Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Happy New Year to you all. 

It’s resolution time! In 2011, I resolve to:
1. Blog more
2. Redesign my blog
3. Discover more great history for children.

As we say goodbye to last year,  I thought I'd look back on what history titles the publishing world offered children in 2010.  This assortment includes one written by the President. It’s a clever introduction to thirteen famous Americans. As a whole, the group is not concentrated on any one era or theme. Titles range from the age of dinosaurs to the invention of the Apple computer.  

It will be interesting to see what 2011 offers. What are your resolutions?

BEACH WEEK - Fossil Finder

TITLE: Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon

AUTHOR: Jennine Atkins

WHO WAS AT THE BEACH? Mary Anning, paleontologist extraordinaire, before paleontology was cool (or even actually thought of).

WHAT BEACH AND WHEN? In Lyme Regis, England in 1810, eleven year old Mary Anning made an amazing discovery!

WHAT HAPPENED? Mary was born to a struggling family. Her father was a cabinetmaker by trade, but collected fossils from the cliffs on the beach to sell to tourists. Mary was his frequent companion in this endeavor. Then when she was eleven he died, leaving the Annings even more destitute. Mary continued hunting for “curiousities” to help provide for her family. Soon after her father’s death she was the first person to ever uncover an ichthyosaur.  She went on to make other important discoveries, most notably the first plesiosaur.

An inspiring tale of an amazing individual. I highly recommend this book.

Ages 9-12
◊◊◊◊◊

Activity: Mary was uncovering fossils from the Jurassic period. Can you match the picture of the Jurassic creature with it’s name?

ORPHAN WEEK - Cave Painter

TITLE: The Boy of the Painted Cave

AUTHOR: Justin F. Denzell

WHO IS THE ORPHAN? Tao, in this historical fiction, is a boy living in present day France about 16,000 years ago.

HOW WAS HE ORPHANED? His mother became sick and died when Tao was a baby. He doesn't know his father, although he is aware that his father left him out to die of exposure because he has a deformed foot.

WHAT WAS ORPHAN LIFE LIKE FOR HIM? He was rescued by Kala, an old woman in his tribe, who looks out for him and tries to overlook his tendency to draw. Drawing is T-A-B-O-O. No one is allowed to draw except for the shaman, called the Chosen One. Tao has a hard time fitting in with his band of hunters and gatherers and commits two more big no-nos. He befriends a wolf and enters the forbidden slough. An outcast is what he eventually becomes.

WHAT WAS HIS TURNING POINT? Meeting the shaman, who recognizes his talent and teaches him painting techniques.

HOW DOES HIS LIFE TURN-OUT? He replaces the old shaman and becomes the new Chosen One responsible for cave painting. Oh, and finds out who is father is.

Descriptive and entertaining, this story puts you in the “shoes” of a cave boy.

Ages 9-12
◊◊◊◊◊

Activity: Create your own cave painting. Here's how.

The First Dog

When did a wolf become a dog? According to Jan Brett, in her book The First Dog, it was during the Pleistocene. Her darling tale of Kip the cave boy and the first dog demonstrates to children how the human/canine relationship was mutually beneficial. Humans gained protection from the dog's keen hearing, smell and sight and the dog was rewarded with a dependable food supply. The book ends by incorporating a fascinating detail. Unlike wolves, dogs wag their tails.

Jan Brett's works are always a visual treat and this one is no exception. You can practically smell the great outdoors. My daughter is a little old for this book and pointed out how unlikely it was for a cave boy to travel alone and to look like he had just been to Great Clips, but for the younger set, this is a book they shouldn't miss.

Ages 4-8
◊◊◊◊

Activity: Paint your own First Dog, here's how. First find a suitable rock and make sure it's clean. Sketch your wolf in pencil. We used Jan Brett's sketch from the title page for inspiration. We then drew our lines with a black Sharpie marker. We painted everything but the black lines gray. If you don't have any cave wall paint around you can use craft paint like we did. We added white paint to the gray paint we already used and added some hair details. We painted the eye green and then added a pupil with black paint.

FREE FRIDAY! —Mammoth clip art—

Click here for free mammoth clip art.