Book picks similar to
The Pledge of Allegiance by Lloyd G. Douglas


non-fiction
picture-books
social-studies
welcome-books

Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier


Jeff Gottesfeld - 2021
    Discover their story, and that of the unknown soldiers they honor, through resonant words and illustrations. Keeping vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington National Cemetery, are the sentinel guards, whose every step, every turn, honors and remembers America’s fallen. They protect fellow soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making sure they are never alone. To stand there—with absolute precision, in every type of weather, at every moment of the day, one in a line uninterrupted since midnight July 2, 1937—is the ultimate privilege and the most difficult post to earn in the army. Everything these men and women do is in service to the Unknowns. Their standard is perfection. Exactly how the unnamed men came to be entombed at Arlington, and exactly how their fellow soldiers have come to keep vigil over them, is a sobering and powerful tale, told by Jeff Gottesfeld and luminously illustrated by Matt Tavares—a tale that honors the soldiers who honor the fallen.

Boy, Bird, and Dog


David McPhail - 2011
    Boy and Bird can go up to the tree house, but Dog cannot. Boy has an idea. Using a rope and a pot, the boy is able to pull the dog up the tree to a vantage point where the three friends can observe all good things in the world--including Mom bearing a plate of cookies. David McPhail's poignant characters express intelligence, joy, and the affectionate bond of friendship. Together they live in a world that is wondrous, safe, and happy. An I Like to Read(R) book. Guided Reading Level D.

Equality's Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America


Deborah Diesen - 2020
    But for many years, only white men of means were allowed to vote. This history of voting rights looks back at the activists who answered equality’s call, working tirelessly to secure the right for all to vote, and it also looks forward to the future and the work that still needs to be done.

As an Oak Tree Grows


G. Brian Karas - 2014
    From 1775 to the present day, this fascinating framing device lets readers watch as human and animal populations shift and the landscape transitions from country to city. Methods of transportation, communication and energy use progress rapidly while other things hardly seem to change at all. This engaging, eye-opening window into history is perfect for budding historians and nature enthusiasts alike, and the time-lapse quality of the detail-packed illustrations will draw readers in as they pore over each spread to spot the changes that come with each new era. A fact-filled poster is included to add to the fun.

The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal's Search for the Truth


Susan Goldman Rubin - 2009
    This inspiring and suspenseful account testifies to the difference that one person's dedication can make.

If: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers


David J. Smith - 2014
    But what if we took these big, hard-to-imagine objects and events and compared them to things we can see, feel and touch? Instantly, we'd see our world in a whole new way." So begins this endlessly intriguing guide to better understanding all those really big ideas and numbers children come across on a regular basis. Author David J. Smith has found clever devices to scale down everything from time lines (the history of Earth compressed into one year), to quantities (all the wealth in the world divided into one hundred coins), to size differences (the planets shown as different types of balls). Accompanying each description is a kid-friendly drawing by illustrator Steve Adams that visually reinforces the concept. By simply reducing everything to human scale, Smith has made the incomprehensible easier to grasp, and therefore more meaningful. The children who just love these kinds of fact-filled, knock-your-socks-off books will want to read this one from cover to cover. It will find the most use, however, as an excellent classroom reference that can be reached for again and again when studying scale and measurement in math, and also for any number of applications in social studies, science and language arts. For those who want to delve a little deeper, Smith has included six suggestions for classroom projects. There is also a full page of resource information at the back of the book.

Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, and Murdered Through History


Alison Matthews David - 2019
    From silhouette-cinching corsets and combustible combs to lethal hair dyes and flammable flannel, this nonfiction book looks back at the times people have suffered pain, injury, and worse, all in the name of style. Historical examples like the tragic "Radium Girl" watchmakers and mercury-poisoned "Mad Hatters," along with more recent factory accidents, raise discussion of unsafe workplaces--where those who make the clothes are often fashion's first victims.Co-authored by a scholar in the history of textiles and dress with the founder of WORN Fashion Journal, this book is equal parts fab and frightening: a stylishly illustrated mash-up of STEAM content, historical anecdotes, and chilling stories. Nonfiction features including sidebars, sources, an index, and a list of further reading will support critical literacy skills and digging deeper with research on this topic.

Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution


Laurie Halse Anderson - 2008
    Listen up! You've all heard about the great men who led and fought during the American Revolution; but did you know that the guys only make up part of the story? What about the women? The girls? The dames? Didn't they play a part? Of course they did, and with page after page of superbly researched information and thoughtfully detailed illustrations, acclaimed novelist and picture-book author Laurie Halse Anderson and charismatic illustrator Matt Faulkner prove the case in this entertaining, informative, and long overdue homage to those independent dames!

Sam the Minuteman


Nathaniel Benchley - 1969
    Arnold Lobel's vivid pictures give a poignant reality to the famous battle that marked the beginning of the American Revolution.This is historical fiction that pulls in young readers in first and second grade, even reluctant readers. Great for home or classroom units on and discussions about colonial America and the start of the American Revolution."Benchley's expressive words and Lobel's vivid drawings portray a realistic story," Publishers Weekly wrote.Father and son rushed to the village green. Other Minutemen were already there. Through the long night they waited and waited. Then, at dawn, the soldiers came!

John Deere, That’s Who!


Tracy Nelson Maurer - 2017
    Back in the 1830s, who was a young blacksmith from Vermont, about to make his mark on American history? John Deere, that’s who!Who moved to Illinois, where farmers were struggling to plow through the thick, rich soil they called gumbo? Who tinkered and and tweaked and tested until he invented a steel plow that sliced into the prairie easy as you please?Long before the first tractor, who changed farming forever? John Deere, that’s who!Beautiful illustrations—including spectacular landscapes—reflect the time period and bring John Deere's remarkable story to life.

A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars


Seth Fishman - 2017
    Can you imagine that many of anything?The playful illustrations from New York Times–bestselling artist Isabel Greenberg and the friendly, straightforward voice of author Seth Fishman illuminate some of the biggest numbers in the universe—a hundred billion trillion stars—and the smallest—one unique and special YOU. Here is a book for story time, for science time, for math time, for bedtime, and all the times in between.Perfect for curious children, classrooms eager for STEM content, and readers who have devoured Ada Twist, Scientist and How Much Is a Million?

Grandfather Gandhi


Arun Gandhi - 2014
    When an older boy pushes him on the soccer field, his anger fills him in a way that surely a true Gandhi could never imagine. Can Arun ever live up to the Mahatma? Will he ever make his grandfather proud?In this remarkable personal story, Arun Gandhi, with Bethany Hegedus, weaves a stunning portrait of the extraordinary man who taught him to live his life as light. Evan Turk brings the text to breathtaking life with his unique three-dimensional collage paintings.

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle


Claire A. Nivola - 2012
    As an adult, she dives even deeper. Whether she's designing submersibles, swimming with the whales, or taking deep-water walks, Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to learning more about what she calls "the blue heart of the planet." With stunningly detailed pictures of the wonders of the sea, Life in the Ocean tells the story of Sylvia's growing passion and how her ocean exploration and advocacy have made her known around the world. This picture book biography also includes an informative author's note that will motivate young environmentalists.Life in the Ocean is one of The Washington Post's Best Kids Books of 2012

What the World Eats


Faith D'Aluisio - 2008
    But in every corner of the world this age-old custom is rapidly changing. From increased trade between countries to the expansion of global food corporations like Kraft and Nestlé, current events are having a tremendous impact on our eating habits. Chances are your supermarket is stocking a variety of international foods, and American fast food chains like McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken are popping up all over the planet. For the first time in history, more people are overfed than underfed. And while some people still have barely enough to eat, others overeat to the point of illness. To find out how mealtime is changing in real homes, authors Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio visited families around the world to observe and photograph what they eat during the course of one week. They joined parents while they shopped at mega grocery stores and outdoor markets, and participated in a feast where a single goat was shared among many families. They watched moms making dinner in kitchens and over cooking fires, and they sat down to eat with twenty-five families in twenty-one countries--if you’re keeping track, that’s about 525 meals! The foods dished up ranged from hunted seal and spit-roasted guinea pig to U.N.-rationed grains and gallons of Coca-Cola. As Peter and Faith ate and talked with families, they learned firsthand about food consumption around the world and its corresponding causes and effects. The resulting family portraits offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural similarities and differences served on dinner plates around the globe.

If You Were There When They Signed The Constitution


Elizabeth Levy - 1987
    You will meet the key delegates and find out what is going on.