Exploring the Pennsylvania Colony by John Micklos, Jr.: Book Review

Exploring the Pennsylvania Colony
Author: John Micklos, Jr.

Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl

Publisher: Capstone Press,  2017

Ages:  8 to 11, Chapter Book, MG

Pages: 48

Pennsylvania was the ninth colony established as a permanent European settlement in North America. First contact with the Native Americans occurred in 1608 with Englishman John Smith, but settlers didn’t arrive until much later. Swedish settlers arrived in 1638, the Dutch in 1655, and finally, the British in 1664 under the leadership of a Quaker named William Penn. 

Penn had been granted 45,000 acres by the king for settlement. He established peaceful relations with the Delaware, Shawnee, Nanticoke and Mingo tribes, but after his death, conflicts over land began. Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe was among those who led a brave resistance, but eventually most of the Native Americans were either killed or weakened by disease. 

Despite the conflicts Pennsylvania thrived as a colony. The soil was fertile and its central location had made the export of goods convenient, including for political gatherings. After the Revolutionary War ended, Philadelphia became the nation’s new capital and a meeting place for the nations's new Congress. The Declaration of Independence was signed there, and later the U.S. Constitution in 1790, at which time Pennsylvania entered the union. 

Business prospered in the growing economy. One famous businessman, a printer named Benjamin Franklin, ran a newspaper and wrote Poor Richard’s Almanack, but he was also well known as a scientist, inventor, politician, and diplomat. Micklos describes more pioneers during the period, for example, Daniel Boone, Betsy Ross, and Thomas Paine. 

As typical in this series, the “did you know” side notes, mini bios, illustrations, quotes and “Critical Thinking with Primary Sources” are useful in sparking classroom discussion. 

Exploring the Virgina Colony by Christin Ditchfield: Book Review

Exploring the Virginia Colony
Author: Christin Ditchfield
Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl
Publisher:  Capstone Press,  2017
Ages:  8 to 11, Middle Grade
Pages: 48 

Virginia was the first of thirteen colonies in North America to survive. Other attempts at colonization had failed miserably due to lack of survival skills. However, in 1607, the Virginia Company successfully built a new English settlement, Jamestown. 
 
Under the strict leadership of Captain John Smith set forth in newly established rules, the colonists learned to work together as a team. Smith also befriended area Native Americans, a peace further forged by a marriage between one of the colonists and Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Powhatan. Although conflicts did arise, the colonists and the Native Americans learned much from each other, sharing their knowledge and way of life. Ditchfield details the challenges, hardships, and daily life of both groups. 

Meanwhile, the colonists discovered a cash crop in farming tobacco (among other crops), and built huge plantations. Of the thirteen colonies, Virginia would rely the most heavily on slave labor. Kidnapped African slaves began arriving in 1619. By the early 1700s, Virginia had become a thriving colony, no longer dependent on supplies or food from Europe. 

Religion was important to the colonists, as many had fled Europe to worship more freely. The “Great Awakening,” a huge religious revival in the British colonies, brought a resurgence of Protestant faith and inspired the colonists greatly from 1734 to 1750.

During the American Revolutionary War, few battles took place on Virginia soil, but Virginian leaders, among them Thomas Jefferson, helped bring the country to independence. In 1788, Virginia became the tenth state to join the newly formed nation. 

More interesting information can be found in the book's "Did You Know" side notes, mini bios, illustrations, quotes, and "Critical Thinking with Primary Sources" section. A good introduction on Virginia's important role in early American history. 

Exploring the New Hampshire Colony by Elizabeth Raum: Book Review

Exploring the New Hampshire Colony
Author: Elizabeth Raum 
Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl
Publisher:  Capstone Press,  2017
Ages:  8 to 11, Middle Grade
Pages: 48
 
New Hampshire was the third colony founded in North America. In 1623, a group of businessmen were given a piece of land by the king of England to develop as a colony, stipulating that the rules of government be strictly under the king. In 1679, New Hampshire officially became a royal colony, which by then was known for its source of fish, animal furs, and lumber. 

Raum describes the exploration of the land beginning with (Englishman) Martin Pring in 1603. Pring met the native people in the area, the Abenaki and the Pennacook, who grew corn, beans and squash, and hunted fish and game. For a time the colonists traded peacefully with the Indians, but white diseases began destroying native populations and conflicts soon arose. 

Later, during King Williams War between England and France in 1689, the French enlisted the Indians to fight, who then attacked the colonists. Battles over land between the French and English lasted nearly seventy five years, but peace eventually came in 1763.  

Unfortunately, conflict reared its head again with outrage over the English Stamp Act and high taxes. With its repeal in 1766, the undercurrents of the Revolutionary War had begun. When war broke out in 1775, some 1200 New Hampshire militiamen fought in Boston’s Battle of Bunker Hill, but never on home soil. New Hampshire became the first colony to form its own state government, officially becoming America’s ninth state in 1788.

Raum further describes some of the important cities and pioneers in New Hampshire, which became an important supplier of lumber for the building of ships, boat masts, and furniture. Today New Hampshire is known as the “granite state” for its rocky soil. 

Help aids in Raum's book include mini bios, maps, illustrations, quotes, glossary, timeline and “Did You Know” and “Critical Thinking with Primary Sources” sidebars. A good introduction to New Hampshire's early history. 

Exploring the Georgia Colony by Brianna Hall: Book Review

 
Exploring the Georgia Colony
Author: Brianna Hall 
Publisher: Capstone Press, 2017
Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl
Ages: 8 to 11, Middle Grade
Pages: 48 
 
Georgia became a colony in 1733, as the last and most southernmost of the thirteen colonies established in North America. Named after England’s King George II and founded by James Oglethorpe, the colony began as a dream to help the poor. One hundred fourteen English settlers arrived from England’s poorest communities to farm the new colony, each settler given supplies and fifty acres of land as a start. Most Georgians, however, remained poor. 

Malaria in the summer, crops that didn’t thrive in blistering heat, rural lack of education, and the initial ban on slavery (unlike in colonies to the north) threatened their survival. Crops grown were cotton, tobacco, rice and indigo. Despite the hardships, some colonists became wealthy after the slavery ban was lifted. 

Similar to other colonies, Georgia’s relationship with nearby Native Americans varied. Among the tribes were the Cherokee, Yamasee, Hitchiti, Yamacraw, and Creek nations. Hall includes stories of their struggle for peace, conflicts, and recruitment during war. The Creek, for example, fought alongside the colonists in the War of Jenkin’s Ear, started when a British sea captain had his ear sliced off by Spanish pirates. 

During the Revolutionary War Georgians fought again, but at first debated entry in the war. Many were loyalists. Eventually Georgians joined other patriots in the fight for independence, enduring a long siege when Savannah fell to the British. In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to sign the constitution and join the newly formed nation. 

Research tools include “did you know” side notes, mini bios, illustrations, quotes, glossary, index, and “Critical Thinking with Primary Sources.”  

What's Your Story, Paul Revere?: Book Review

Series: “Cub Reporter Meets Famous Americans”
What’s Your Story, Paul Revere?
Author: Krystyna Poray Goddu
Illustrator:  Doug Jones
Publisher: Lerner Publications Company, 2016
Book Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl
Ages: 6 to 9, Nonfiction, Middle Grade
Pages: 32


Have fun imagining a live interview with an American patriot who fought in the American Revolutionary War. The series’ Cub Reporter, a cute bear cub holding a microphone, interviews Paul Revere. 

Asked what it was like living in America at the time, Paul Revere explains that the colonists were not free under British rule. Laws were oppressive and unfair, and the British had increased soldier surveillance. Even kids protested, calling the British soldiers in their red coats “lobsters.” 

Revere helped the colonists form the Sons of Liberty, a secret group that spied on British activity. He served as the group’s secret messenger, reporting conflicts and rebel activity, for instance, in 1773 when the colonists dumped a highly taxed shipment of tea into Boston’s harbor. In 1775, Revere’s midnight ride on horseback to Lexington, Massachusetts became legendary. He warned the colonists of imminent attack by the British. It was the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, which gave America its independence in 1776. 

Readers also learn about Revere’s life as a boy in Boston. He became a skilled silversmith and had talent as an artist. Live action illustrations in color of the Boston Massacre and Boston’s harbor with British ships arriving are two such scenes by Revere highlighted. Glossary, Timeline, Further Information, and Index are included as well. This is a good series for young historians interested in American history and Paul Revere's role in the American Revolution, and a great review for interested parents, teachers, and mentors.

12 Incredible Facts about the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Lois Sepahban: Book Review

"Turning Points in U.S. History" (series)
12 Incredible Facts about the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Author: Lois Sepahban
Publisher: Peterson Publishing Company, 2016
Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl
Ages: 8-12, MG nonfiction
Pages: 32

Montgomery, Alabama’s bus boycott in December 1955 was the onset of the Civil Rights Movement. After passage of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment in 1868  stating that all citizens (born or naturalized), were equal under the law, white southerners in general refused to comply. Laws were passed to segregate the recently freed slaves from full participation in society, banning them from white schools, neighborhoods, restaurants, and more. Eighty-seven years later racial segregation persisted. In 1955, discrimination against blacks in transportation was common, including refusal of service by white taxicab drivers and busing laws that ruled blacks sit in the bus’s rear. Such laws represent the first of twelve facts about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. 

Most know the story of black resident Rosa Parks (fact two), who sat in the white section of a Montgomery bus refusing to give up her seat, an act that resulted in her arrest. Others before her had protested similarly, like fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin, but Rosa’s arrest was the final straw in the ongoing discrimination. As a result, 95% of Montgomery’s black community refused to ride the buses in protest (fact three). Montgomery police attempted to arrest the boy-cotters, but the blacks remained peaceful and stayed out of sight (fact four). Finally, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. voiced his support of Rosa at a rally (fact five), drawing a crowd of 5000 blacks (fact six). 

Meanwhile, Montgomery church volunteers drove the boy-cotters to their jobs, as the bus companies refused to budge (facts seven and eight). King’s arrest soon followed and police began ticketing the volunteer drivers (fact nine). Unfortunately, Ku Klux Klan (KKK) violence erupted next, including the bombing of King’s home (fact ten). Some boy-cotters (115) were then indicted (fact eleven), but in June 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of blacks on public buses was unconstitutional (fact twelve), ending the boycott. Complete with glossary, photos, and key dates, Sepahban's book is one of many written on the Civil Rights Movement, but the period remains a pivotal time in American history, which needs to be remembered again and again.