We the People: The United States Constitution Explored and Explained, by Aura Lewis & Evan Sargent

Many public discussions center around the U. S. Constitution, the document that frames how our national government works. It can be daunting to try to understand its contents; it was adopted in 1787 and has been added to twenty-seven times since then. We know that the initial words of the Constitution – “We the People” – convey that our government is formed with the intention of serving the people of the United States. That’s a big job. Aura Lewis and Evan Sargent, in We the People: The United States Constitution Explored and Explained, provide an excellent source for learning how the Constitution does (and sometimes does not) provide guidelines for our government. 

This helpful book is arranged chronologically: a description of our three branches of government is followed by the Preamble and the first seven articles of the Constitution and so on. Readers may wonder what a “preamble” is; the authors take care to define terms that may be new, within the narrative or in a glossary at the book’s end (for example, the preamble is “the opening statement of the original Constitution”). Double-page spreads clearly and concisely state the essence of and explain each Article, then the first ten Amendments called the Bill of Rights, and then move through each of the eleventh through twenty-seventh Amendments. Whew. But each part of the Constitution is not merely explained clearly and concisely. All the way through, the text invites thoughtful discussion with questions to the reader, such as “What do you think?” after the review of a concept, and “If you could be in one of the three branches of government, which would you choose and why?” Clear cross-references among pages lead readers to related facts on a topic without disrupting the narrative at hand. The pull and tug of authority (for example, between federal and states’ interests) and other knotty issues such as voting rights are addressed. Fun facts are sprinkled throughout, providing interesting information even adults aren’t likely to know! Numerous sidebars highlight historical and contemporary facts about people and events that enhance the story of our Constitution’s implementation through the years. 

All this information appears in graphically captivating form, with succinct and interesting text, Aura Lewis’s colorful illustrations, clear headlines and bold highlights. An activist message is conveyed throughout, encouraging readers to consider their role in contributing to the conversation about our nation’s values, laws, policies and practices. It is an excellent introduction to a foundational document. Ages 9 and up. Wide Eyed Editions / Quarto Group, 2020.

 

Take a look at the original Constitution and find additional resources at our National Archives.

The Voice That Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History, by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger

 

The 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution was passed by the U. S. Senate and House of Representatives in 1919 but it still needed to be ratified by thirty-six states in order for women to have the vote. Would Tennessee become the 36th and final state to say “Yes”? This pleasing picture book tells the little-known story of Febb Burn, an ordinary woman fed up with waiting. The campaign for women's suffrage had begun more than seventy years before in Seneca Falls, New York, at the first convention on the rights of women. Febb Burn, in August, 1920,  wrote a letter to a key legislator (and her son), Harry Burn: “Hurrah and vote for suffrage and don’t keep them in doubt”— and his one vote made the difference! This single episode speaks volumes about individual advocacy and standing up for one’s beliefs; it is set in context by a brief timeline of women’s suffrage. The Voice That Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History, by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger captures a fascinating turning-point in the journey for women’s rights. Ages 6-10. Sleeping Bear Press, 2020.

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

More details from the National Constitution Center:  https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-man-and-his-mom-who-gave-women-the-vote/

View the original letter from mother to son at the Knox County Public Library in Tennessee!

It Began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way, by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad & Babies, by Gyo Fujikawa

 

When Gyo Fujikawa’s Babies was published in 1963, it felt to many parents like a quiet miracle. It was a sturdy book, tall and narrow, able to be held easily and read aloud to a young child in one’s lap. Read once, read twice, read three times in a row, it always brought a smile. The babies depicted were engaged in all the possible baby antics “oh, so busily.” They were bathed and had their diapers changed; they played, they were mischievous, and always they were “hugged and cuddled and loved.” But what made the book extra special was that babies of all races were gently, joyfully depicted: readers could see faces like theirs and their neighbors. Fujikawa was in the vanguard of children’s book creators who chose to portray children of color in everyday stories, as did Ezra Jack Keats in his classic The Snowy Day,

 

How did Gyo Fujikawa come to write and illustrate Babies? That story is told with enormous grace and liveliness in It Began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way, by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad. Gyo was born in California, the child of immigrants from Japan. Her mother, a poet, and her father, a laborer, provided a home full of drawing materials and books where anything felt possible to Gyo. But the wider world of school and society did not feel hospitable, even when her family moved to the Japanese American community of San Pedro in southern California; her classmates in the high school, a ferry ride away, were mostly white. Her good fortune was to be noticed and supported by two teachers who encouraged her to go to art school for college. After that, Gyo spent a year in Japan absorbing Japanese cultural heritage and the wonderful creations of native print makers—but she found the customary teaching tools too restrictive. She began to create her own methods, returning to America to work as a muralist and graphic artist in New York. The tragedy of Japanese internment in 1942 separated her from her West Coast parents, and Gyo felt once again isolated in a world that regarded her as a stranger. She found solace in her art—bringing a blank page alive with drawings—while very aware of the civil rights activism surrounding her. She created a book that had black babies and white babies together, engaged in ordinary baby activities, not segregated. When a publisher said “No” to producing her book, Gyo “looked the publisher in the eye and said: ‘It shouldn’t be that way. Not out there on the streets. Not here on this page. We need to break the rules.’” And thus was born a book that helped seed an invaluable evolution in children’s book publishing: producing diverse books. Babies has stood the test of time—translated into 17 languages and remaining bright, beautiful and beloved. Maclear and Morstad’s biographical picture book concludes with an intriguingly detailed timeline and engaging notes from the author and illustrator. Ages 4-9. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2019.

   Grosset & Dunlap, 1963.

I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story, by Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin, illustrated by Julia Kuo & Betsy Ross and the U. S. Flag, by Danielle Smith-Llera & I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story, by Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin, illustrated by Julia Kuo

 

Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco’s Chinatown. His parents had come to the United States from China in search of a better life. Immigrants worked hard in many capacities–keeping shops, becoming farmers, helping to build our nation’s transcontinental railroad. Having been born in the United States, Wong Kim Ark was truly an American. But then the country passed a law that said no more Chinese immigrants could enter America; also, Kim Ark’s parents could never become citizens, hold particular jobs or be safe from prejudice. Discouraged, they returned to China but Kim Ark chose to stay in America. After visiting his parents later in China (his first time there), Kim Ark was not allowed to reenter the United States even though he was an official citizen, and he was unjustly imprisoned. With help from people who cared about his situation, he was freed, but his citizenship status was not yet settled. Kim Ark’s case went all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. Justices considered the 14^thAmendment, ratified on July 9, 1868, which declared anyone born in the United States is a citizen; they also considered what his Chinese heritage could mean regarding his allegiance to country. After a year of debate, the Court ruled that Kim Ark was indeed a citizen. That 1898 decision has had a profound effect on the right of American-born people to be lawful citizens, though it does not ensure that American-born Chinese and others are free from racial prejudices. This true story–of Wong Kim Ark’s determination to certify his American citizenship against many odds–is inspiring. The non-fiction picture book I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story is gracefully told by Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin. Illustrations by Julia Kuo reflect Kim Ark’s journey in every detail, with additional details contained in a timeline and afterword. Readers are given many things to think about regarding yesterday and today’s attitudes about immigration and citizenship. Indeed, what does it mean to be a citizen in our United States democracy? Ages 5-9. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2021.

We sometimes hear the story that a woman named Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag, with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen stars in a circle on a blue field, not unlike the colors and design elements of our national flag today. But did she do that? The book series entitled “Fact VS Fiction in U. S. History" demonstrates for readers that: “History is not set in stone. It has a way of changing over time depending on who is telling the story.” In this volume of the series (Betsy Ross and the U. S. Flag), author Danielle Smith-Llera asks many questions and presents primary sources (such as paintings and written correspondence from the period) to help readers think knowledgeably about the history of our flag. Betsy Ross was an upholsterer and made many flags in her workshop, but was she asked by members of the Continental Congress (the government of the thirteen colonies) to make a flag representing the new government? Ross told her family that she did meet with George Washington, commander of the Continental Army that secured American independence. Her story was affirmed by her relatives years later, but there is no historical proof of that happening. When Ross’s grandson told the story about his grandmother making the flag, it was published widely, and even school books included Ross’s association with the original flag. Intriguing clues to a variety of facts about the flag’s design and construction are presented throughout the book, inviting readers to consider various occasions and evidence. It is concluded that “the flag, like the Revolution it presents, was probably the work of many hands.” A glossary and additional sources of information are appended, including an excellent website: The History of the American Flag. View the series Facts VS Fiction in U. S. History  Ages 8-11. Capstone Press, 2021.

What Miss Mitchell Saw, by Hayley Barrett, illustrated by Diana Sudyka & Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, by Oliver Jeffers

 

Maria Mitchell was born on Nantucket Island, off the coast of New England, in 1818. The dark sky arching above her island home highlighted the brilliance of the stars, captivating Maria. Maria spent many an evening on the rooftop in the company of her father, who introduced her to a telescope that allowed her to “sweep the sky.” Maria learned to identify stars and planets and phenomena such as eclipses and the Milky Way. She also assisted her father in helping ship captains and sailors, who visited their home, to calibrate the instruments that helped them determine their locations on the ocean—using the stars, of course! Maria became a teacher and then a librarian, and she put her curiosity to the study of mathematics and celestial navigation. On October 1, 1847, Maria saw something very special from the rooftop—“a nameless patch of light, bright and blurry”—that she knew must be a comet. Her father exhorted her to post a letter right away to astronomers at Harvard College—a letter that then went to England and Denmark. Maria’s letter passed through the hands of astronomers a world away. All agreed that Maria had spotted the comet first, thus it could be named after her: Miss Mitchell’s Comet. Author Hayley Barrett’s picture book biography What Miss Mitchell Saw is a wonderfully simple and expressive introduction to a person well worth knowing about; readers will feel they have made Maria’s journey alongside her. Illustrator Diana Sudyka captures that journey in equally expressive paintings flowing through the pages. An afterword titled “A Bit More about Maria Mitchell—Astronomer, Educator, Activist” highlights other “firsts” in Mitchell’s life, encouraging young readers to watch, wonder and explore. Ages 4-8. Beach Lane Books / Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2019.

 

Readers can learn more about Maria Mitchell at the website of the Maria Mitchell Association.

 

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, by Oliver Jeffers, is a delightful and insightful book that helps place in context such discoveries as Maria Mitchell’s. Jeffers welcomes young readers (and older ones too) to planet Earth – its landscape, its atmosphere, its humans and animals, its countryside and cities -- with everything moving at its own pace, with each of us just one small element in a much larger picture. He encourages us to consider how we will use our time here, connected as we are to the whole. Ages 4 and up. Philomel Books, 2017.

Front Desk, by Kelly Yang & Watercress, by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin

 

Mia and her mom and dad dream of a new future when they come to the United States from China. But when they finally secure jobs as the caretakers of a motel, life is not what they hoped. The motel’s owner, Mr. Yao, does not keep his promises about anything, making it extremely difficult for Mia and her family to keep themselves or the motel going. Mia’s contribution to the family effort is working the front desk while her parents clean. Her indomitable spirit gives her the energy to identify not only ways to improve the motel but to reach out to people who seem to have it even harder than they do. She cultivates her new skills in English by writing letters advocating to correct injustices she observes, and she even enters a writing contest to win a motel of her own so they will no longer need to tolerate Mr. Yao. In the chapter book Front Desk, author Kelly Yang perfectly captures the voices of Mia, her parents, and the friendly long-term motel residents. Memorable moments pepper the story, and readers will celebrate Mia’s spirited actions as she tries and tries again to bring an even playing field to the Calivista Motel. Set in 1990s California, Front Desk does not shy away from difficult themes in immigration, poverty and prejudice, yet the narrative is graced with humor. Mia’s indomitable spirit, as she both succeeds and stumbles, provides bridges to understanding and empathy, resulting in an excellent story for middle grade readers. Ages 8-12. Alfred A. Levine Books / Scholastic, 2018.

Rendered with both delicacy and strength, the picture book Watercress depicts the experience of a young girl as she struggles to engage in harvesting the stringy, green watercress spotted by the side of the road by her parents. She refuses to eat it, even when it is prepared with garlic and sesame seeds by her China-born parents. But soon her parents are sharing stories from their childhood—memories both hard and happy, with harvesting watercress among them. Author Andrea Wang bases her gentle narrative on her own experience growing up in the Midwest as a child of Chinese immigrants. In an author’s note, she encourages adults to share stories of their growing-up times, an important part of family heritage no matter what that history is. Illustrator Jason Chin states in an artist’s note how he sought to convey the many-layered aspects of the story in his sensitive watercolors, for which he received the Caldecott Medal. Ages- 4-8. Neal Porter Books / Holiday House, 2021. 

For ideas about other good books:

https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/asian-americans-and-moments-in-peoples-history/

Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement, by Stephanie Roth Sisson

The Japanese poet Matsuo Bashó wrote: “Sitting quietly, doing nothing,  Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself.”

Nature’s eternal clock—day to day and season to season—entranced Rachel Carson as a child. She loved spending time outdoors exploring. She listened to the chorus of birdsongs around her in the morning… “Chee-chee…caw, caw!...whoo whoo…” She had the comfort of her family at night and was ready to go exploring the next day. Rachel thought she would grow up to be a writer and tell all about what she saw and heard. Then in college, she studied the tiny forms of life she could see through a microscope, and became a scientist. She studied the plants and animals of the ocean in particular, and wrote wonderful books read by many people. But then Rachel noticed something important about the birdsongs that she so loved: they were disappearing. Exploring further, studying carefully, she realized that the chemicals people were using to protect themselves and plants from insect pests were harmful chemicals that destroyed birds and other creatures important to nature’s cycle of life. Her book Silent Spring  informed the public about the poisons being used in the environment; the U. S. Congress also listened to her authoritative testimony, and laws protecting nature began to be passed. The picture book biography Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement is the story of a fascinating woman. Stephanie Roth Sisson says in her Author’s Note: “Silent Spring is one of those books that changes the way a whole society thinks.” Indeed, Rachel Carson’s work can be considered the keystone of the modern environmental movement. Sisson's graceful words and delightful pictures weave together to provide lasting inspiration to readers to continue Carson’s attention to nature’s eternal clock--and to consider our own roles in protecting our delicate ecosystem. Roaring Brook Press, 2018. Ages 4-8.