PARROTS OVER PUERTO RICO by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore with collages by Susan L. Roth

Bibliography

Roth, Susan L. and Cindy Trumbore.  2013.  Parrots over Puerto Rico.  Illustrated by Susan L. Roth.  New York: Lee and Low Books Inc.  ISBN: 978-1-62014-004-8

Plot Summary

Parrots over Puerto Rico reveals the history, decline, and successful conservation of the only parrot species native to any US territory told within the context of the history of Puerto Rico.

Critical Analysis

Roth and Trumbore’s exuberant story of the Puerto Rican parrots is difficult to categorize.  It reads a bit like a social history told in an informational storybook way.  And if non-humans could be included, I would be tempted to call it a biography of these beautiful birds!  This Sibert Award winning book is a wonderful addition to any children’s library.  The story of the Puerto Rican parrots is told alongside the history of Puerto Rico itself.  The book is organized chronologically to provide a clear historical picture with the parrots’ story told first on each page followed by the island’s story directly after and coinciding with the same time period.  Cleverly, Roth and Trumbore juxtapose facets of the parrots’ story with common elements in the nation’s history providing a seamless interconnectedness between the birds and their homeland.  For example, on the same page that describes how the parrots protect themselves from predatory hawks, discussion of how Spanish Puerto Rico built fortifications to protect the island from invasion by other European countries immediately follows.  As time and technology transformed how people lived on the island, these changes directly impacted the parrots’ habitat and their numbers began to fall.  In an imaginative turn, the book is displayed vertically, similar to a calendar’s pages.  This change in arrangement adds an element of height to the setting of the story: the high treetops in the rain forests of Puerto Rico.  This positioning also allows for the best display of Roth’s creative images.  The pages come alive with her richly colored and highly texturized fabric and paper illustrations.  

The text is written in a very narrative way that even includes onomatopoeia to imitate the parrots’ call and native language namesake.  The inclusion of helpful pronunciation guides for the Spanish terms makes this an even more friendly read-aloud non-fiction text.  The authors include an afterword with a great amount of information on the parrots themselves, and the brightly colored photographs bring an element of realism to their plight in case younger children might have mistakenly considered the story fiction. Additionally there is a timeline of important dates for both parrots and Puerto Rico.  The list of authors’ sources not only authenticates the book’s factual information but many of these sources are websites that students can use to further investigate Puerto Rican parrots, other bird species, and environmental conservation.  Parrots over Puerto Rico proves that informative books can be beautiful and engaging to even the youngest readers. 

Awards and Review Excerpts

Winner: 2014 Robert F. Sibert Medal

Winner: 2014 Américas Award

• Booklist: “A triumphant reminder of the inescapable connection between people’s actions and the animals in the wild.”
• Kirkus: “From the commanding cover illustration to the playful image on the back, simply spectacular.”
• Publishers Weekly: “A thoughtful and thorough examination of the ways human action can both help and harm animal populations.”

Connections

• Research and read about other kinds of parrots around the world; have students create an image (their choice of parrot type) using three dimensional materials.
• Have students research the effects of natural disasters on native wildlife.
• Read this book to students as part of a science unit on endangered animals or as part of a social studies unit on Caribbean geography and/or history.

Personal Reflections

Booklist describes this book as appropriate for children 2^nd- 5^th grades, but my five year old son loved this book.  The illustrations and unusual layout of the book really held his attention, and, for this very active little boy anyway, that is a real testament to the excellence of this book!

WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Bibliography

Kerley, Barbara.  2008.  What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!  Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham.  New York: Scholastic Press.  ISBN-13: 978-0-439-92231-9

Plot Summary

What To Do About Alice? is the story of Theodore Roosevelt’s exuberant and unconventional first-born child who challenged society’s expectations and lived life to the fullest.

Critical Analysis

Barbara Kerley’s picture book biography of Alice Roosevelt, the eldest child of President Theodore Roosevelt, is a fun and entertaining look at a life that many children may not have considered before.  Most elementary age children know about their nation’s presidents, but rarely do they get to see what life can be like for a child living in the White House under the scrutiny of the public eye.  Alice, like her father, was one to live life to the fullest, or as she put it, “eating up the world.”  Her behavior should not have surprised him.  After all this was the man known for leading the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill and wild game hunting in Africa.  And neither did Alice shy away from pursuing interests that brought her pleasure, including owning a pet snake and betting on racehorses, regardless of what “proper” society may have thought.  Not that it mattered much; most of the public loved reading about her adventures in the papers.

Unlike much non-fiction, this story makes a very good read aloud book.  Kerley’s text is abundant with quotes taken from personal letters between Alice and her father and the plethora of newspaper stories written about her at the time (documented by Kerley in the author’s note at the end of the book which includes a large amount of enlightening background information).  The inclusion of these quotes between father and daughter displays the warmth and depth of their relationship as well as providing authenticity to the biography.  Fotheringham’s vivid and large scale illustrations display Alice’s vibrant personality and lust for life.  They are bursting with movement and rich color appropriate for displaying the life of such an active girl and young woman.  The characters’ clothing is also accurately represented for late 19^th and early 20^th century fashions.  Readers today will be enamored with this free-spirited heroine who knew the importance of being true to oneself.   

Awards and Review Excerpts

• New York Times: “Kerley reveals the essence of Alice in an upbeat account of her life, dramatizing Alice’s love of ‘eating up the world.’”
• Booklist: “Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was.”
• School Library Journal: “Kerley’s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject’s antics."
• Kirkus: “Theodore Roosevelt’s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.”

Connections

• Pair a reading of this book with a visit to the White House Historical Association’s website about other children who have lived in the White House at http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_K-3-firstkids.html
• Have students write about what they think would be the best and worst aspects of having a parent as the President of the United States. 

THE CROSSING: HOW GEORGE WASHINGTON SAVED THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by Jim Murphy

Bibliography

Murphy, Jim.  2010.  The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution.  New York: Scholastic Press.  ISBN: 978-0-439-69186-4

Plot Summary

The Crossing tells the story of America’s military struggles in the early stages of the American Revolution.  This book illustrates how questionable America’s chances initially were of defeating the British by centering the story around details of General George Washington’s leadership of an inexperienced and apprehensive Continental army. 

Critical Analysis

Much of history that is taught at the elementary and junior high levels tends to focus on victories and positive outcomes.  Ask any 7^th grade student what they know about the American Revolution and the majority of answers include something to the effect of “No taxation without representation” or “We beat the Redcoats!”  They all know why it began, how it ended, and are beginning to learn the massive implications of the creation of the United States on global history.    Jim Murphy’s social history about Washington’s early military struggles fought in and around New York clearly demonstrates just how fragile the idea of success was in the beginning of the Revolution.  His portrayal of Washington is honest and nuanced; he does not shy away from showing General Washington’s vulnerabilities.  But Murphy also clearly shows that he compensated for these shortcomings with perseverance and cautiousness.  Readers familiar with the struggles Washington will later face at Valley Forge can see how these early battles impacted his leadership.  Murphy’s description of the retreat to Brooklyn early in the story is intriguing and keeps the reader’s attention without sounding fictionalized.  By understanding the Continental Army’s weaknesses in the beginning, students can better understand the scope and significance of America’s eventual victory.

Murphy’s resources are thorough and soundly documented.  The book is organized chronologically and includes historical background information which helps the reader understand the context of these battles.  His inclusion of paintings from the period places the young reader right into the world of the 18^th century and distinguishes it from the present.  Quotations from soldiers, military leaders, and politicians of the time provide authenticity to Murphy’s account.  All illustrations are either primary sources (most commonly paintings from the time period) or recreated maps (which greatly help with understanding troop movements and scale of the geographic areas).  He also includes a timeline of the Revolutionary War as a whole and a list of websites to encourage further examination of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania battle sites in the back matter.  And his two-page evaluation of Leutze’s 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware ties all the elements of his story together.  The Crossing is an excellent addition to any teacher’s or school’s library and is a must-read for any young fan of military history.

Awards and Review Excerpts

• School Library Journal: “A first purchase, even if your American Revolution shelves are packed.”
• Booklist: “Murphy offers a refreshingly frank, vivid, well-researched account of a pivotal time in American history.”
• Kirkus: “Murphy brings the winter of 1776 to life with powerful prose and captivating illustrations.”

Connections

• Have students read portions that describe the problems Washington and the Continental Army faced militarily before a lesson on the Battle of Valley Forge.  Have students compare and contrast Washington’s experiences and leadership style in the two battles.
• Have students read descriptions of the retreat from Brooklyn and the Battle of Long Island.  Compare the maps of these areas with present day maps and photos of Brooklyn and Long Island.
• As a class, read excerpts of choice battles in the book, paying special attention to the maps, as part of a unit on the American Revolution.  Have students create a board game centered around the Revolution.  The board should reflect some geographic component of the war (could be one battle area or the entire East Coast) and the playing pieces should represent key figures from both sides. 

Personal Reflections

Being a history major in college, I loved learning about American history.  But I always dreaded the point in many of my classes that inevitably came when we had to study military history in some form or another.   It always seemed incredibly boring.  So the fact that at no time in my reading of this book was I ever bored is a testament to Murphy’s book!  His writing style is engaging and personal while still showing the technical importance of military details.  I am eager to read more of his books.