American History

STEP RIGHT UP

Animal Stories, Book Reviews, Book Reviews, History /

STEP RIGHT UP: HOW DOC AND JIM KEY TAUGHT THE WORLD ABOUT KINDNESS is a deeply inspiring book about a brilliant horse and his kind trainer. Together they taught the American people that animals have feelings, a sense of humor, and the ability to reason just as humans do.

The astonishing abilities of Beautiful Jim Key to spell, do mathematical calculations, answer random questions from his audiences, and thoroughly charm the millions of people who came to his performances were nothing short of astonishing.

Doc Key emphasized over and over that all of Beautiful Jim Key’s training had been done with kindness. Doc and Jim became part of the growing movement in the early 1900s to treat animals humanely. Over two million children “stepped right up” to sign the official Jim Key Pledge: “I promise always to be kind to animals.”

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THE GARDENER

Book Reviews, History /

Set in the mid 1930s depression era America, THE GARDENER is a tale of optimism and seeing the glass half full.

Young Lydia Grace Finch must go to live with her Uncle Jim in the city while her Papa looks for a job. Lydia Grace takes her love of plants and flowers to Uncle Jim’s somewhat dilapidated bakery and crafts a transformation of the bakery and curmudgeonly, unsmiling Uncle Jim.

This is a tale of steady optimism that will warm your heart, especially if you love the magic of flowers.

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The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal for America

Book Reviews, History /

This book is inspiring story documenting what one dedicated person can do for the public good. Beautifully written and illustrated, it tells the inspiring story of Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve as a United States cabinet secretary. Frances was chosen to be Secretary of Labor by Franklin Delano Roosevelt after he was elected president in 1932.
As Labor Secretary, Frances worked tirelessly to implement programs that would benefit the American people — workplace safety regulations, minimum wage, maximum working hours per week, unemployment insurance, and her crowning achievement, the Social Security act of 1935. Every working person in the United States, every person who receives unemployment benefits or Social Security, is endebted to Frances Perkins.

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The Star People: A Lakota Story

Astronomy, Book Reviews, History, Native American History /

S. D. Nelson creates a visually stunning retelling of a teaching from his Lakota tradition.

Sister Girl and her brother, Young Wolf, wander out onto the prairie where they see the Cloud People floating in the vast sky above them.

After a harrowing escape from a prairie fire, the children reconnect with their beloved grandmother, Elk Tooth Woman, who had passed away the previous spring, and now, as an ancestor, was dwelling among the Star People, “the spirts of the Old Ones who once walked this earth”.

Vibrant illustrations by Nelson, done in the style of Native American ledger art, make this children’s picture book a luminous teaching story.

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Review of Thank You, Dr. Sauk! by Dean Robbins

Book Reviews, Health /

Thank You, Dr. Salk! written by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Mike Dutton is an engaging and inspiring story of Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed the first successful polio vaccine in 1954 after years of painstaking research.

Robbin’s simple and sensitive text coupled with pitch perfect illustrations by Mike Dutton create an interesting and educational picture book for young readers.

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Review of PREACHING TO THE CHICKENS: The story of young John Lewis by Jabari Asim

Book Reviews /

I began this blog, Stargazing Dreams, with wonder. It’s not surprising that wonder keeps her home next to awe, her sacred collaborator. Together they change the face of the world, shooting light to the stars and watching it rain back as inspiration. Inspiration could easily lose its way nowadays, yet it’s exactly what we need.

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