History Picture Books

I was happy to see that our library had quite a few of the "You Wouldn't Want to Be" series. Let me just tell you, they are super cool! Or, in the words of my son, "so dang funny". Not that I encourage slang, but I am just saying...
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
The two that we have read so far:

You Wouldn't Want to Be an American Colonist by Jacqueline Morley
This is the one that my boys thought was the really funny.  The information that is presented in this book is understandable enough for children, yet more than interesting enough for my teen son and my hubby. I should give a disclaimer that some of the material presented in this title is can be harsh. One line in the section titled "Famine and Starvation" states "You bury bodies daily and you even suspect that some colonists will dig them up again to eat!".  Given the the content, I would strongly recommend parents of young children (6 and younger) preread this book.

BTW- Just so you don't think my boys are completely morbid- the above quote is not what my boys thought was funny!

You Wouldn't Want to Be at the Boston Tea Party! by Peter Cook
In this book you are the simple shoemaker (each title is told from the view of a participant in the event) who does not want much to do with politics although the presence of British soldiers and taxes angers you. There is a lot of history packed in to this 32 page children's book. I did find that I had to explain some of the word definitions as we read this one. Words like propaganda, courier, besieged are not a ready part of my 2nd graders vocabulary.

Sadly, my camera is not working or I would post a picture of the fabulous illustrations in these books. If you follow the amazon links, you can search inside the books to see for yourself.

When given a choice of books at reading time tonight, my boys unanimously chose to read a second one from this series. They are looking forward to reading more from this series as well.

If you are interested in more history, my older two boys (ages 10 and 13) have become fascinated with American history since watching the America: The Story of Us on Netflix instant watch. I give this recommendation with the caution that it may not be for suitable young children.

Comments

  1. PattyJune 3, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    I just took notes on those books. We are in need of a library run so I'm making the list. Thanks for the suggestions!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoannaJune 4, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    Lori, I love this sort of lively accessible non fiction in picture books. Do you know if the author has tackled any history outside of America?

    ReplyDelete

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