the end of the book.

I would urge caution with this title about who reads it. Also, the websites may be disturbing for some children, but they are very appropriate selections -- there are photos of concentration camp prisoners, speeches by Hitler that you can listen to, another website shows how wicked leaders were able to "achieve political ends through propaganda," and perhaps most disturbing (for me) was Hitler shown with the youth of Germany that he pulled into his horrible agenda. Look at this quote of Hitler's from 1933: "I want a brutal, domineering, fearless, cruel youth. Youth must be all that. It must bear pain. There must be nothing weak and gentle about it. The free, splendid beast of prey must once again flash from its eyes...That is how I will eradicate thousands of years of human domestication...That is how I will create the New Order." Yuk! No wonder he shot himself.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers

Series: Usborne Famous Lives Series.
Subject Areas: History.
Ages: 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16.
Type: Biography, Non-fiction Readers

I read Anne Frank's diary in middle school, and the unedited version a few years ago, but for some reason this Usborne title had much more of an impact on me emotionally. Perhaps it's because it's shorter and everything changes so quickly for Anne and her family. Usborne's version was written with the advice of Anne's stepsister, a concentration camp survivor, and author of Eva's Story: A Survivor's Tale by the Stepsister of Anne Frank.

The book opens with Anne as happy and lively as any other child her age, then gives the reader the background of what's been happening in Europe, as Hitler and the Nazis invade and begin persecuting Jewish men, women and children. The entire book is riveting -- photos throughout, Anne's thoughts as they are forced to hide for two years, her family's capture and the horror of the camps; this book is intense, sad, and provoking. It's hard to imagine the evil that prevailed at that time. Please use caution in deciding what age to allow kids to read it, and follow up with discussion. I found myself wondering why I have it so good, and feeling very grateful for the freedoms we have.

The "Quicklinks" explained at the front of the book are a must for this title-- You can read the story of Miep, who hid the Frank family, see close-ups of Anne's diary in her own handwriting, and view movie clips of her house and hiding place. There are also links to organizations that "work to educate young people to reject prejudice and injustice, in memory of Anne Frank." I was encouraged to read that good has come out of the tragedies of that time period.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers

Series: Usborne Famous Lives Series.
Subject Areas: History.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12.
Type: Biography, Non-fiction Readers

I don't want to reveal too much about Marie Antoinette's story here, because most of it was unfamiliar to me, or at least very different from the impression I had gotten over the years. For instance, you know that line we always heard about "Let them eat cake" ? Not quite accurate, it turns out!

You'll get a glimpse of what a mother's (frightening) ambitions can lead to when you read this book, and learn about the unrest and revolution taking place in France during the late 1700's. It ties in very nicely with Captain Cook and Nelson which I reviewed yesterday.


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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers

Series: Usborne Famous Lives Series.
Subject Areas: History.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12.
Type: Biography, Non-fiction Readers

Explorers and sea captains of the 1700's -- do you know much about them? These two titles will give you a good picture of what life was like on the high seas, and how exciting, brutal and dangerous it was to be a sailor. Internet Links are included in both of these titles for those who want to discover more.

Captain Cook opens with the English boy James Cook and his intense longing to live the sailing life. You'll follow him on his first job transporting coal, then volunteering for the Navy when war is looming between France and England. Each voyage he takes presents unique dangers and unique opportunities to learn. He is probably best known for his incredible mapmaking skills, a gift he providentially developed as he sailed to new destinations. His maps were vital to the explorations taking place, from Canada to New Zealand to Hawaii. His maps were used for nearly two hundred years after his death.

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The other book, Nelson, is equally exciting. Horatio Nelson also had the same longing to go to sea, and at age 12 goes to join his uncle's warship. (Let's see, what were my boys doing at age 12?) This book describes what life onboard a sea-going vessel was really like, from climbing the rigging, to the diet they had, to the beatings which took place for those who disobeyed their leaders.

Nelson endured malaria, came face-to-face with a polar bear, and became a captain in the Royal Navy, all before turning 21. He married a widow who had a young child soon after. There's a lot of history shared in the next chapters -- the revolution in France, the threat of Napolean, Britain at war with Spain and France. Nelson loses an arm during this time period, and his hair goes white, his right eye almost blind. His wife, who certainly hasn't seen much of him, nurses him back to health. You should be aware that that he becomes unfaithful to his wife and fathers a child out of wedlock, precipitating a scandal and eventually ending his marriage, so you'll want to decide if this is age-appropriate for your student.

Horatio had several very important victories, each one accompanied by more titles and honor (he is eventually known as Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson!) and loses his life at the end of a brilliant victory. All of Britain mourns the loss of their hero.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers

Series: Usborne Famous Lives Series.
Subject Areas: History.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12.
Type: Biography, Non-fiction Readers

This book is an excellent combination of the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the very serious challenge the United States has had with racism and desegregation. Some of the stories, and a couple of the photos, are chilling but age-appropriate. I'm old enough to remember the disturbing feelings I had about separate facilities and the disrespectful way in which African Americans were treated, when we'd visit my relatives in the South. My children, growing up in a very racially mixed area, have no clue what it was like even as recently as 30 years ago. This book has helped them to understand, and want to live differently, than the previous generations.

Chapter One gives us a glimpse of Martin's parents and their hopes and prayers for his life. Chapter Two lets us look into Martin's young world, with both humorous and painful experiences. The next two chapters show a dedicated and motivated young man working hard to discern his place in fighting racism. He was a very hard worker -- I love this example for young people to emulate. He chose well when he decided to ask Coretta Scott to marry him, and she supported his decision to go back to the South for a purpose, even though she knew it was the difficult thing to do.

The rest of the book shares in detail the triumphs and the defeats Martin experienced, as well as his tragic death. I appreciate that the overall tone of the book is one of hope and change. The last page is a timeline of the important years of Martin Luther King's life. Like the others, this book has Internet Links for more info.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers

Series: Usborne Famous Lives Series.
Subject Areas: History.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12.
Type: Biography, Non-fiction Readers

So sorry for the silence this past week! I was busy with finishing up homeschool for this school year, driver's ed. classes for my 16 year-old, and getting my two oldest sons off to Costa Rica (a graduation trip; one received his four year degree, the other his Master's!) I hope to make up for it by reviewing one or more titles from the Famous Lives Series each day this week. Several of us in our family are reading thru these books. They are delightful and keep your attention throughout the entire book.

There are wonderful side-benefits to reading biographies --
--absorbing the details of history and the flavor of the time period in which the character lives
--the ability to place the famous person in the overall timeline of history
--identifying character qualities, either good or bad, and the eventual outcome of a person's choices

When your student reads thru this series, they'll be able to identify and better understand cultures from ancient Egypt up thru and including our modern age. This series is a group of compact hardbound chapter books, with lots of photos and/or drawings included. THey are also very reasonably priced.

Since Usborne Books originate in England, (and because I love to read about British history) what better place to begin than with Winston Churchill! This is one of several Usborne biographies by the author Katie Daynes, and she is very gifted at this type of writing.

Winston Churchill opens with a scene of Winston at age five -- hiding from his nanny as he attempts to escape from the new governess sent to teach him! He
liked learning letters and words but had challenges with arithmetic, "numbers seemed to get tangled up in terrible knots." Kids will instantly identify with him in a variety of ways.

As his story continues, you'll be fascinated to see his strengths and weaknesses, the events he endures that prepare him for his life's calling, wise decisions he makes, mistakes he stumbles into, and the way he applies himself when he finally discovers his passion for leading his country thru a difficult period of history. He earned the respect of people all over the world. At the end of the book is a timeline of his most important moments. To see photos of where he lived, hear his speeches, and to view film from World War II, visit the recommended Internet Links; these are explained just after the Table of Contents.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers