Books of Common Thread

Books of Common Thread Project
By Kati Spurlock

Common Thread I: Influential Americans

Category 1: Presidents

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Lincoln A Photobiography	Russel Fredman	5^th	Rebound by Sagebrush, October, 1999	The main character in this book is Abraham Lincoln. The setting changes because it tells the story of his life and career. It has many great and original pictures. It has won several honors including the Newberry Medal, the Jefferson Cup Award, the Golden Kite Honor Book Award, and best book of the year in the School Library Journal.
	John Adams: Second President 1797-1801 (Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents)	Mike Venezia	3^rd	Children’s Press (CT), March, 2005	The main character in the book is John Adams. The setting is various because it tells the story of his life using text and cartoons.
	George Washington’s Teeth	Deborah Chandra, Madeline Comora, and Brock Cole	1^st	Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Feb. 3, 2003	This book touches on a part of George Washington’s life, his teeth. The setting is changes, sometimes Washington D.C., Delaware, and other places. It uses humor which makes it interesting to children but also has a great timeline and historical facts that students can learn.
	So You Want to be a President?	Judith St. George, David Small	2^nd	Philomel Books, Aug. 7, 2000	The main characters in this book are many different U.S. presidents. The setting is various, including the White House. The book uses humor to review facts about presidents, showing that they are all different.
	Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt	Jean Fritz, Mike Wimmer	5^th	Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, Reprint Edition, Jan., 1997	The main character in the book is Teddy Roosevelt. The setting changes throughout the story because it tells the story of his life from birth to death.

Category 2: Explorers

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Cowboys and Cowgirls Yippee-Yay!	Gail Gibbons	2^nd	Little Brown and Company, July, 2003	This is a picture book which explains the life of a cowboy and all of their paraphernalia, so the main characters are various cowboys. The setting is the “wild west,” and it gives great description of an explorer’s life in the early west.
	Sarah, Plain and Tall	Patricia MacLachlan	4^th	Harper Collins, 1^st ed. Edition, April 25, 1985	The main characters in the story are Caleb and Anna, a brother and sister, and Sarah, a lady who moves in with the family. The setting is a mid-western farm in the 19^th century. The book describes the life of early settlers in the west. It has won the Newberry Medal.
	Dandelions	Eve Bunting	2^nd	Voyager Books, reprint edition, May 1, 2001	The main characters in the story are a family that is moving west; sisters Zoe and Rebecca, their pregnant mother, and their father. The story is set in Nebraska in the 1800s. The story describes some of the hardships of moving west during this time period.
	Grandfather’s Journey	Allen Say	K	Houghton Mifflin/ Walter Lorraine Books, October 25, 1993	The main character in the story is grandfather as he makes his way from Japan to explore North America. It describes the things an explorer experienced. It has won the Caldecott Award.
	Explorers of North America	Brendan January	3^rd	Children’s Press (CT), March, 2001	The main characters in this book are explorers coming to and in North America from 1000-1804. It gives a description of what some famous explorers experienced.

Category 3: Influential African Americans

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks	Faith Ringgold	K	Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1^st ed. Edition, Nov. 1, 1999	The main character in the story is a girl named Marcie. The setting is present day but flashes back to the Cleveland Ave. bus that Rosa Parks had ridden. The book is very informative of important historical events, but is on a child’s level.
	A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.	David A. Adler, Robert Casilla	2^nd	Holiday House, reprint edition, Aug. 1990	The main character in the story is Martin Luther King, Jr. The setting is various because the book tells the story of his life from childhood. The theme is the importance of King’s life.
	Aunt Harriett’s Underground Railroad in the Sky	Faith Ringgold	3^rd	Dragonfly Books, Dec. 12, 1995	The main characters in this book are two young children named Cassie and Be Be Lightfoot. The setting begins on an apartment roof but travels to the times of slavery and the Underground Railroad. The theme of the book is the important role that Tubman played for freedom for African Americans.
	Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson	Barry Denenberg	4^th	Scholastic Paperbacks, Reissue edition, May 1, 1990	The main character in the story is Jackie Robinson. The setting changes because it describes his life on the baseball field and off. The theme is that of the first black baseball player in the white leagues.
	A Pocketful of Goobers: A Story About George Washington Carver	Barbara Mitchell, Peter E. Hanson	5^th	Carolrhoda Books, Reprint edition, Aug. 1, 1987	The main character in the book is George Washington Carver. The setting is various because it describes his life and accomplishments. The theme is the things that Carver overcame in order to discover more than 300 uses for the peanut.

Category 4: Soldiers

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	America’s White Table	Margot Theis Raven, Mike Benny	2^nd	Sleeping Bear Press, May, 2005	The main characters in the story are a young girl named Katie and her Uncle John. The setting is Katie’s home somewhere in the U.S. The theme is a tradition that Katie’s family uses to remember soldiers like her Uncle John.
	Phoebe the Spy	Judith Barry Griffin	4^th	Scholastic, Feb. 1989	The main character in the story is a “soldier/ spy” girl named Phoebe. The setting is mainly Washington D.C. The theme is of a girl who protects the president.
	Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam	Walter Dean Myers, Ann Grifalconi	5^th	HarperCollins, May 1, 2002	The main character in this story is a young soldier in the Vietnam War. The theme is the reality and struggle to understand war as a soldier.
	Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot: A True Story of the Berlin Airlift and the Candy That Dropped From the Sky	Margot Theis Raven, Gijsbert Van Frankenhuyzen	3^rd	Sleeping Bear Press, April 1, 2002	The main character in the story is a seven-year-old girl in Berlin, Germany during WWII. The theme is the hope that a young girl finds during war through the efforts of a soldier.
	Soldiers and Uniforms of the American Army	Frederick P. Todd, Fritz Kredel	5^th	Dover Publications, March 2, 2005	The main characters in this book are soldiers, but it is more of an informational type book rather than a story book. The theme is learning about the clothing and weapons of American soldiers.

Category 5: Influential Native Americans

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing	James Rumsford	2^nd	Houghton Mifflin, Nov. 1, 2004	The main character in the story is Sequoyah (a father tells his children his story). The setting is during Sequoyah’s life and accomplishments. The theme is Sequoyah’s accomplishments and helping the natives communicate with a written language.
	Pocahontas and the Strangers	Clyde Robert Bulla, Peter Burchard	2^nd	Scholastic Paperbacks, Reprint edition, June 1, 1988	The main character in the story is Pocahontas. The setting is early America during Pocahontas’ life. The theme is the historical facts known about Pocahontas proving how she advanced her culture.
	Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving	Joseph Bruchac, Greg Shed	3^rd	Silver Whistle, 1^st edition, Sept. 15, 2000	The main character is Squanto. The setting is in New England as well as Spain. The theme is the way that Squanto helped the pilgrims to overcome and survive the harsh winter.
	Geronimo: Young Warrior (Childhood of Famous Americans)	George E. Stanley, Meryl Henderson	4^th	Aladdin, Sept 1, 2001	The main character in the story is Geronimo. The setting is the American West in the early times of American History. The theme is how Geronimo fought for his people.
	A Picture Book of Sitting Bull	David A. Adler, Samuel Byrd	K	Holiday House, 1^st ed. Edition, Sept., 1993	The main character in the story is sitting Bull. The setting is the Sioux tribe in the 1800s. The theme is how Sitting Bull fought for the rights of his people, especially at the battle of Little Big Horn.