American History

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to supplementary content to deepen under- standing through visual learning. VERDICT if alternative sports are underrepresented in your middle and high school nonfiction sec- tion, this is a solid supplemental choice.

So which series came out on top? Cre- ative Education’s “reel Time” stands out for exploring a great tradition with modern considerations. Capstone’s “real Heroes of Sports” will make stu- dents realize that the best athletes have

more to offer than “W”s; they’re total packag- es with hearts, brains, and courage to boot. Capstone’s “record Breakers” is great for browsers, while powerKids’ “Baseball Smarts” is ideal for more in-depth exploration. AB- DO’s “Make Me the Best Athlete” features so many popular athletes with vivid explanations of why they’re successful, readers won’t help but feel inspired to practice till they’re perfect. For older readers, ABDO’s “Total Sports” has some truly engaging selections to entertain students. With books like these around, it’s readers who will be the real winners.

Luke, Andrew. Air Sports. iSBN 9781 422237052.

––––. All-Terrain Sports. iSBN 9781 422237069.

––––. Mountain Sports. iSBN 9781 422237076.

––––. Snow Sports. iSBN 9781422237083. ––––. Water Sports. iSBN 9781422237090. ea vol: 48p. (Adventurous Outdoor Sports). ebook available. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Mason Crest. Jan. 2017. lib. ed. $20.95. Gr 5-9–With in-depth descriptions, text-de- pendent questions, and extension research topics, readers are introduced to a wide va- riety of alternative sports. Each book begins with what may be familiar, such as rock climbing in Mountain Sports, and escalates quickly to things like canyoneering. While some of the content in titles such as Snow Sports might be mostly familiar (with the exception of the Japanese snowball fight competition, Yukigassen), others including Air Sports have many activities people may have never heard of. Qr codes link readers

Piecing Together Our Past

U.S. History Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC

Dorothy parker might have been the blue- ribbon winner of the Algonquin round Table for turning out eviscerating one-liners, but her cohort Franklin pierce Adams was certainly no slouch. A preeminent newspaper colum- nist in the 1920s and 1930s, Adams is credited with this quip: “Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory.” While Adams might not have had education on his mind when he came up with this gem, he does offer a salient point regarding the im- portance of studying history. So that the past is not rewritten or forgotten, publishers of historical accounts must adhere assiduously to academic standards of sound research and balanced presentation. Keeping these stan- dards does not mean that the end product has to be dry. As the publishers of these series prove, history can sparkle when conveyed cre- atively and with accessible content.

Elementary BArringTon, richard. The Magna Carta. iSBN

9781508103943. CArTer, Jason. gutenberg’s Bible. iSBN

9781508104032. keLLer, Susanna. The Bill of rights. iSBN

9781508103998. LoriA, Laura. The 19th Amendment. iSBN

9781508104018. MAnger, katherine. The Declaration of inde-

pendence. iSBN 9781508103950. ––––. The u.S. Constitution. iSBN 9781

508103974. rAuf, Don. Washington’s farewell Address.

iSBN 9781508104070. VeSCiA, Monique. The emancipation Proclama-

tion. iSBN 9781508104056. ea vol: 32p. (let’s Find Out!: primary Sources). further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Britannica. Jan. 2017. lib. ed. $24.45. Gr 3-5–The significance of key primary source documents is adeptly explored. Each title begins by defining the term primary source. This segues into the back- story of the featured document, with a description of the social and political injus- tices that prompted people to seek change through legislation and formal declara- tion. Major players are mentioned, as are the lasting effects of the primary sources. The writing is concise, and the informa- tion is presented cogently. Brightly colored sidebars and sleek font headings comple- ment backgrounds made to look like aged paper. The visual contrast underscores the importance of past actions on the present day. “Think About it” questions (“Think about what rules you have to follow at home and school. Which rules make you safer? Which rules would you change if you could, and why?” in Magna Carta) encour- age critical thinking. With the exception of the featured primary document, sources are

not cited. VERDICT An attractive, enlighten- ing package with an emphasis on civics.

BeTheA, nikole Brooks. The invention of the As- sembly Line. iSBN 9781503816367.

––––. The invention of the Cotton gin. iSBN 9781503816428.

CArAVAnTeS, Peggy. The Building of the Transcontinental railroad. iSBN 9781503816350.

huTChiSon, Patricia. The invention of the Air- plane. iSBN 9781503816398.

MACCArALD, Clara. The invention of the Atomic Bomb. iSBN 9781503816411.

––––. The invention of the Transistor. iSBN 9781503816381.

ringSTAD, Arnold. The Building of the golden gate Bridge. iSBN 9781503816404.

––––. The Building of the hoover Dam. iSBN 9781503816374.

ea vol: 32p. (Engineering That Made America). chron. ebook available. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. The Child’s World. Jan. 2017. lib. ed. $28.5. Gr 3-5–Some engineering feats are so deep- ly woven into the fabric of the United States that it is hard to imagine a time when they were only an idea, a vision. This series ex- plores the histories of various engineering marvels from their inception to the present day. Each title begins with a page of “Fast Facts,” where a half-dozen key points such as location, size, purpose, and cost are list- ed. A page with a time line comes next, fol- lowed by the main content. The writing is substantive and engaging. interspersed among solid answers to the wheres and hows are stories about some of the people involved. For instance, in Golden Gate Bridge, readers learn that a safety net for construction workers cost $100,000 to in- stall. The author adds a human element by describing how one worker, Al Zampa, was saved by the net after he fell from a steel beam. The illustrations are amazing, espe- cially photographs of the construction pro- cess. One image, for example, depicts work- ers standing outside a diversion tunnel in the Hoover Dam, who are tiny compared to the tunnel—a vivid reminder of the enor- mity of the project. VERDICT Top-notch se- lections for upper elementary collections.

BLoMquiST, katie. American indians in the 1800s: right and resistance. iSBN 9781493837991.

riCe, Dona herweck. Laura ingalls Wilder: Pio- neer Woman. iSBN 9781493837984.

riCe, katelyn. Settling and unsettling the West. iSBN 9781493837977.

ShAffer, Jody Jensen. Sitting Bull: eagles Can- not Be Crows. iSBN 9781493838004.

ea vol: 32p. (into the West). ebook available. glossary. index. photos. reprods. Teacher Created. Jan. 2017. pap. $8.99. Gr 3-5–The title of Settling and Unsettling

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