Meriwether Lewis:
"With his lifelong interests in botany and zoology and his military service, he was chosen by President Thomas Jefferson to lead an expedition across the new country documenting its plants and animals. After his three-year trip with partner William Clark, he became the new governor of the Louisiana Territory."
I love this small book. It's perfect for elementary aged children, in that it provides nuggets of information in a very palatable form. The people are divided into groups -- "Business and Law", "Inventors and Innovators", "Leaders and Social Change" , "Music and Arts", "New Frontiers", and "Sports" -- and each person is given half a page, which contains a picture of that individual, their birth and death dates, a single paragraph about what they're known for (see example above), plus some Fast Facts.
I love this small book. It's perfect for elementary aged children, in that it provides nuggets of information in a very palatable form. The people are divided into groups -- "Business and Law", "Inventors and Innovators", "Leaders and Social Change" , "Music and Arts", "New Frontiers", and "Sports" -- and each person is given half a page, which contains a picture of that individual, their birth and death dates, a single paragraph about what they're known for (see example above), plus some Fast Facts.
Here are the Fast Facts for Meriwether Lewis:
- Thomas Jefferson thought Lewis and Clark might find erupting volcanoes, mountains of sale, and woolly mammoths out west
- Members of the exploring team ate approximately 6 pounds of meat each day -- the equivalent of 24 hamburgers!
Now if you have older kids, you KNOW that those "Fast Facts" are just the sort of interesting information that they love. Trivia on steroids! And, in fact, I have found that if I leave this book in the car or around the coffee table that the kids will pick it up and read about a few people without urging.
THE SKINNY:::
Another hit for Scholastic Publishing. Although this book is published on cheap off-color paper I don't care because it's kid-friendly and a fun way for all of us to get introduced to a variety of historical figures -- everyone from Charles Lindbergh to Langston Hughes, Steve Jobs to Robert Oppenheimer.
Being short is a huge advantage to time-challenged kids, but it has a downside in that parents might have to fill in the gaps. (If you don't know, there's always Google and Wikipedia.)
THE SKINNY:::
Another hit for Scholastic Publishing. Although this book is published on cheap off-color paper I don't care because it's kid-friendly and a fun way for all of us to get introduced to a variety of historical figures -- everyone from Charles Lindbergh to Langston Hughes, Steve Jobs to Robert Oppenheimer.
Being short is a huge advantage to time-challenged kids, but it has a downside in that parents might have to fill in the gaps. (If you don't know, there's always Google and Wikipedia.)
My kids -- currently 8 and 10-- will read a section when in the car. It gives us a chance to learn from each other and chat while we drive.
Pam
Somewhere in the X-burbs
Somewhere in the X-burbs
100 People Who Changed America
- Accelerated Reading level : 6.0
- Paperback: 64 pages
- Publisher: Scholastic Inc (2004)
- ISBN-10: 0439709997
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