Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery

Freedman, Russell. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery. 1993. 334 pp. Lexile 1100.

Eleanor Roosevelt is known for saying, “"You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”  This excellent biography, a Newbery Honor book, illustrates how she put this adage into action in her own life, which was filled with courage and public service.  Freedman looks at the span of Roosevelt’s life, covering personal aspects but emphasizing on her many accomplishments.  He gives an even-handed view of her sometimes troubled marriage, a marriage that led to her international influence as she traveled around the world during and after World War II working for peace and social justice.  Excellent black-and-white photographs enhance the text, with an additional fifteen pages of photos at the end.  Back matter includes a list of sites to visit, a bibliographic essay, and an index.  A pleasure to read.

Reading Std #6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.  Freedman seems to present his information with a neutral tone.  Have students look closely to see if they can detect a point of view that the author is advancing, citing specific passages in the text.

Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl

 Marrin, Albert. Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl. 2009. 128pp. Lexile 1040.

Pair this fine volume with the novels, The Grapes of Wrath or Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust.  It has all the features of excellent historical nonfiction: strong, readable narrative; great historic photographs, reproduced well; maps and charts; interesting sidebars; and rich extras such as a timeline, glossary, bibliography plus suggested reading for teens, and index.  Marrin takes a broad approach, explaining the ecology of the Great Plains, how the Indians used the land, and the effect of settlers and farming.  He weaves in quotes from those who lived through the Dust Bowl, including young people.  After discussing how the federal government approached the problem, Marrin finishes up by considering similar current and future problems. 

Reading Std #4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings; analyze role of specific word choices.  Have students consider the “Words to Know” section in terms of the different strands of the book including historical, ecological, agricultural, social, and political. Have them choose one of those strands and find vocabulary that relates to it.  For example, the glossary defines “mortgage” but other financial terms, such as “foreclosure” and “default” are also discussed in the text but don't appear in the glossary.

Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp

Stanley, Jerry. Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp. 1992. Lexile 1120.

This wonderful narrative focuses on a unique project in California in 1940.  While it gives background about the Dust Bowl, the focus is a school built and maintained by students, with help from adults. The Farm Security Administration erected a number of camps in the San Joaquin valley in California to provide emergency shelter for “Okies,” poor farmers and their families who had been driven out of Oklahoma by the dust storms. When such a camp was built near a town called Weedpatch, the town's hostile residents didn’t want to finance a school for the newcomers’ children. Local school superintendent Leo Hart spearheaded a movement for the children to get educated by building their own school along with teachers and volunteers. The children practiced useful skills and gained self-confidence as they learned carpentry, plumbing, and wiring; some learned agricultural skills to grow food for the schoolchildren. Black-and-white photographs show them hard at work in this inspiring, highly readable story. Bibliographic essay and index.

Reading Std #9 for grades 6-8:Compare/contrast texts on similar themes or topics.  Have students compare the scope, structure and visual components of this book with the equally excellent but longer and broader Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin.

This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie

Partridge, Elizabeth. This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie. 2002. 217pp. Lexile 1020.

This thoughtful biography of a complicated man highlights Guthrie’s talents as a folksinger and songwriter, and his commitment to political causes.  At the same time, the author discusses Guthrie’s personal problems, such as the ways he let down his wives and children.  Hardship and pain occurred throughout his life: his sister and one of his daughters died in fires.  His mother had undiagnosed Huntington’s disease, which affected Guthrie as well and ended his career.  Partridge sets Guthrie’s life in the social and political context of the 1930s through 1960s.  Multiple photographs, reproductions of Guthrie’s own witty drawings, and excerpts of lyrics enrich the text.  This is listed in Common Core's Appendix B.  It was the winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and one of five National Book Award for Young People nominees.

Reading Std #7:  Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, visually and quantitatively, and in words. Compare the Partridge biography with the much-lauded 1976 film about Guthrie, Bound for Glory (PG rated).