Changing the Equation -- Meet 3 of the Mathematicians from this book #blacklivesmatter

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today we are continuing with our Black Lives Matter Series. In doing my research for Mary Eliza Mahoney I stumbled across Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM by Tonya Bolden. I was able to get a digital review copy of it. And WOW!! It is full of names some you probably heard of and others that you have not. These women are doctors, nurses, engineers, computer programmers/coders, mathematicians, scientists and so much more. I knew I had to share this book with you as quickly as I could. I wanted to make it even more meaningful to be part of our Black Lives Matter Series so I am going to review the book and share about three of the amazing women in the book and of course I picked the mathematicians. After all they are my sisters from my past life. 

Fun Facts about Cinco de Mayo

It is hard to believe it is already Cinco de Mayo. This year of course is so different than other years since many of us are living with stay-at-home orders but I thought it would be fun to talk about Cinco de Mayo. But first do you know what Cinco de Mayo actually is? I think most people know or realize that the words Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for May 5th, but most do not know why it is a holiday. Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico's Independence Day. Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th.

Biographies of Black People for Grades 3-5 -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is January and that means Multicultural Children's Book Day is coming. This year it is scheduled for January 31, 2020, and I will be cohosting it so be sure to tune in then to see all the amazing books shared. Today I get to share three books from Capstone Editions. This collection of books share a look into the lives of three black Americans that you may or may not have heard of but are perfect books for the upcoming Black History Month. They are all recommended for grades 3 to 5. We will start with Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom by Gwendolyn Hooks and illustrated by Simone Agoussoye. 

Black Inventors

As I thought about Black History Month and the Blog Hop, I wanted to find something fun to share with you. I reviewed two great books for grades 3+ for Black History Month last week, so I was looking for something more of a lesson and research.  I am lucky. I have a former colleague who is black and was a history teacher (now a vice principal) and every February he shares 28 posts about black history. I considered taking some of the people and events in his posts to share with you, but as I started researching some of them I found all these amazing inventions we use almost every day that were invented or helped to be invented by black people. So I am going to share some black inventors and their creations with you.

Chapter Book Extravaganza! Beginning Reader Through Young Adult Part 2

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own or Hazel's. 

Yesterday we started our chapter book extravaganza. We shared the first group of books for ages 5 to 12. Today we are going to get through the rest of them. As I mentioned yesterday, most of these books I have not finished (some Hazel did) so we will be providing limited reviews. Hope you enjoy them and find some new books to read!!

The Battle of Junk Mountain Review

Disclosure: Running Press sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Are you looking for a book for your 8-12 year-old to read this summer? I have a great recommendation. It is The Battle of Junk Mountain by Lauren Abbey Greenberg. 

Ships, Sea and More! Novels for Grades 5 and Up

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have to admit I have had these books sitting on my shelf for awhile. I keep meaning to review them and somehow other things jump in the way. Today I am finally going to share them with you! I am sharing three books today with you written for grades 5 and up. One is non-fiction from the Civil War time and the other two are novels. Are you ready to go on some adventures? We will definitely be on one with each of these books. The first book is Sinking the Sultana by Sally M. Walker. Have you heard of the Sultana? I hadn't but what an interesting and sad piece of history. 

The Underground Railroad

Disclosure: Judy Dodge Cummings sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Can you believe we are at the half way point of February? Where is time going? Since February is Black History Month, I have been trying to feature some great resources for you to use. Today I am really excited to share an amazing book by Judy Dodge Cummings and illustrated by Tom Casteel called The Underground Railroad: Navigate the Journey from Slavery to Freedom. The reason I am so excited is this book is similar to a workbook and has 20 interesting projects in it to go with the different chapters. 

Multicultural Books for Different Ages

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday. I have been sharing many of my past posts about Dr. King on my Facebook page this weekend. Be sure to check them all out plus the review I wrote over at Multicultural Kid Blogs this month. 

Chapter Books for Grades 3-7 -- Summer Reading

Disclosure: I was sent these books free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

This week I have been sharing various chapter books for summer reading for different ages. We have shared books that inspire authors and illustrators, chapter books for grades 1-3, chapter books for grades 2-5 and now chapter books for grades 3-7. I have to say that one of these books has been my favorite summer read! We will start with that one. It is Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy. 

Stand Up and Sing! Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

Today I am sharing a fun book that teaches kids about Pete Seeger. Now Pete Seeger is a name I know but I will admit besides the fact that he was a folk musician I did not know much about him. Do you? The book is Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music and the Path to Justice by Susanna Reich and illustrated by Adam Gustavson. I learned so much about Pete Seeger from this picture book.

Reflections on the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther KIng, Jr. and a simple craft

As I thought about what I wanted to do this year for Martin Luther King Day for Kids I reflected on what we have done in the past. We have shared numerous books on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as other Civil Rights Activists. We have done various crafts about unity and diversity and peace. I'll be honest I wasn't sure what to do. Hazel understands the teachings of Dr. King and we have focused quite a bit on the Civil Rights Movement in the past. I want to first reflect on a few things.

Exploring Libya -- Global Learning for Kids

This month Global Learning for Kids had us exploring Libya. Libya is a country in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Chad and Niger. It is the fourth largest country in Africa. It has the tenth largest oil reserves in the world. The capital and largest city is Tripoli which is home to more than one million of the six million people who live in Libya. The other large city is Benghazi.

Travel the World & Through Time with Books -- Summer Reading

Disclosure: I was sent these books free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

Do you remember how the world opened up to you when you began to read? Books seem magical. They can transport you to different lands and different times all while you are sitting in your comfortable reading nook. The books I ma sharing today do this. They take you to different times and places and three of them are historical books. 

50 Things You Should Know about American Presidents -- Book Review

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Quarto Books USA. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

With the United States preparing for the presidential election, Hazel has heard a bit about the campaigns. Steve and I do not usually see eye to eye when it comes to politics and he and his mother are much more interested in politics than I am. They also tend to talk about it much more than I do. As  result Hazel has had many questions about it all. She also heard a bit about it at school and will be learning more. She was really excited when I showed her 50 Things You Should Know about American Presidents by Tracey Kelly. She couldn't wait to start reading it and asks me to read more each night.

Exploring Arizona with Books: Arizona Way Out West & Wacky and Addie Slaughter -- Book Reviews

Disclosure: Little Five Star sent me copies of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Today I am really excited to share with you our adventure in exploring Arizona. Now I have been to Arizona a few times in my life. The first was when I was almost eight. My family packed up our pop-up camper and car and traveled across the United States for an entire summer. Reading these books got me to help my mother search for our old photo albums and I'll share some old pictures with you. First we will start with Addie Slaughter: The Girl Who Met Geronimo by Susan L. Krueger, Ed.D. with Reba Wells Grandrud, Ph.D.

Rigoberta Menchu

Back in August I had the pleasure of sharing She Takes a Stand: 16 Fearless Activists Who Have Changed the World by Michael Elsohn Ross. One of the amazing 16 women I read about was Rigoberta Menchú. I decided then to focus on Rigoberta for Hispanic Heritage Month (there is a giveaway below). I wanted to share her story with Hazel (though she got bored--I guess I'll have to wait a few more years) and you.  Rigoberta is an indigenous woman from Guatemala. She has dedicated her life to promoting indigenous rights in Guatemala. She received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.

Rigoberta with other Human Rights Activists in 1992 By Moya110 (Own work) 
[GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Exploring Lebanon -- Global Learning for Kids

This month we have joined the Global Learning for Kids in exploring Lebanon. I have to admit that I do not know much about Lebanon so this really was an exploration for me as well as for Hazel. Unfortunately I did not find many resources that are age appropriate for Hazel. Although the Middle East is part of Asia, we are separating it with North Africa into its own cultural month. Multicultural Kid Blogs has decided August will be Middle East and North Africa Heritage Month. I hope you will join us for it. Our exploration of Lebanon is a preview.

Women Inventors

Each year for Women's History Month, I try to find books at the library about different women for Hazel to hear their stories and know the difference women play in history. This year one of our focuses has been on women inventors. I found nine women who invented something and have a book at about Hazel level written on them. Some of these books I have not read yet since they are requested from other libraries and have not arrived, so I am guessing a bit on the levels. I will share a bit about each women in this post: Ruth Wakefield, Grace Hopper, Gertrude Elion, Hedy Lemarr, Martha Coston, Stephanie Kwolek, Margaret Knight, Mary Anderson and Amanda Jones.

Thanksgiving and Sarah Josepha Hale

Have you entered my giveaway for 4 Christmas DVDs yet?

Have you ever heard of Sarah Josepha Hale? I know I hadn't, however I had heard and memorized something she wrote: "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Sarah Hale was an American author and editor. She was also a mother and wife and she is responsible for our national holiday--Thanksgiving. I know you are probably thinking what do you mean she is responsible for Thanksgiving, because that is what I was thinking when I saw this book at the library, but she is the reason we have a national holiday.

Sarah Hale By painted by James Reid Lambdin (1807-1889)
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons