Non-Fiction Picture Book Day, June 25, 2013

Please visit the host of this weekly event: Kid Lit Frenzy

Here are two non-fiction picture books I have read recently.
Books obtained from the Windham Public Library.

 The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery

by Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin

Illustrated by Eric Velasquez

Published in January of 2013 by Walker Children's 

48 pages

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Brief Summary

This is the amazing true story of a slave named John Price and how a town banded together to rescue him.  In 1850, the US government enacted The Fugitive Slave Law making it illegal for anyone to help slaves escape or elude capture. In 1856, Price and his cousin Dinah escaped from their Kentucky plantation. They traveled north using The Underground Railroad in hopes of eventually escaping into Canada.  After traveling over 200 miles, the pair stopped in Oberton, Ohio.  The state of Ohio believed that all people should be free so they worked hard to hide slaves.  Many slaves loved Oberton so much that they never left.  Price decided to stay and make Oberton his home until one day slave hunters came to town looking for escaped slaves. Price was captured by these hunters who were hired to bring him back to Kentucky.  After hearing of his capture, many Oberton residents came together to form a rescue party.  Blacks, whites, slaves and free men risked their own lives and their freedom to rescue John Price. 

I really enjoyed this book and I think kids will too.  What a great way to show a real example of courage and selflessness while teaching history.  If you teach about The Civil War, this book needs to be in your library.  It would make a great read aloud. 

The illustrations are vivid and realistic. A photograph of the rescue team (taken later in 1859) outside the Cleveland jail and a list of resources is a nice touch at the end. 

For more info on The Fugitive Slave Act visit this link about The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Act from PBS.

See what others have to say about The Price of Freedom.
Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews

   

Here Come the Girl Scouts: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure

by Shana Corey  Illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Published in 2012 by Scholastic Press

40 pages

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Summary

Girl Power!  "Daisy" was not an ordinary girl. She believed that girls could do anything. She believed in working hard, being a good friend and helping others.  She also believed communing with nature and exercising to stay strong were important. She single-handedly founded The Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia.  The book is full of her quotes/words of wisdom accompanied by really wonderful illustrations and interesting fonts.  Here is one quote I liked, "Many of the greatest movements for the good of people and those which have influenced the world most, have been the work of one person." 

I would recommend this book to any present or former Girl Scout and anyone who enjoys biographies, history, or stories about "girl power".  It is a great example of how one person can make a huge impact.

Want more info on Juliette Gordon Low? Visit The Girl Scouts Page.

See what others have to say about Here Come the Girl Scouts.
School Library Journal
John Schu at Watch. Connect. Read.

Here is an interview with Shana Corey.