The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum
Written by Candace Fleming
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade, 2009
Recommended Grades: 5th to 8th
151 pages, 30,520 words
Jason’s Review
The Great and Only Barnum begins with P.T. Barnum’s birth and ends with his death. Barnum was born in a very poor family in 1810 and he died 81 years later. He was named after his grandfather, Phineas Taylor, but his family called him Tale. His grandfather enjoyed playing pranks on family members.
Barnum had a crazy childhood. At age 5, he started collecting pennies. When he was 6, he traded his 100 pennies at a tavern for a silver dollar. “I felt that I became a lot richer,” Tale said. From there on out, he saved every cent he got.
At the age of 2, his grandfather deeded a piece of land to Tale called Ivy Island. Tale grew up believing his lush, green island was covered with diamond mines. Tale finally got to see his island when he turned twelve—a snake infested swamp! His grandfather had played a joke on him. One would think this cruel joke would make Tale mad. Instead, it turned him into a prankster.
Later in life, he bought a museum located in New York City. The museum hosted many exhibits such as stuffed animals, live animals, fossils, as well as having performers like Isaac Sprague, the Living Skeleton. He did many “humbugs” (the tricking of the public) such as the mermaid humbug and the Wooly horse humbug. He earned thousands of dollars, becoming very famous and wealthy. His whole life circled around fame and money. He even erected his own palace, naming it Iranistan.
He overcame many disasters in his life; his museum burnt down twice; his house burnt down and he went bankrupt. But Barnum bounced back and even built a new mansion called Waldemere. Barnum again joined the circus when he was sixty years old and stayed with it until he died. He even wrote his own obituary! I thought this book was good and you will too.
Jenny’s Review
The tremendous, stupendous Candace Fleming has written another thought-provoking biography about the greatest showman on earth. The Great and Only Barnum is full of fascinating facts, amazing anecdotes, sensational sidebars, and phenomenal photographs. Fleming discloses Barnum’s public and private life in an objective manner. She doesn’t hide or conceal Barnum’s weaknesses or faults. Instead, she paints a vivid portrait of Barnum’s life as a showman, husband, father, friend, politician, and philanthropist.
The book begins by describing the small town Barnum grew up in. The sidebars and engravings depicting Barnum’s childhood capture what it was like to live in the early nineteenth century in Bethel, Connecticut. When Barnum earned his first silver dollar, a big deal in 1815, he promised himself that he would make lots more money and become rich. Where did Barnum go to learn about making money? By moving to New York of course!
Barnum experienced ups and downs in his early career, but it wasn’t until he joined a traveling circus that he mastered the craft of sales and promotion. He was a natural-born salesman! But Barnum missed his family and grew tired of traveling; he yearned for his own business. In 1841, Barnum quit the circus and bought a museum—using the property his grandfather left him as collateral (refer to Jason’s review)!
The American Museum was a huge success and branded Barnum as a Showman! Barnum filled it with unique exhibits such as bird collections, paintings, live animals, mummies, and “Human Curiosities”—people who were other than normal.
Fleming’s compelling narrative will keep the reader engaged, along with her use of direct quotes from primary sources. And if you want to find out who actually said “There’s a sucker born every minute,” you’ll have to buy the book—it’s worth it!
Click on the link belo
Onward – Photobiography of African-American Explorer Matthew Henson
Written by Dolores Johnson
Publisher: National Geographic, 2006
Recommended Grades: 5th to 8th
64 pages, 10,914 words
Jason’s Review
Onward is a book about Matthew Henson, the first African American to reach the North Pole.
Matthew Henson was born on August 8, 1866, in Charles County, Maryland. When Matthew was seven years old, his mother died. His father remarried. Six years later his father got killed in a farming accident, leaving Matthew all on his own.
Now let’s stop right there. He’s only 13 years old. He lost his mother AND father. He must have felt horrible. Think about it. Stick yourself in his shoes. I would feel horrible and miserable without my mom and dad.
Anyway, he found a job, and soon became a sailor, going to many different places around the world. Soon, he was assigned to go on an expedition with Robert Peary to reach the North Pole. No one over the past four centuries has been able to reach the North Pole and they wanted to be the first.
They attempted the 1st expedition, but failed. They raised money to set out on another expedition in a 2nd attempt to reach the North Pole. They would sail up to Northern Greenland and then travel by dogsleds to the North Pole.
I can connect this book to Freedom Riders because both books are about important African Americans. Matthew Henson was even alive during the Civil Rights Movement and his achievement is very important to all African Americans.
I’d like to tell you more and if Peary and Henson reached the North Pole or not, but I’ll leave that up to you to go get Onward. Hope you enjoy it!
Jenny’s Review
Dolores Johnson writes mysteries for adults as well as fiction and nonfiction books for children. Her books for children generally focus on social injustice themes and have African Americans as the main characters. Coincidentally, Jason’s 5th grade teacher read one of Ms. Johnson’s fiction books to his class titled “Now Let Me Fly: The Story of a Slave Family”.
Onward is the story of Matthew Henson, the first African American to journey to the North Pole. The book begins with a Foreword written by Matthew Henson’s great-great-great niece named Leila Savoy Andrade who grew up listening to stories about him. The book then takes a chronological look of Henson’s life. The authentic photographs make Henson real to me and the dangers he faced in his quest to reach the North Pole. I got goose bumps looking at the photos of huge crevasses (large holes or gaps in the ice) that some crews almost fell in! And the way Ms. Johnson describes how Henson survived after plunging into frigid water, made me shiver.
Henson got his itch for adventure after accepting a job as a manservant for Lt. Peary, a naval officer. But Henson’s first assignment wasn’t to the freezing Arctic–it was to the tropics in Nicaragua. Lt. Peary made it his life mission to be the first man to stand at the North Pole, and he wanted Henson along with him. Henson proved he was invaluable to Peary’s mission by making friends with the Inuit (Eskimos). Ms. Johnson sums up the relationship between Henson and the Eskimos perfectly:
“The Inuit saw a brother in Matthew Henson not only because of his skin color but because he, of all those in the expedition, chose to learn their language and their way of life. They shared their survival skills with him, and he, in turn, taught Peary and the rest of the crew.”
It makes me wonder if Peary could have achieved his life goal without Henson. Ms. Johnson’s lively and engaging text will make the reader keep reading to find out if Henson reaches the North Pole. The back matter includes a touching Afterward written by the author, a timeline of Henson’s life, and a bibliography. I highly recommend Onward to children and teachers.
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Freedom Riders – Story of the Civil Rights Movement
Written by Ann Bausum
Publisher: National Geographic, 2006
Recommended Grades: 5th to 8th
Jason’s Review
Freedom Riders is a nonfiction book written by Ann Bausum with Forewords written by two of the Freedom Riders, John Lewis and Jim Zwerg. John Lewis is currently a congressman for the state of Georgia.
After reading this book, I was left with so many feelings for the Blacks. (Negros) They had their reasons, and they didn’t believe violence would help. They wanted their equal rights and they non-violently fought for them.
Say you were a Black (Negro) in 1960. Wouldn’t you feel mistreated just because of your race? Wouldn’t it be unfair that you couldn’t hold any government positions? Isn’t it unfair that you can’t sit with whites? Isn’t it mean to be teased and beat every day?
After you read Freedom Riders, you’ll be able to answer all of these questions. And, if you are a white person, you should especially give some feeling to these questions. These questions apply mainly to Blacks (Negros) living in the South. The southern states, (particularly Alabama) had a great aversion to the Blacks.
Jim Zwerg and John Lewis were the most famous of the Freedom Riders. The most brutal beating took place in Alabama, the most segregated state in the United States of America. In his hospital, Jim Zwerg delivered a stunning statement:
“Segregation must be stopped. It must be broken down. We’re going on to New Orleans no matter what. We’ll take hitting. We’ll take beating. We’re willing to accept death.”
The Freedom Riders succeeded in stopping segregation. From there Congress and Chief Executive (the President) made segregation come to an end.
I really wish to tell you more, but I’ll have to let you get the book and read it yourself. I hope you love the photographs!
Jenny’s Review
Ann Bausum writes books about U.S. History. Most of her books focus on social injustice themes. Freedom Riders is a story about two men named John Lewis and Jim Zwerg, who were members of a student group dedicated to end segregation of interstate bus travel in the southern states using non-violent methods. This book received numerous awards including the Sibert Honor Book, ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults, and Booklist Top of the List.
I was born in the same month and year the Freedom Rides took place (May, 1961), and have no idea what it was like to grow up in a time and place where racial discrimination was openly permitted and encouraged. But Ms. Bausum’s narrative describing life for African Americans in the southern states, made me understand what it was like to live and grow up in the turbulent and violent times of the civil rights movement.
The first part of the book compares and contrasts the childhoods of John Lewis and Jim Zwerg. Lewis was a black man and Zwerg was a white man. Lewis grew up in the “black belt” of Alabama where blacks and white people did not hang out together. Zwerg grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin where the percent of the black population was less than one percent. Lewis went to an all black school and Zwerg went to an all white school. Lewis was one of ten children living in a three room house. Zwerg was one of two children living in a two-story house. Both had happy childhoods. Both worked on farms. Both went to church and wanted to be pastors. Both went to college. Both believed that black people deserved the same rights as white people. Both sacrificed their lives to end segregation! But how did these two individuals end up together?
Zwerg’s first encounter with discrimination was in college where he became a social outcast because he had black friends. His first protest against racism was returning a pledge pin for a segregated fraternity. Zwerg decided to partic
Jason’s Review
George vs. George
Written and Illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer, 2004
2005 NCTE Recommended Title
Publisher: National Geographic
George VS George is a comparison book about George Washington and King George III. It takes place during the American Revolutionary War. Washington lived on Mount Vernon, and in contrast, King George lived in a beautiful building in the city of London. Washington led the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. It all started w/ the French-Indian War, which left the British with a huge debt. To pay off the debt, the British Parliament made a lot of tax laws, including a monopoly on tea. The colonists protested in many ways, so the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, which triggered the Revolutionary War.
George Washington’s Army won, after a long, hard fight. The two battles that forced the British to surrender were the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. The Treaty of Paris granted the 13 colonies its independence from England, forming the United States of America. The US also got all the reserved land for the Native Americans.
Jenny’s Footnote: Jason really enjoyed this book and learned lots of new facts. He is an avid reader of nonfiction books for this time period. He especially liked learning about the war from both sides.
Jenny’s Review
Rosalyn Schanzer employs a new twist in her book about the American Revolutionary War. She tells the story from the point of view of both sides. The book begins by comparing and contrasting the lives of George Washington and King George III. Both were fans of agriculture and excellent horsemen. Ms. Schanzer then zooms in on their family lives, careers, political views and decisions that led up to the American Revolutionary War. The book ends with a fascinating narrative on what happened to King George after the war and George Washington’s election as President of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
The author’s delightful illustrations of the two main characters and key historical events that triggered the war such as the Daughters of Liberty weaving their own cloth, the Boston Tea Party, and George Washington crossing the Delaware River, realistically captures the patriotism of both sides. I particularly liked the pictures of the military uniforms worn by the British and American forces, and the diagrams showing the differences in England’s and United States governments. The text and pictures show that Ms. Schanzer is a meticulous researcher.
George vs George offers a fresh voice to the American Revolutionary War that will engage children ages 9 to 12.
2009 Orbis Pictus Award Winner
By Shelley Tanaka and Illustrated By David Craig
Jason’s Review
Amelia Earhart was born in 1897 in Iowa. She grew up to be one of the world’s greatest pilots. The first plane she flew in was the Canuck, and later, she bought her own plane that she called “The Canary.” In 1928, Amelia was the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by plane. In 1932, Amelia EarHart flew across the Atlantic Ocean, SOLO. She succeeded and became extremely famous. Then, it was time for her to fly – around the world.
She took Fred Noonan as an adviser. They flew to Africa sucessfully, to Asia sucessfully, to New Guinea sucessfully, but in her attempt to fly an eighteen-hour trip to Howland Island she randomly, mysteriously, dissapeared, along with Fred Noonan. The United States of America spent $4,000,000, covering over 250,000 acres of land looking for her. They found NOTHING. Zero. Zip. Zilch. There are many theories, but we do not know if any are correct. We only know that it is a mystery, and that it must be solved.
Jenny’s Review
Shelley Tanaka tells about the legend of Amelia Earhart in an engaging, narrative fashion. The photographs, sidebars, and David Craig’s brilliant illustrations, brings the text alive. I was entranced with Craig’s haunting illustration of Amelia suspended against the backdrop of a sky sprinkled with clouds and rays of sunlight.
The book begins when Amelia is 11-years-old and sees her first airplane. But it was not love at first sight! In fact, Amelia didn’t discover her passion for airplanes until she was in her early twenties when she went to an air show with her father. After her first flight, Amelia was hooked.
Most of the book focuses on Amelia’s life as a female aviator. Her career took off when she received a phone call from George Putnam (who would become her husband) asking if she wanted to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia never strayed far from public’s eye and she liked to tell women that they were equal to men in everything. A brave thing to say in the early 1900’s! The book ends with Amelia’s last flight—her dream of being the first woman to fly around the world. But somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, Amelia’s plane disappeared without a trace.
My favorite part of the book was the Epilogue where Ms. Tanaka writes of the numerous theories of what may have happened to Amelia that fateful day on July 2, 1937. I highly recommend this book for children in grades 3 to 5th. It has a detailed bibliography, including source notes and photography credits.
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in Cyberspace, USA, I created this blog. It was my initiation into the world of internet social networking. The beginning of building my author’s platform! My intent was to blog about the evolution and transformation of a stay-at-home mom to Ms. Published Author Extraordinaire. I was going to blog twice a week about the trials and tribulations of writing a book while trying to balance all the other roles I play day in and day out, such as: mother, wife, friend, volunteer, cook, referee, tutor, party organizer, chauffer, and professional shopper. But where did my little blog go?
Although I’ve made some significant headway on my primary goal for 2009, writing a YA biography, my blog has virtually disappeared. Slipping on my meditation cap, I spent some time reflecting about the purpose of a blog and where I wanted my blog to go.
An incident occurred one day after my boys came home from school, that gave me an idea to spice up my blog. While eating their snack, I excitedly plopped down some books on the kitchen table for my kids to read (given a choice, my boys would rather read video game guides than books). After looking at the front covers, they told me they only read award winning books. My children were literally judging a book by its cover! I tried to reason with them that many published good books never receive awards and just because a book received an award doesn’t mean the book IS good. So I’ve decided to blog about published nonfiction children’s books.
Of course there are hundreds of blogs, websites and magazines that review children’s books, but most focus on fiction. I hope my blog will stand out for two reasons: (1) I will only read nonfiction children’s book, and (2) Jason (my 10-year-old son) will also share his thoughts and responses about nonfiction books.
Stay tuned for our review of the 2009 Orbis Pictus Award Winner, Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator.
Santa Bob minus the beard.
In 2007, Santa Claus decided to reward my 7-year-old son's good behavior by giving him a fish tank. But Santa forgot to leave him the "How to Care for Your Fish" user manual. All the fish died two days later. That was the year my son stopped believing in Santa Claus.
Fast forward to 2009, my son is now ten years old. In science, he's studying the habitats of live organisms within an ecosystem. The class was very excited when the first organisms arrived–dwarf african frogs. These critters are about an inch long and very cute. At the end of 2 weeks, the students can adopt a frog. I allowed my son to adopt one. Unlike Santa Claus, my son did receive instructions on how to care for his new pet in the form of a test and adoption paperwork. So I assumed we were prepared for the new edition to our family.
My son brought his new pet home on a Friday, and by Saturday we concluded (through my meticulous internet research) that the frog needed a better home. So much for my son retaining what he learned. Off to the pet store we went and $50 later came home with a 3 gallon tank, blood worms, and tank decorations. We could tell the frog was much happier by the way she swam around the tank. Or maybe it was the blood worms.
But more frogs needed a home, so I allowed my son to adopt one more. I’m proud to say that almost three weeks later, the frogs are still swimming in their new home. So if you’re looking for a low-cost and low-maintenance pet for your child, try one (or two) of these. But beware, you may get attached to these little guys and learn about their habitats in the process.
Look out! It's a Stampede!
My 6-year-old son’s face turned beet red when I read the poem “Blush” from Laura Salas’s new book “Stampede” to him. Turns out he has a crush on a classmate. I enjoyed reading “Stampede” with him. We laughed out loud reading “King of the Jungle (Gym)”. I call Brandon “my little monkey” because he’s been climbing and swinging before he could walk. And that’s what’s so unique about Laura Salas’s book. She uses poetry to portray incidents that happen at school that children can relate to, but with an unusual twist – the kids are depicted as animals. I’m sure every reader will relate to one or more of Laura’s poems. I liked “Turtleneck” because it reminded me of all those times I wanted to crawl into a shell and hide because I didn’t want my teacher to call on me.
The illustrator, Steven Salerno, make the words jump off the page through his illustrations. My son laughed at the spiked hair in the poem “Prickly” and the duck that was out of line in the poem “Ducks in a Row.”
I recommend adding this book to your collection. You’ll have fun reliving your school days and may feel like a red cardinal when you remember your first crush.
You can find out more about Stampede by going to Laura’s website at: http://www.laurasalas.com/
In honor of Poetry month, Jason, my 10-year-old son, and I wrote a poem about Good Friday.
His Love
I don’t have to go to school today,
Because it’s a religious holiday.
On Good Friday Jesus died on the cross,
For us and the Lord, it was a huge loss.
But three days later, He rose from the dead,
Now we believe His love and truth will spread.
Written by Jason and Jenny Bailey
Jason is on the right.
There has never been a better time to be a teacher, librarian, student, writer. Books abound all around us. Some books are for the sole purpose of entertaining us, while others fill our minds with knowledge and wonder. I like to picture books (no pun intended) as gardens. The more we read them, the faster our knowledge grows. Books stretch our minds all the way up to the sky. At the Texas Library Conference, I had the opportunity to find out what books would make my garden grow bigger and faster.
What struck me first as I entered the exhibit hall at this year’s conference, was the number of teenage girls swarming the George R. Brown Convention Center. They stood in long lines to get free books autographed by their favorite authors. Guess what most of the books were about? If you said vampires, you’re correct! I did a quick search on Amazon just to find out how many books about vampires are being released in 2009. The result – over 100! Yikes, that’s a lot of vampire stories.
While I observed these teenage girls flock to the next author signing, I wondered where the teenage boys were? Wouldn’t it be grand to write a book that boys would stand in line for? What kind of book would steal a teenage boy’s attention away from his video game console for an hour or two? What kind of book would motivate boys to stand in line until midnight? How about a nonfiction series on blood-sucking creatures? Ooh, I’ll have to research that idea.
The Texas Library Conference was a blast! I got all kind of freebies like books, pens, bookmarks, and book bags. As a writer, I had the opportunity to speak with sales reps and editors and get their feedback on what subjects teachers and librarians are asking for. Biographies and science won hands down. I also got the chance to check out books from some of my favorite publishers like ABDO, Capstone, Black Rabbit Books, Sylvan Dell, Bearport, and Bellwether (just to name a few). I believe that nonfiction publishers for the education market are becoming more innovative, creative, and up-to-date with thier vast array of new titles and series.
Yes, there has never been a better time to be a teacher, librarian, student, or writer.
My all time favorite Golden Book is “Pokey Little Puppy”. Who can’t relate to five little puppies escaping from their backyard and exploring the world outside their fence.
In February, I got to listen to Diane Muldrow, Editorial Director for Golden Books, on what she’s looking for in a manuscript.
Diane stated that Golden Books is a good place for rookie writers. In fact, she has published three writers that are members of SCBWI. Lately, she’s been busy searching the archives of Golden Books and bringing back some of the older books and modernizing them to fit in today’s world. So she is looking for books that have time-less quality appeal that can stay in the line a long time.
Other things she looks for in a manuscript are:
Is it perfect for reading aloud?
Does it have too much text?
Is the story lively and convey wonder of everyday experiences new to a child?
Does it have a twist that makes the plot special? Like a riddle, game, or joke that only the child is on.
Will it backlist well?
Diane is also a published author. She wrote two adorable lift-the-flap books. “Mama, Where Are You”, is a funny story of baby animals looking for their mommy. When the child opens the flap, he/she realizes mommy has been there the whole time looking out for her babies. It’s a perfect example of a child being in on the joke the whole time.
Her other book, “Mama, What’s In There”, is about curious animals wondering what’s growing in mommy’s belly – a story every child can relate to.
Diane gave a great presentation on the history of Golden Books. She’s bright, personable, and very funny. If you want a good book to read, try “Golden Legacy.” It’s a book about the history of Golden Books and picture books.
My 10-year-old son is studying similes using a story called “Saving Sweetness” in school. He had to write what the author is really trying to say in the story. I thought I’d share some of his answers with you.
Simile: “But Coyote Pete is as mean as a rattlesnake”
Answer: Coyote Pete is mean.
Simile: “It was hot as blazes”
Answer: It was hot!
Then he had to make up his own simile using a sentence. Here’s his answers:
The little boy was excited.
“The little boy was as excited as a girl getting something really cool.”
It was freezing cold.
“It was as cold as Pluto.”
The teacher was so sweet.
“Ms. Pozsywak is as sweet as a hershy kiss.” (Ms. Pozsywak was his student teacher for 6 weeks).
Made me think how powerful a well written simile can be in a non-fiction story.
Did you know that Meriwether Lewis brought a special companion on his adventure to the west coast? He took his Newfoundland dog named Seaman. “Dog of Discovery” is a nonfiction book written by Laurence Pringle. Using journal entries written by Lewis and Clark, Pringle gives a detailed account of their expedition to the west coast through the eyes of the two leaders. Pringle also writes about Seaman’s role on the expedition. He provided protection–especially to Sacagawea and her baby named Pomp. Seaman also chased grizzley bears and retrieved food for the crew to eat. The book tells of the hardships and dangers experienced by the explorers. This book taught me things about the expedition that I never knew. I now have a deeper respect for the individuals that risked their lives in uncharted territories.
Thanks Jenny and Jason for the compelling reviews of this biography of PT Barnum.
So who did say “there’s a sucker born every minute” ? Was it Barnum himself?
No cheating Stephen! You’ll have to read the book.