The invaluable grade-by-grade guide (kindergarten—sixth) is designed to help parents and teachers select some of the best books for children. Books to Build On recommends: • for kindergartners, lively collections of poetry and stories, such as The Children’s Aesop, and imaginative alphabet books such as Bill Martin, Jr.’s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Lucy Micklewait’s I Spy: An Alphabet in Art • for first graders, fine books on the fine arts, such as Ann Hayes’s Meet the Orchestra, the hands-on guide My First Music Book, and the thought-provoking Come Look with Me series of art books for children • for second graders, books that open doors to world cultures and history, such as Leonard Everett Fisher’s The Great Wall of China and Marcia Willaims’s humorous Greek Myths for Young Children • for third graders, books that bring to life the wonders of ancient Rome, such as Living in Ancient Rome, and fascinating books about astronomy, such as Seymour Simon’s Our Solar System • for fourth graders, engaging books on history, including Jean Fritz’s Shh! We're Writing the Constitution, and many books on Africa, including the stunningly illustrated story of Sundiata: Lion King of Mali • for fifth graders, a version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that retains much of the original language but condenses the play for reading or performance by young students, and Michael McCurdy’s Escape from Slavery: The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass • for sixth graders, an eloquent retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the well-written American history series, A History of US . . . and many, many more!

How early British immigrants shaped Ohio? Because of their so similar linguistic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, the English, Scottish, and Welsh immigrants are often regarded as the invisible immigrants assimilating into early American society easily and quickly and often losing their ethnic identities. Yet, of all of Ohio's immigrants the British were the most influential in terms of shaping the state's politics and institutions. Also significant were their contributions of farming, mining, iron production, textiles, pottery, and engineering. Until British Buckeyes, historians have all but ignored and neglected these Industrious settlers. Author William E Van Vugt uses hundreds of biographies from county archives and histories, letters, Ohio and British census figures, and ship passenger lists to identify these immigrants; and draw a portrait of their occupations, settlement patterns, experiences and to underscore their role in Ohio history.

This helpful Teacher's Guide bridges the gap between school and home to give children a more cohesive learning environment by creating a common language for the school, teachers, and parents. With ideas and supporting materials for fun, easy-to-implement family-night activities centered around a content area, teachers can easily encourage parent involvement and help seventh-grade students succeed and achieve.

"Many biographies written and illustrated for young people today are well researched, lively, and present the facts in creative styles and formats. The children's publishing industry is a leader in showcasing a diverse array of people to read about, many of them absent from school textbooks, but all playing important roles throughout history. In Biographies to Read Aloud with Kids, Rob Reid, a recognized expert in children's books, introduces parents, caregivers, and educators to 200 of the best biographies to share with young people ages 4 to 14. The stories of real people, many of whom who overcome hardships and barriers in their lives, can inspire and engross young readers. Some of the lesser-known biographies, such as Robert Smalls, Maggie Gee, and Temple Grandin, are some of the most captivating. Biographies about well-known people often share little-known anecdotes about them, such as Dr. Seuss being voted "least likely to succeed" in college, or that George Washington was so unsure about his leadership abilities when given command of the American Continental Army that he had to read books on military strategies. These stories are among those told in the riveting biographies Reid presents in Biographies to Read Aloud with Kids. Annotations give a feel for the writing style of the author, and selections include picture books, graphic novels, chapter books, and bilingual titles and strongly represent women and people of a diverse array of backgrounds, ethnicities, and color. Reid also interviews with two biographers and a publisher who specialize in multicultural literature for young people about how they choose their subjects and current and future trends in the field."--