I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Walter Dean Myers

Recommended Grades: 3-5

Set against key moments of the civil rights movement, Walter Dean Myers eloquently shares the story of the powerful spiritual leader and his belief that nonviolence could be used to overcome racial discrimination.

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Biography, Civil Rights, and Writer’s Workshop: Read aloud I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and discuss how the author used key moments in the civil rights movement to write the biography.  Consider pairing this book with Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, in which the author used key quotes from Dr. King as a backdrop to write his biography. Compare the author’s craft in both books and have students choose one type of craft to write a biography.

©2013 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Mighty Jackie: The Strikeout Queen by Marissa Moss

Recommended Grades: 3-5

On April 2, 1931, the Chattanooga Lookouts were about to play the New York Yankees, a legendary team with famous players.  The Lookouts were a nothing team, except for the pitcher, Jackie Mitchell.  This is her story.   

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Biography: Read aloud Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen and discuss what made her so special.  Use this as a mentor text to discuss the baseball era and why women weren’t typically encouraged to play.  Did Jackie earn respect on the baseball field?  How are sports different today?   This book could lead to great discussions on gender equality.

©2013 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

Publisher: Harper Collins

Date: January 2, 2013

Recommended Grades: 5-8

Beautifully painted.  Inspirational.  This is the story of Nelson Mandela, a global icon.  In Nelson’s typical poetic verse and gorgeous illustrations, he shares the story of a young Mandela’s determination to change South Africa.   

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Civil Rights and Biography:  Read aloud Nelson Mandela as part of a unit on civil rights. Nelson makes the concept of apartheid accessible to young readers in this picture book biography.  This book would pair nicely with Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. Consider comparing civil rights in America with the civil rights of citizens in other countries, such as South Africa.    

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review by the publisher.

©2013 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Noah Webster & His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris

Recommended Grades: 3-5

From the beginning, Noah Webster knew he didn’t want to be a farmer like the rest of his family.  He wanted to be a SCHOLAR.  This is the story of how he made his dream come true.  

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Biography and Word Choice:   Read aloud Noah Webster and His Words as part of a unit on biographies.  Noah Webster wrote the first all American (instead of English spellings) dictionary after the American Revolution.  Noah studied twenty different languages and traveled around the world to fully research his dictionary.  In addition to a biography mentor text, Noah Webster and His Words is a fantastic model for the craft of word choice.  The author provided definitions for words embedded throughout the text, a great homage to Mr. Webster, but also a fun writing technique.

©2013 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick

Recommended Grades: 4-8

According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, from the 1860′s until the1940′s, there were twenty-nine baseball teams made up entirely of brothers.  The Acerras played longer than any other.  This is their story. 

Lesson Idea:  

Biography/Narrative Nonfiction:  Read aloud Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team discuss the author’s craft.  The author actually had an opportunity to interview two of the brothers and interspersed their quotes into this narrative nonfiction piece.  This book could certainly be used in a study of the history of baseball and you could pair it with We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.

©2013 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.