The Great American Landmarks Adventure
| Art and Communication |
African Rhythm--American Dance: A Biography of Katherine Dunham. Terry Harnan (New York: Knopf) 1974. The story of the gifted dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist who combined her talents to create an authentic and influential modern dance style based on African and Caribbean sources. [5-8]
Always to Remember: The Story of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Brent Ashabranner (New York: Dodd, Mead) 1988. Text and photographs present an informative and poignant examination of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial from its inception to its effect. [6] From the Hills of Georgia: An Autobiography in Paintings. Mattie L. O'Kelley (Boston: Little, Brown) 1983. Lively, detailed, primitive paintings animate the recollections of a girl's happy childhood in rural Georgia in the early 1900s. [Pre-8] The Glory Road: The Story of Josh White. Dorothy S. Siegel (San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich) 1982. Amid a climate of musical innovation, racism, and Communist suspicion, black singer and song-writer Josh White introduces blues, spirituals, protest songs, and Afro-American music to mid-twentieth-century America. [5-8] Hieroglyphs, the Writing of Ancient Egypt. Norma J. Katan (New York: Atheneum) 1980. An attractive volume illustrated with photographs and drawings explains the origins of hieroglyphs found on tombs, funerary objects, and amulets and provides some instruction for reading and writing them. [4-6] Louis Armstrong. Genie Iverson (New York: Crowell) 1976. An easy-to-read biography describes the life of the famous trumpeter, from his childhood in New Orleans to the time when became known as "Ambassador Satch" and "King of Jazz." [3-5] Mask Making with Pantomime and Stories from American History. (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard) 1975. Advice to the beginner on mask construction and on the use of masks plus mime to interpret a story. Details are given for four plays: "Pocahontas and John Smith", "The Boston Tea Party", "Harriet Tubman", and "The Discovery of the North Pole". [3-6] The Mount Rushmore Story. Judith St. George (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons) 1985. Nice photographs and concise text make this book a satisfying introduction to Mount Rushmore and the sculptor who carved the four presidents' heads. [6-8]
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| Architecture and Engineering |
Americans at Home: Four Hundred Years of American Houses. Lee P. Huntington (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan) 1981. An illustrated survey of American architecture from colonial times to the present includes comment on current life-styles and the problems of space and energy conservation. [4-6]
American Indian Habitats: How to Make Dwellings and Shelters with Natural Materials. Nancy Simon and Evelyn Wolfson (New York: McKay) 1978. An attractively illustrated and well-documented description of construction methods and natural materials used in eight Native American cultural areas to build a wickiup, tepee, wigwam, and other dwellings. [6-8] Architects Make Zigzags: Looking at Architecture from A to Z. Roxie Munro and Diane Maddox (Washington, D.C.: The Preservation Press) 1986. A playful alphabet of illustrated architectural terms such as dormer, gable, and veranda. [2-6] Bridges. Scott Corbett (New York: Four Winds Press) 1977. An anecdotal history of the art of bridge building--arches, suspension spans, trusses--is illustrated with clear fine-line drawings. [4-6] The Brooklyn Bridge: They Said It Couldn't Be Built. Judith St. George (New York: Putnam) 1981. The hardships and personal agony attendant on the construction of this century-old engineering marvel are well portrayed in a readable, attractively illustrated text. [6+] Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction. David Macaulay (Boston: Houghton Mifflin) 1973. The thirteenth-century Gothic cathedral of Chutreaux (imaginary) took eighty-six years to build, from the hiring of the architects to the grand opening. Construction is shown in the author's meticulously detailed, step-by-step drawings of craftsmen at work. [4+] The Dam Builders. James E. Kelly and William R. Park (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley) 1977. Detailed, but not difficult, information on how dams are built, with explicit drawings emphasizing the big machines used. [3-5] Grand Constructions. Gian P. Ceserani with Piero Ventura (New York: Putnam) 1982. Lavish-size drawings in pen and ink and wash briefly introduce readers to the great buildings of the world. [4-8] How They Built the Statue of Liberty. Mary J. Shapiro (New York: Random House) 1985. Provides a detailed, meticulously illustrated, step-by-step description of the building of this famous landmark. [1-6] How to Wreck a Building. Elinor L. Horwitz (New York: Pantheon Books) 1981. Text and photographs reveal a young boy's feelings as he witnesses the demolition of his old school. [4-7] I Know that Building. Jane D'Alelio. (Washington, DC: The Preservation Press) 1989. Thirty fascinating projects: puzzles, games, quizzes, models to make and pages to color open up the world of architecture, history and preservation. [3-6] The Inside-Outside Book of New York City. Roxie Munro. (New York: Dodd, Mead) 1985. Striking paintings introduce ten famous New York landmarks from different perspectives. Brief descriptions of each building are appended. [All ages] Models of America's Past and How to Make Them. C.J. Maginley. (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World) 1969. Step-by-step directions for making, from inexpensive materials, a variety of models of pioneer houses, barns, vehicles, furniture, a covered bridge, a district school, and a meetinghouse. [6-9] Round Buildings, Square Buildings, & Buildings That Wiggle Like a Fish. Philip M. Isaacson (New York: Alfred A. Knopf) 1988. Handsome full-color photographs and enthusiastic text define the subtle relationship between materials and design. [2-6] Shadows; Here, There, and Everywhere. Ron Goor and Nancy Goor (New York: Crowell) 1981. Handsome black-and-white photographs describe shadows, their formation, importance, variety, and usefulness. [3-6] Steel Beams and Iron Men. Mike Cherry (New York: Four Winds Press) 1979. A teacher who turned to ironworking describes thrills, rewards, and the conquest of fear which are inherent in the job of erecting frames of sky-scrapers and large industrial plants. The Tunnel Builders. (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley) 1976. Ample drawings and diagrams explain graphically the complex processes of tunnel construction. [2-5] Underground. David Macaulay (Boston: Houghton Mifflin) 1976. The subterranean network which supports a twentieth-century city is presented in meticulous, imaginative drawings and diagrams. [4+] Up Goes the Skyscraper. Gail Gibbons (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.) 1986. A step-by-step exploration of the building process introducing the workers, equipment and materials needed until the building is ready to be leased to tenants. [K-4] What It Feels Like to Be a Building. Forrest Wilson (Washington, DC: The Preservation Press) 1988. A playful, visually delightful introduction to basic engineering principles through the personification of building parts. [K-6]
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| Home and Community |
An Amish Family. Phyllis R. Naylor (Chicago: J.P. O'Hara) 1975. A factual report highlighting both strengths and weaknesses of the life of the Amish people, the author centers on the Stolzfus family of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. [5+]
The Erie Canal. Peter Spier, illustrator. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday) 1970). Pictures lavish with color and rich in authentic detail documents the canal journey from Albany to Buffalo in the 1850s, with vignettes of life in the wayside towns and action of the waterway; full historical notes and music of the old song are provided. [All ages] From Settlement to City. Albert Barker (New York: Messner) 1978. The study of a hypothetical midwestern city from its beginning as a stopping-off place for covered wagons to today. Period photographs lend authentic flavor. [4-8] Goodbye, My Island. Jean Rogers (New York: Greenwillow Books) 1982. Black-and-white illustrations enrich twelve-year-old Esther Atoolik's account of Eskimo village's last year on King Island, before the dwindling population is relocated to the mainland. [3-5] I, Charlotte Forten, Black and Free. Polly Longsworth (New York: Crowell) 1970. An absorbing biography developed from the journal kept by Charlotte--from 1854 when she was a schoolgirl in Salem, Mass., to 1864 when she taught newly emancipated slaves at Port Royal, S.C., as part of a government social experiment. [6-9] In Coal Country. Judith Hendershot (New York: Alfred A. Knoph) 1987. Spare prose and richly textured paintings evoke superbly the life of a miner's family in Ohio coal country of the thirties. [K-2] Into A Strange Land: Unaccompanied Refugee Youth in America. Brent Ashbranner and Melissa Ashabranner (New York: Dodd, Mead) 1987. A moving account of the journeys of some of the young people who have come from Southeast Asia to the United States. [6-8] Indian Chiefs. Russell Freedman (New York: Holiday House) 1987. The tragic end of a way of life is movingly presented in these six biographical essays. [2-6] Jamestown: The Beginning. Elizabeth A. Campbell (Boston: Little, Brown) 1974. A simply written, accurate account of the first permanent English colony in America. [3-4] Mary McLeod Bethune. Eloise Greenfield (New York: Crowell) 1977. A simply written biography recounts the life of the great black educator, from her childhood in North Carolina to the founding of a famous school. [2-4] Motel of Mysteries. David Macaulay (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.) 1979. Set in the year 4022, the dramatic discovery of the ancient country of Usa buried under many feet of detritus from a catastrophe that occurred back in 1985. The erroneous and humorous conclusions of an amateur architect. [4+] New Providence: A Changing Cityscape. Renata Von Tscharner and Ronald Lee Fleming (San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich) 1987. A fascinating look at the evolution of an imaginary, but typical, American city from the turn of the century to the 1980s. [2-6] The Plymouth Thanksgiving. Leonard Weisgard. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday) 1967. Dramatic illustration and brief text based on William Bradford's diary convey the struggle of the Pilgrims' first year in the new world. [1-4] Space Colony. (New York: Elesvier/Nelson Books) 1981. Detailed photographs and diagrams and a well-documented text provide an imaginative view of life as it might be lived in a 21st century space colony. [7-9] Slumps, Grunts, and Snickerdoodles: What Colonial America Ate and Why. Lila Perl (New York: Seabury Press) 1975. Within discussion of the diets and cookery of the American colonists, 13 colonial recipes are given including succotash, snickerdoodles, and spoon bread. [4-8] The Young United States, 1983-1830. Edwin Tunis (Cleveland: World Pub. Co.) 1969. A portrait of the United States during "a time of change and growth; a time of learning democracy; a time of new ways of living, thinking and doing." Other titles depicting life in early United States history are:
Colonial Craftsmen and the Beginnings of American Industry
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| Commerce and Economics |
If You Made a Million. David M. Schwartz (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books) 1989. An introduction to money, which not only clarifies what coins look like but also explains such complex concepts as interest and loans.
[K-2]
The Kid's Complete Guide to Money. Kathy S. Kyte (New York: Knopf; distributed by Random House) 1984. A sensible approach to handling money covers such matters as budgeting, spending, and creative barter. [5-8] The Way We Lived: A Photographic Record of Work in Vanished America. Martin Sandler (Boston: Little, Brown) 1977. Social history emerges from workers' accounts and particularly from the large collection of pre-20th-century photographs of men and women in many occupations, some of which are now virtually obsolete, like the chimney sweep, ice cutter, and lighthouse keeper. [9-12]
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| Social and Political |
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? Jean Fritz (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan) 1973. Facts and a touch of legend are blended in this engaging portrait of Paul Revere: silversmith, maker of artificial teeth, businessman, and patriot. Other titles in a similar vein include:
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave. Virginia Hamilton (New York: Alfred A. Knopf) 1988. Fact and the author's imagination reveal Anthony Burns, a black man who escaped slavery in Virginia only to be captured and put on trial in Boston, with shocking results. [6] Band of Brothers: West Point in the Civil War. Thomas Fleming (New York: Walker) 1987. The devastating effects of the Civil War on young cadets are depicted as friends become enemies. [6] Behind Barbed Wire: The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans During World War II. Daniel S. Davis (New York: Dutton) 1981. Davis piles up evidence, against a historical background of racism, to illustrate the harsh, undemocratic treatment of Japanese Americans during and after World War II. [6+] Buffalo Hunt. Russell Freedman (New York: Holiday House) 1988. A profusely illustrated chronicle of the destruction of the buffalo and the Native American way of life. [2-6] Charlie Pippin. Candy Dawson Boyd (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company) 1987. Bright, inventive, and in constant trouble with her father who is a Vietnam veteran, Charlie undertakes to study that war in an attempt to understand him. [2-6] Children of the Wild West. Russell Freedman (New York: Clarion Books/Ticknor & Fields: A Houghton Mifflin Co.) 1983. Numerous photographs from the period and a text that emphasizes interesting details provide a social history of children in the 19th-century American West. [4-7] Fannie Lou Hamer. June Jordon (New York: Crowell) 1973. A meaty, if brief, biography accents Mrs. Hamer's activities for Mississippi voter registration and the establishment of the Freedom Farm Cooperative. [3-5] The Fragile Flag. Jane Langton (New York: Harper & Row) 1984. Bearing an old frayed American flag and a letter to the president, Georgie finds herself followed by an army of children marching to Washington to protest the launching of the president's Peace Missile. [2-5] A Hoop to the Barrel: The Making of the American Constitution. George W. Sanderlin (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan) 1974. An account of the writing of the Constitution presents the men behind it and their conflicting philosophies (including the question of slavery). [6-9] Hopkins of the Mayflower: Portrait of a Dissenter. Margaret Hodges. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux) 1972. Capturing the period and the temper of the times, this book weaves the story of a believer in freedom for all and self-determination for man, the individual who was not only instrumental in the settling of Jamestown but was also a passenger on the Mayflower and a settler of Plymouth Plantation. [6-8] Immigrant Kids. Russell Freedman (New York: Dutton) 1979. Late 19th-century and early 20th-century photographs and a succinct text capture with telling details the experiences of immigrant children and their parents. [4+] Lincoln: A Photobiography. Russell Freedman (New York: Clarion Books/Ticknor & Fields: A Houghton Mifflin Company) 1987. A richly detailed photographic essay conveys the charm and complexities of an extraordinary man. [6-8] Mother Jones, the Most Dangerous Woman in America. Linda Atkinson (New York: Crown) 1978. Irish-born Mary Harris Jones, after losing her husband and four children in 1867, devoted the rest of her long life to the struggle of coal miners for economic justice. [6-8] Oh, Lizzie! The Life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Doris Faber (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard) 1972. A lively personality stands forth as the 19th-century pioneer in the women's rights movement. [5-8] Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears. Alex W. Bealer (Boston: Little, Brown) 1972. An honest picture of the tragic exile of the Cherokee Nation in 1839 told from the Indian point of view. [4-6] A Special Bravery. Johanna Johnston (New York: Dodd, Mead) 1967. Moving stories highlight the accomplishments of 15 outstanding Black Americans from revolutionary times to the present, including James Forten, Benjamin Banneker, Matthew Henson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. [3-5] 1812: The War Nobody Won. Albert Marrin ( New York: Atheneum) 1985. A well-organized, readable chronicle of the little-written-about "Second War of Independence." [6-8] The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution. Albert Marrin (New York: Atheneum) 1988. A well-organized, attractively illustrated account of the Revolution, filled with details about such intriguing items as codes and ciphers. [6] Winners and Losers: How Elections Work in America. Jules Archer (San Diego: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich) 1984. A straightforward look at the electoral system: the candidate, the political party, the convention, the voter. [5-8] We the People: The Story of the United States Constitution Since 1787. Doris Faber and Harold Faber (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons) 1987. A well-organized examination of the changes made in the Constitution since the document was signed in 1787. [6-8]
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| Recreation |
The Great Houdini. Anne Edwards. (New York: Putnam) 1977. A beginner's biography of the man reputed to be the greatest magician and escape artist of all time. [2-4]
Make Way for Ducklings. Robert McCloskey. (New York: Penguin/Puffin) 1976. A classic children's story about a family of ducks and their ultimate settlement in the Boston Public Garden. Caldecott Book Award winner, 1941. [2-4] Steve Cauthen: Boy Jockey. Anthony Tuttle (New York: Putnam) 1977. About the famous jockey who began his record breaking professional career at the age of 16. [4-6] The Story of Football. Dave Anderson (New York: William Morrow) 1985. For the football enthusiast, a well-illustrated history of this popular sport. [3-6]
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| Science and Technology |
Benjamin Banneker: Scientist and Mathematician. Kevin Conley (New York: Chelsea House Publishers) 1989. A portrait of the 18th-century tobacco farmer who became America's first Black man of science. [6]
Dr. Beaumont and the Man with the Hole in His Stomach. Samuel Epstein (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan) 1977. An army doctor who saw service in the War of 1812, William Beaumant found an opportunity to make a name for himself with a patient whose severe wound provided him with a laboratory for a nearly lifelong study of the stomach. [5-7] Cars and How They Go. Joanna Cole (New York: Crowell) 1982. Through clear, simple, detailed diagrams and straightforward text the operations of all the working parts of an automobile are described. [3-5] Flight: A Panorama of Aviation. Melvin B. Zisfein (New York: Pantheon Books) 1979. Paintings enhance this history of flight from the myth of Icarus to the supersonic transport planes of today. [5-8] Flying the Space Shuttles. Don Dwiggins (New York: Dodd, Mead) 1985. An examination of the purpose and function of space flight, the space shuttle, and duties of astronauts is accompanied by color photographs. [1-6] Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places. Michael Collins (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux) 1976. An astronaut's discussion of his early career and training for space flight, his trips into space, including the first lunar landing, and projection of future possibilities for life and flight in space. Illustrated with photographs and diagrams. [5-8] The Golden Dragon; by Clipper Ship around the Horn. John J. Loeper (New York: Atheneum) 1978. Illustrated with old prints and paintings, a graphic introduction to sailing ships, in the true-to-life story of a ten-year-old's experiences aboard a clipper ship sailing from New York to San Francisco in 1850. [4-6] Machines and How They Work. Harvey Weiss (New York: Crowell) 1982. A copiously illustrated introduction to six simple machines--lever, the inclined plane, the screw, the wheel and axle, the wedge, and the pulley--and their use in more complex machines such as derricks, bulldozers, and metal lathes. Directions for making a simple machine are included. [5+] Model Airplanes and How to Build Them. (New York: Crowell) 1975. Diagrams, drawings, and photographs supplement clear step-by-step instructions for the hobbyists to make a wide variety of airplanes and helicopters out of wood and cardboard and power then by simple methods. [5-8] Play with Plants. Millicent E. Selsam (New York: Morrow) 1978. Easy-to-follow directions, with graphic illustrations, show the young experimenter how to grow common plants from roots, stems, leaves, or seeds. [4-7] Sailing Ships. Ron van der Meer and Alan McGowan (New York: Viking) 1984. Masterfully constructed three-dimensional scenes and informative text recount the development of sailing vessels. [Pre-8] The Simple Facts of Simple Machines. Elizabeth James and Carol Barkin (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard) 1975. A fully illustrated explanation of how six basic machines are utilized to make work easier: the lever, pulley, wedge, screw, inclined plane, and wheel and axle. [3-5] Sure Hands, Strong Heart: The life of Daniel Hale Williams. Lillie Patterson (Nashville: Abingdon) 1981. A portrait of the noted black surgeon who was the first person to successfully perform open-heart surgery. [3-6] The Way Things Work. David Macaulay (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.) 1988. A visual guide to the world of machines from the simplest lever to the most complex computer. A remarkable overview of technology and all the key inventions that shape our lives today. [3+] Wheels, Scoops, and Buckets: How People Lift Water for Their Fields. Elizabeth S. Helfman (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard) 1968. The uses of ancient and modern tools and devices for securing water for crops are related to world food needs. Wires and Watts: Understanding and Using Electricity. Irwin Math (New York: Scribner) 1981. Clear explanations and projects that produce actual, working models introduce the basic concepts of electricity. [6+] |