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Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner

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Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner by Monica Kulling/Richard Walz
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Looking for a good book to help your young reader understand why we sing the Star-Spangled Banner? The story behind our national anthem is a suspenseful one worth knowing and sharing, especially as our most patriotic holiday approaches. In this Early Reader, author Monica Kulling delivers just enough detail about the relationships among England, France and the United States in the early 1800’s, inviting readers on an exciting historical adventure. I’ll even admit that it served as a simplified refresher for me! I knew that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the Star-Spangled Banner when he witnessed a battle aboard a ship, but was a little fuzzy on the events that landed him on the ship in the first place. It’s crystal clear now, thanks to Kulling’s storytelling. I also appreciated the way Mr. Key’s strengths and weaknesses were conveyed, creating a relatable character for young readers. It’s a pleasing read that won’t disappoint!
Find it in the catalog.

I Am a Story

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Submitted by Ms. Karen!

Stories are all around us, but how did they start? Who told them, and how did they tell them? We love stories because they make us feel all the feels: happy, sad, excited, even angry. I Am a Story, written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, tells the story of Story, told by storytellers in the dark around campfires, told in paintings on cave walls, inked with woodblocks, typed on a laptop. Story has been spoken and danced on stage, kept in all sorts of libraries private and public, even dispensed from vending machines! This book is just the right start to the history of Story for your youngest readers, with great pictures to show how stories and information lived and continue to live all around us. See this book listed in our catalog

Horses

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Submitted by Ms. Sue!

In Horses by Seymour Simon we learn about their evolution and the more than 300 hundred breeds. This non-fiction book aimed at elementary ages 6-12 provides us with facts about horses from tens of thousands or years ago throughout history. During the Ice Age people made cave drawings of horses. Five thousand years ago people tamed and herded them on the plains of Europe and Asia. During the Babylonian, Greek, and Roman civilizations, people trained horses to draw war chariots. Medieval knights carried their armor upon horses into battle. The cowboys and Native Americans of the western plains rode them and are part of American history. Mr. Simon provides the basic facts, physical traits, interactions among themselves, and the various breeds from the past to the present. The clear and simple text and stunning photographs in this book help us learn that horses have been an essential part of human lives. We can learn all about their strength, speed, foals, and breeds. Horses need food, water, shelter, grooming, and exercise, just like people. In return they give us companionship and trust. They continue to capture our imaginations and it appears that they will be with us in one way or another throughout time. See this book listed in our catalog

On a Beam of Light

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

On a Beam of Light by Jennifer Berne, with illustrations by Vladimir Radunsky, is a biography of Albert Einstein for children. Einstein lead a remarkable life. As a child he was intrigued by mysteries and asked so many questions his teachers told him he was a distraction to the rest of the class, and he’d never amount to anything! But he continued to learn and read and imagine. Some of his greatest contributions to the world were the discovery of atoms – tiny stuff that everything is made of – and the realization that we are all constantly moving through space and time – even when we are standing still. He was always thinking, and doing things to make himself happy so that he could think better, like eating ice cream, playing his violin, and not wearing socks. Einstein hated socks. I think it’s important to encourage young people to think, and to question, and to investigate the world. Because of Einstein’s dreams, and thoughts, and questions, we’ve accomplished amazing things, like traveling to space. What will your child’s questions lead us to one day understand about the universe? See this book listed in our catalog

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

I Dissent by Debbie Levy, with illustrations by Elizabeth Baddeley, is a great book for Women’s History Month, as it is the biography of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a history making woman in many respects! You could say Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life has been one disagreement after another. She has been disapproving, objecting, resisting, and, yes, dissenting her whole life, to old ideas, unfairness, and inequality. As a child she disagreed that girls should not go out into the world and do big things. As a young woman she disagreed that women should not go to college and become lawyers. As a lawyer she fought many cases against inequality because she disagreed that women and men shouldn’t have the same opportunities. And as Supreme Court Justice she has written many dissenting opinions. In fact, she has a special collar she wears over her judges robes especially for when she dissents! She most often disagreed with Justice Antonin Scalia, but though they often had conflicting views, that didn’t stop them from having a long fun-filled friendship! Justice Ginsburg is a hero to many people, paving the way, affecting change, and fighting for equality. This would be a great book to share with an elementary school aged child in your life. See this book listed in our catalog

Real Cowboys

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Submitted by Mr. Eric!

When you see a cowboy in the movies they are usually hootin’ and a hollerin’, causing a ruckus, and generally shooting at people outside of old timey saloons. In Real Cowboys, by Kate Hoefler and illustrated by Jonathan Bean, we get to learn how cowboys really were. Cowboys worked hard every day to help drive massive herds of cattle towards the next town. They couldn’t be very loud because that would frighten the cattle and maybe cause a stampede. They couldn’t cause a ruckus because then one of the calves might run off and get lost. And they certainly didn’t shoot at anyone. They worked outside all day, in the blazing sun and in the freezing rain, and often had to make their way through prickly cacti and sharp bushes. Being a cowboy was also very lonely. Cowboys usually didn’t work with many other people, and because of that their dogs were often their best friends. Real Cowboys is a beautifully illustrated book that perfectly captures how tough and lonely it was to be a real life cowboy. See this book listed in our catalog