We are the Ship

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship: the story of Negro League baseball. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.

From barnstorming to sleeping in funeral homes, We are the Ship documents the beginnings of the Negro National Baseball League and gives insight into the beginnings of well known players and talented players who were overlooked.  Full page portraits of the players, owners, and teams enhance the historical information and give the reader insight into plight of African-American players.





If you liked We are the Ship, you might like:

Heroes of the Negro Leagues by Jack Morelli
Morelli, J., & Chiarello, M. (2007). Heroes of the Negro leagues. New York: Abrams.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

Curtis, C. P. (19971995). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963: a novel. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

Written at the height of the civil rights movement in America, Kenny Watson and his family live in Flint, Michigan.  When Kenny's older brother continues to get in trouble at school and at home, his parents think it is time for drastic measures.  The family pile in their car and drive to visit family in Birmingham, Alabama.  While there, the family is impacted by two near death experiences of family members, and must come together to cope with the devastating outcomes.

Lesson Plans: Draw a parallel timeline between the events in the book with actual events in the civil rights movement

T.E.K.S. analyze various issues and events of the 20th century such as industrialization, urbanization, increased used of oil and gas, the Great Depression, the world wars, the civil rights movement and military actions.

Out of My Mind

Draper, S. M. (2010). Out of my mind. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Melody Brooks was born with cerebral palsy.  She has never spoken and is confined to a wheelchair.  However, no one knows that she is brilliant and has a photographic memory.  One day she discovers a device that will help her communicate with family and friends and her life changes forever as it opens her up to a brand new world.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/nCG6e2DifxY

Balloons Over Broadway

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Follow Tony Sarg on his way to creating the puppets for the most famous parade in the world.  Balloons over Broadway documents Tony from the time he was a child to making marionette for Broadway.  Before long, R.H. Macy was calling Tony asking him to create puppets for his Thanksgiving Day parade that, has over the years, has turned into a holiday tradition.


If you like Balloons Over Broadway, you might like:

Barnum's Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World by Tracey Fern
Fern, T. E., & Kulikov, B. (2012). Barnum's bones: how Barnum Brown discovered the most famous dinosaur in the world. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Milly and the Macy's Parade by Shana Corey
Corey, S., & Helquist, B. (2002). Milly and the Macy's Parade. New York: Scholastic Press.

The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, N., & McKean, D. (2008). The graveyard book. New York: HarperCollins Pub.. (Newberry 2009)

A toddler escapes the clutches of his family's killer and wonders into an old graveyard up the road.  The little boy, named Nobody Owens, is adopted by the ghosts of the graveyard and is raised with characteristics associated with the dead.  However, Nobody is still hunted by his family killer, and he must face his painful past in order to embrace his future.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/J_08iP4x-94