Remember the Ladies

TITLE: Remember the Ladies
AUTHOR: Callista Gingrich
ILLUSTRATOR:  Susan Arciero
PUBLISHER: Regnery Kids
COPYRIGHT: 2017

Look at this cute, informative book in the Ellis the Elephant series by Callista Gingrich.

About the book:
Ellis the Elephant is headed back to the White House! In Remember the Ladies, the seventh in Callista Gingrich's New York Times bestselling series, Ellis meets some of America's greatest first ladies and discovers their many contributions to American history.

In preceding books, including Sweet Land of Liberty, Land of the Pilgrims' Pride, Yankee Doodle Dandy, From Sea to Shining Sea, Christmas in America, and Hail to the Chief, Ellis learns about the pivotal moments that have shaped our nation. Now, in Remember the Ladies, this adorable pachyderm explores the fascinating lives of our first ladies.

My thoughts:
I am familiar with Ellis the Elephant after reviewing two previous books in the series.  I have also reviewed Christmas in America and Hail to the Chief in this series. 

In this book Ellis learns about some of the first ladies. I liked the rhyming text and how it spotlights how each first lady has her own significant contributions to our country.

This book is geared for children aged 4-9.  It would be appropriate for an elementary classroom/library or for your personal library.  At the close of the book is 7 pages with a  listing of all the first ladies with a paragraph about each one.

This book makes it fun to learn some of our country's history. Plus the elephant is pretty cute too!

Learn more about the cute "Ellis" series here.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.  Thank you.

Hail to the Chief

TITLE: Hail to the Chief
AUTHOR: Callista Gingrich
ILLUSTRATOR:  Susan Arciero
PUBLISHER: Regernery Kids
COPYRIGHT: 2016

Our country's election is right around the corner.  We have had some amazing Presidents through our country's histroy and this book is a fun way to introduce children to some of them.  Let me tell you a little bit about a wonderful children's book called Hail to the Chief by Callista Gingrich and illustrated by Susan Arciero.

This book is part of the "Ellis the Elephant" series.  I reviewed another book about this cute elephant here.

In this book Ellis meets some of our presidents along with a few facts about what they did during their presidency.

The illustrations are adorable, and I felt the presidents were very recognizable even though they were cartoons.  I love the rhyming text.  That makes it really appealing to me, and I think that it will make it more interesting for children to pay attention and learn from this book.  This would make a wonderful addition to your classroom library for an America unit or when you study Presidents in February.

I received this book from the publisher for my review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

Knit Your Bit

TITLE: Knit Your Bit  A World War I Story
AUTHOR:  Deborah Hopkinson
ILLUSTRATOR: Steven Guarnaccia
PUBLISHER: G. P. Putnam's Sons
COPYRIGHT: 2013

Since Mikey's Dad is gone to fight in the war, Mikey wants to do something helpful.  His teacher tells the class about a knitting bee.  At first he thinks knitting is just for girls.  But when it turns into a competition, Mikey and his friends decide to participate in the knitting bee to help the soldiers.

I really enjoyed this book as it taught about an interesting time in our country's history. The illustrations are wonderful and overall this is just a great story and book.  I hope you will check it out.  I could see it being used in the classroom unit about World War I and lead into a great discussion on knitting and the war efforts. 

It is 2.8 reading level in AR.

A Perfect Place

TITLE: A Perfect Place  Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary
AUTHOR:  Patricia Hermes
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER: Scholastic, Inc.
COPYRIGHT: 2002

Joshua and his family have reached Oregon in this second book in the Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary series.  After a long difficult journey from Missouri, things continue to be difficult for Joshua's family and fellow travelers.  Was the trip west worth it? 

These chapter books are in the 3rd grade reading range and would be of interest for students probably in grades 2-4.  They are written from Joshua's perspective so children will be able to relate to what he is feeling through all the trials his family faces. 
 
My son and I have read books 1 and 2 in this series and have enjoyed both of them. Once we started reading we did not want to put them down to find out what would happen to Joshua.  We look forward to reading book 3 as well as others in the My America series.

Dance, Y'all, Dance

TITLE:  Dance, Y'all, Dance
AUTHOR:  Kelly Bennett
ILLUSTRATOR:  Terry Murphy
PUBLISHER:  Bright Sky Press
COPYRIGHT:  2009

This is a rhyming book about a dance hall, part of America's history.  There was a time when people would meet at dance halls to enjoy a fun time and fellowship with friends after a hard week of work.  In this book a family visits a dance hall on a Saturday night.  It is a fun, rhythmic book. At the back the author includes a description and brief history of dance halls.

I found this to be a fun book and I believe children would enjoy it.  It could be read for fun or as part of a unit of this part of American history.