England Week - Queen Elizabeth

What was so good about Queen Bess? As you’ll learn in Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England, a lot. As the book jacket states, her “strong will, shrewd diplomacy, religious tolerance, and love for her subjects won the hearts of her people and the admiration of her enemies.”

The wives of Henry VIII, the sister named Mary and the Catholic/Protestant power play can be a little murky to understand but this book proceeds through Elizabeth’s life in an organized fashion and makes all that stuff crystal clear. And the icing on the cake? The illustrations! They’re a treat.

If you have any desire to learn about Queen Elizabeth, this is the book for you.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Give this Queen Elizabeth crossword puzzle a try.

Tales of Castro

Have you ever REALLY wanted to walk out of a bad movie? Or leave a boring class lecture? Or escape the dentist’s waiting room as the sound of the drill looms beyond? Now try to imagine that aching urge to leave being a constant part of your life and that the thing you want to escape is your government.

In Leaving Glorytown: One Boy's Struggle Under Castro, Eduardo F. Calcines recounts his life in Cuba from the time he was five during the Bay of Pigs Invasion until he boarded a plane to Miami when he was 14. I thought his writing a little dry for the first chapter or so, BUT THEN Calcines really hits his stride and all the characters pop. You get to know his family, his friends (some are Communists), his teachers, the intimidating thugs that show up at block parties and the classmate who messes with his mind by telling him his mother is home “turning tricks” while his dad is at work camp. In fact she was home baking vanilla sugar cakes to sell on the black market in order to survive, literally.

His memories of Cuba are of Castro’s voice droning on and on over loud speakers, long lines for rationed food, feeling hungry, soldiers taking his dad away in the middle of the night and being humiliated by teachers who called him a “worm” after his parents applied for an exit visa. But his memories also include the song of birds, the sounds of adults playing dominoes on porches at night, the smell of tropical flowers and Cuban coffee, blue water and the movie house. 

What I really enjoyed about this book was the realistic dialog between characters, the way the author captures his close relationship with his family, in particular his father, and the ANTICIPATION!!! When will the visa approval telegram arrive???? When will they get to America??? I was left with the impression that these are good people, and that Castro’s loss was America’s gain. And I was reminded of another growing up in a Communist country book I reviewed: Mao and Me.

Ages 12 and up
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In order to learn more about Castro I picked up a copy of Fidel Castro: Cuban President and Revolutionary at the library. It was published just last year. Here’s what I learned:

• His father owned a successful sugar plantation
• His mother was his Dad's housekeeper (they weren’t married, but married later)
• He resisted being controlled by authority figures (hmm, then he became one)
• He was involved in the revolution in Colombia
• He earned a law degree
• He detested the Cuban dictator, Batista, who arrested those who opposed him and strictly controlled the government, press and public opinion (hmm, and then he wound up doing those things)
• He served time in prison for trying to overthrow Batista
• He trained for guerrilla warfare in Mexico
• While hiding in the Sierra Maestra hills after another unsuccessful attempt to over throw Batista’s regime Castro was interviewed by the New York Times.
• Castro’s forces grew and Batista fled to the Dominican Republic
• Castro became Commander in Chief and named Judge Manuel Urrutia Lleo president, but over time eased his way into complete power
• He redistributed land, controlled the press, punished those who opposed him and nationalized private industry
• He had a positive impact on literacy and provided free medical care

I also learned about the Bay of Pigs, The Cuban Missle Crisis, the Muriel Boat Lift, his relations with other nations and all things Castro. This book would be real asset for anyone working on a research paper.

Ages 12 and up
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 Activity: Here is a Castro crossword puzzle.

Barbarians!

Barbarians! is a beautiful book about some of history's ugliest reputations. Read it and you’ll learn all about the lives and times of the Goths, Huns, Vikings, and Mongols. But why are these various groups all lumped together under that insulting moniker? “Barbarian” was a Greek word used to describe anyone from a different culture and with a different language. Then the Romans used it to refer to any foreigner from beyond their border. And yes, someone considered crude.

Robert Byrd’s illustrations in this recently published book are phenomenal, with details you can get lost in. Included are his rendition of a Goth Village, the Nine Worlds of the Norse Universe, a cross section of a Mongol Yurt, battle scenes and easy to comprehend maps representing the migrations of each of these groups.

The author, Steven Kroll, gives just the right amount of interesting information about the leaders, their conquests and his take on each groups lasting influence. A timeline is also provided.

To be honest, I checked this book out from the library not expecting to particularly enjoy it. But...I did, and how.

Ages 8-12
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Activity: Test your barbarian knowledge with this crossword puzzle.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Open the Door to Liberty is an excellent introduction to Haiti born Toussaint L'Ouverture, who was a slave, a slave rebellion leader, a governor-general of this island nation and lastly, a prisoner in France, compliments of Napoleon.

Unfortunately, most people are not familiar with him. They may ask:

Why is Toussaint so important? He organized the slaves on his island to fight for their liberty. Because of his success, all slaves in all French colonies were decreed free.

When did this happen? This law was passed in 1793. At that time Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State in America and Napoleon Bonaparte was not quite yet a general in France.

Why do you bring up Napoleon? In 1801, as first consul of the French Republic, Napoleon needed money and decided to reinstate slavery in the French colonies in the West Indies in order to produce sugar with higher profits. He sent a sizable army to first overthrow Toussaint and then to launch a conquest of the land France claimed west of New Orleans. Between Toussaint's unconquerable army and yellow fever, the French fleet never made it to New Orleans.

What effect did this have on America? In 1803, when America offered to buy New Orleans from France, Napoleon needed money so badly he offered all of the Louisiana Territory as well. This sale has been called the greatest land bargain in history. If Toussaint had not been the general in Haiti (then called St. Domingue), the chain of events might have provided a much different outcome.

Author, Anna Rockwell, does an admirable job of describing Toussaint, leader of the first triumphant slave rebellion in history. And you know me and my weakness for excellent illustrations...well R. Gregory Christie's really rock in this book! They exude an island flavor and the book layout is just gorgeous. I recommend this title!

Ages 9-12

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Activity: In the name of liberty, equality and brotherhood, here's a Toussaint L'Ouverture crossword puzzle.

The Lincolns

I really enjoyed reading about Abraham Lincoln's wife and her dearest friend in An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley, by the ever so talented Ann Rinaldi. This well written historical fiction will especially appeal to teenage girls as well as adults with an interest in history.

It is organized in a unique way:
1. The day Abraham Lincoln was shot (starting with breakfast)
2. Mary Todd's upbringing in Lexington, Kentucky
3. Elizabeth Keckley's upbringing as a slave
4. The friendship of these two women.

You could certainly say that Mary and Elizabeth (Lizzy) were opposites. Priviledged Mary Todd grew up waited-on by slaves while Lizzy endured the wretched life of a slave. Mary lost her mother early in life and was then subjected to a loathsome step-mother. Lizzy on the other hand was raised in the company of her mother, the plantation's seamstress. And thankfully, her mother taught her how to sew, a skill that eventually earned her freedom and an introduction to the upper-crust of the nation's capitol.

Readers will come away from this story with empathy for those trapped in slavery and a true sense of what Antebellum life was like. A great read.

Ages 12 and up
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Another Lincoln title caught my eye this week. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary is a thick "scrapbook" containing 156 pages of newspaper clippings, photos, political cartoons and letters from the couples lives all arranged in chronological order. It's chock-full of information making for interesting browsing. Here is one of the many little gems it contains...an account of the first time Abraham met Mary:

Tall and gawky, wearing a swallowtail coat that was too short, shabbily patched trousers, and mismatched socks, Abraham made his way to Mary's side. "Miss Todd," he said, "I want to dance with you in the worst way." And, as Mary remembered it, "he certainly did."

Ages 9 and up
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Activity: How well do you know the 16th president? Try this Abraham Lincoln Crossword Puzzle.

The Oregon Trail

From wagon trains to ebay. My we have come a long way! And if not for the later I might not have learned so much about the former. Here's how it happened. I was in ebay's history category under "children's books" when I stumbled upon an interesting "lot." It contained books from a couple of different series: Dear America and My Name is America. I was not familiar with either but my curiosity was piqued. I placed the winning bid, received the package and tore open the box.

The first thing I noticed is that the books are pleasant to hold. They are light and just the right size and weight for your hands. They have an old library look and the interior has two things I can't resist: pages with rough edges and some (not My Name is America) have satin ribbon book marks. Antique photos, maps, recipes, song sheets and such are included at the end of the books. Each is a fictitious journal of a young person during a past event and is infused with historical facts. When it came time to choose one to read, I personally was not up for the Battle of Fredericksburg, or Pearl Harbor, or, least of all, the Donner Party. So for our first selection we read Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, 1847.

Shannon and I both really enjoyed this book. Hattie shared everything. Her apprehension of leaving her home, family tales, gathering supplies, new friendship stuff, wagon train gossip, the day to day grind, her fears, sites and sounds and simple joys. Also deaths, births and a marriage along the way. By the time Hattie arrived in Oregon, we felt we had made the journey right along with her.

Ages 12 to 15
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Not only have I now learned more about the Oregon Trail but also about these series' published by Scholastic. Dear America is a collection of 38 titles, each told in a young female voice. My Name is America has 19 titles told from a boy's perspective. Scholastic has also published My America books, which revolve around six different characters, and each character has a series of books. All of these books cover American events from the 1600's up to the Vietnam War. For those with an appetite for more of a world stage I would recommend looking into Scholastic's Royal Diaries series. These will introduce you to 18 ladies of royalty.

While I was investigating these titles I found a really unique game at Scholastic for the future interior decorator in your family. You pick a period and decorate the house accordingly. If you make the mistake of putting a kerosene lamp in a colonial home "A Room in Time" will prompt you.

Activity: Here is an Oregon Trail crossword puzzle, and also check out this Oregon Trail Web Site for more activities.