Books published by publisher History House Publishers

Maryland Blue Crab Honor Book 2018A big, brightly colored, playful introduction to various important painters and art movements.If someone asked you to paint a snowman, you would probably start with three white circles stacked one upon another. Then you would add black dots for eyes, an orange triangle for a nose, and a black dotted smile. But if Picasso painted a snowman…From that simple premise flows this delightful, whimsical, educational picture book that shows how the artist’s imagination can summon magic from a prosaic subject. Greg Newbold’s chameleon-like artistry shows us Roy Lichtenstein’s snow hero saving the day, Georgia O’Keefe’s snowman blooming in the desert, Claude Monet’s snowmen among haystacks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic snowman, Jackson Pollock’s snowman in ten thousand splats, Salvador Dali’s snowmen dripping like melty cheese, and snowmen as they might have been rendered by J. M. W. Turner, Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall, Georges Seurat, Pablita Velarde, Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Jacob Lawrence, and Vincent van Gogh. Our guide for this tour is a lively hamster who―also chameleon-like―sports a Dali mustache on one spread, a Van Gogh ear bandage on the next. “What would your snowman look like?” the book asks, and then offers a page with a picture frame for a child to fill in. Backmatter thumbnail biographies of the artists complete this highly original tour of the creative imagination that will delight adults as well as children. Fountas & Pinnell Level O Full Color

Jonathan isn’t as strong or physical as his brother and can’t seem to please his beekeeper dad when he tries to help on the farm.Worried about the drought that has caused a big decrease in honey production, his dad is irritable and remote, seemingly unable to offer the acceptance that Jonathan yearns for. But one sleepless night Jonathan joins his mother in the kitchen making beeswax candles for sale, and discovers an outlet for his artistic talents that will make a big contribution to the family finances. Bee-fact sidebars buzz through this human story about a child trying to please his father.In this expanded paperback edition, an “About Bees” appendix offers further natural history about these vital and fascinating insects.Helps us see that sensitive, artistic boys have their own special place. Fountas & Pinnell Level O

If walls could talk, what would they say? Perhaps they would tell us who built them and why. Maybe they could even tell us about people's lives today or about how our ancestors lived thousands of years ago.In this book walls really do talk, and oh, the stories they tell. This new edition combines the beloved children's books Talking Walls and Talking Walls: The Stories Continue. Together, those titles sold more than 170,000 copies. This new edition, thoroughly revised by the author, makes the text more accessible to young readers and English Language Learners and produces a book that is ideal for reading aloud. The back matter includes a world map that helps readers locate the many walls described, as well as additional information about the walls, the places, and the people.The Talking Walls books have been much honored, including:Top 25 Non-Fiction Children's Books Boston GlobeChildren's Books of Distinction Hungry Minds ReviewNoteworthy Book from Parallel Cultures: Horn BookPaperback Plum BooklinksNotable Children's Trade Book in the Social Studies: Children's Book Council/National Council on the Social StudiesWinner of a Mom's Choice Gold Award -- Picture Books categoryPick of the Lists, American BooksellerBest Multicultural Book, Publisher's Weekly "Cuffie Award"Fountas & Pinnell Level T Color throughout

* GREEN EARTH BOOK AWARD ** MOONBEAM GOLD AWARD(NON-FICTION) ** MARYLAND BLUE CRAB AWARD ** SOCIETY OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS INTERNATIONAL HONOR AWARD *On a cool December morning near San Francisco, a distress call was radioed to shore by a local fisherman. He had discovered a humpback whale tangled in hundreds of yards of crab-trap lines, struggling to stay at the surface to breathe. A team of volunteers answered the call, and four divers risked their lives to rescue the enormous animal.What followed was a rare and remarkable demonstration of animal behavior. This celebrated story, beautifully depicted in Jennifer O’Connell’s mesmerizing paintings, will make you wonder about animal emotions and the unique connections we can have with animals―even whales.Fountas & Pinnell Level M

Books that explore science through adventureThe Acadia Files: Book Two, Autumn Science presents five stories of fall, each one followed by Acadia’s science notebook pages with her simple explanations and lively, whimsical drawings of natural phenomena. The Acadia Files is a fun introduction to the wonders of science, using real-world scenarios to make scientific inquiry relatable and understandable. Parents and educators can use The Acadia Files to let kids discover for themselves what it’s like to be curious about the world and to satisfy that curiosity with scientific thinking.Acadia Greene wants answers. What happened to the frogs she used to see at her favorite local pond? Why do leaves change color in the fall, and why don’t evergreen needles do the same? What is the water cycle, and what is transpiration? How do time zones work, and why does the sun set at different times in different places within a single zone? How do germs infect us? Acadia doesn’t mean to do science, but she has questions and her parents refuse to simply give her the answers. “Conduct an experiment,” they tell her. “Use the scientific method.” So Acadia makes hypotheses, designs experiments, analyzes data, and draws conclusions. Acadia does science.The author, Katie Coppens writes a recurring column for NSTA's middle school magazine Science Scope on science and literacy called "The Integrated Classroom."Praise for The Acadia Files Series:Kirkus Review:Acadia and two friends learn more science while enjoying a Maine winter. This is the third in a thoughtful series that began with Summer Science (2018). Like its predecessors, this combines a slight storyline with science facts, definitions, and descriptions of experiments using the scientific method. A melting snowman, a floating balloon, a paper-airplane contest, a wait outside in the cold, and a sledding challenge prompt 11-year-old Acadia's questions, which are presented in a present-tense narrative with unlikely dialogue but realistic daily details. Her parents are always happy to help her find answers, offering clear explanations, demonstrations, and encouragement for further experimentation. This outing introduces the topics of climate change, food waste, recycling and repurposing, atoms and elements, buoyancy, aerodynamics, animal adaptations for winter, and the physics of sledding. In each chapter, the protagonists accomplish some activity, one that could be easily replicated by readers at home or in school: listing ways to reduce one's carbon footprint or looking for animal tracks in the snow, for example. The author appends a list of helpful websites for further exploration of each topic. Acadia is pictured as pale and blonde; Joshua is darker, with straight hair, and brown-skinned Isabel wears her hair in two Afro puffs. Experiments, charts, and definitions are hand-lettered and profusely decorated with sketches, and each chapter ends with further questions. Accessible and approachable, a useful tool for science learning. (Informational fiction. 8-12) color

*Skipping Stones Honor Award* Rafael is hungry―because someone stole his lunch.The Lunch Thief can be used for curriculum centered on nonviolence and peacemaking.Discussions might include:How to turn an enemy into a friendNonviolent communication skills • Looks can be deceivingWildfires and ecologyDisaster reliefHunger in our own countryHomelessnessFood InsecurityKindness/Bullying His mom had packed his lunch bag with two burritos, a bag of corn chips, some carrots, and an apple. Once a week she tucks in a slice of her special lemon pound cake. Rafael saw Kevin, a new kid in his class, sneak his lunch bag from underneath his desk and tuck it in his backpack. But how can he do something about the theft without picking a fight? Inspired by his mother's advice to “Use your mouth before your fists,” Rafael bides his time, but other kids' lunches are disappearing,too. On an errand with his mom, Rafael sees Kevin carrying a bundle of laundry into a motel room, and his mom tells him Kevin's family might be one of the families who lost their homes in the recent wildfires. Rafael rethinks his anger. The next day, instead of accusing Kevin, Rafael invites him to share his lunch, letting Kevin know he's been caught, but offering friendship as well as lunch. Color throughout

A classroom-tested resource for social and emotional learning Henry’s discovery of the many ways he can be kind will inspire young readers to use the simple mindfulness practices taught in this book to develop their own capacities for kindness. Ms. Snowden and her class practice sending kind thoughts to the people they love, and they launch a class Kindness Project. There is only one problem: Henry can’t think of one kind thing he has done. Declaring that kindness is stupid, he stomps to the classroom door on the verge of tears, but his classmates save the day by reminding him of the kind things he has done for each of them. full color

2017 Gold Moonbeam Children's Book Award: For dedication to children’s books and literacy and for inspired writing, illustrating and publishing.The world can be a scary place. Anxious adults want children to be aware of dangers, but shouldn’t kids be aware of kindness too?Michael Leannah wrote Most People as an antidote to the scary words and images kids hear and see every day. Jennifer Morris’s emotive, diverting characters provide the perfect complement to Leannah’s words, leading us through the crowded streets of an urban day in the company of two pairs of siblings (one of color). We see what they see: the hulking dude with tattoos and chains assisting an elderly lady onto the bus; the Goth teenager with piercings and purple Mohawk returning a lost wallet to its owner; and the myriad interactions of daily existence, most of them well intended. Most People is a courageous, constructive response to the dystopian world of the news media.Fountas & Pinnell Level M

Welcome to 2019 - Where Social Media accounts are treated as Masters Degrees in politics. "Freedom of the Press" is not so free, and Government Deception is as common as a teenager engrossed with their smartphone."The Declaration of Dependence is a hard-hitting and eye-opening, yet written in an easy-to-understand, down-to-earth style" - William J. Federer, Best Selling AuthorKnown for his work in education, Dr. Sal Martingano has spent countless hours in public speaking on the US Government's growing corruption, and how America has lost its most important value... Independence. Sal has been educating people of all ages for over 30 years with dedication to factual information and preserving the true American lifestyle: Freedom, liberty, and Independence.In Book One of The Declaration of Dependence, Media and the Government, Dr. Sal Martingano goes over his years of research in government, the deception of the media, how social media has taken control of public opinion, the rise of fake news, and the lasting impacts of the Obama administration. He walks the reader through how the United States became The Divided States of America with solutions on how to stay united and gain back our independence!This is an eye-opening and timely book, that uncovers the truth of an American political system gone awry - a system controlled by greed, big oil, big pharma, and corrupt politicians, with the average citizen unaware and duped. What is happening in the country of my birth is shocking and we’ve got to stop the “oh that’s just conspiracy” attitude, which this book does! Dr. Martingano’s writing style is excellent, courageous, and the research that went into the book was thorough. I’d like all of my family members to challenge their understanding of U.S. politics with this book. Thank you Dr. Martingano.” -Dr. Patrick Milroy

A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2019A warm-hearted homeless woman finds a homeFrom its humorous opening through its sad midpoint and uplifting end, Miss Pinkeltink’s story shines a light on humanity. This story with children as agents of positive change reminds us again that communities are best known by their treatment of the disadvantaged among them."Rosy-cheeked and quite antique, Miss Pinkeltink / carried everything but the kitchen sink. / Her purse was so big that it dragged on the floor. / When she rode on the bus it got stuck in the door."Generous and eccentric, Miss Pinkeltink fills her huge purse with everything from a toilet plunger to roller skates, and then gives it all away. She offers tape to fix a flat tire and a bone to a kitty: Miss Pinkeltink’s gifts never quite hit the mark, / but she gave what she had, and she gave from the heart. And then, with nothing left to give or to shelter herself, she huddles on a park bench, trying to sleep in the rain. And that’s where Zoey sees her from her bedroom window and knows that something must be done. Color throughout

The Acadia Files series uses real-world scenarios to make scientific inquiry relatable. Acadia Greene has done science in summer, autumn, and winter. In the fourth and final book of this series, she carries her search for answers into the spring, investigating meteors and mass extinctions; germination and pollinators; parasites, ticks, and Lyme disease; and pesticides and malaria. Finally, looking back through her notebooks, she puts together her scientific inquiries from all four seasons into a holistic understanding of the natural world. Acadia is curious, determined, bold, and bright―a wonderful STEAM ambassador!Lexile 750Praise for The Acadia Files Series:Kirkus Review:Acadia and two friends learn more science while enjoying a Maine winter. This is the third in a thoughtful series that began with Summer Science (2018). Like its predecessors, this combines a slight storyline with science facts, definitions, and descriptions of experiments using the scientific method. A melting snowman, a floating balloon, a paper-airplane contest, a wait outside in the cold, and a sledding challenge prompt 11-year-old Acadia's questions, which are presented in a present-tense narrative with unlikely dialogue but realistic daily details. Her parents are always happy to help her find answers, offering clear explanations, demonstrations, and encouragement for further experimentation. This outing introduces the topics of climate change, food waste, recycling and repurposing, atoms and elements, buoyancy, aerodynamics, animal adaptations for winter, and the physics of sledding. In each chapter, the protagonists accomplish some activity, one that could be easily replicated by readers at home or in school: listing ways to reduce one's carbon footprint or looking for animal tracks in the snow, for example. The author appends a list of helpful websites for further exploration of each topic. Acadia is pictured as pale and blonde; Joshua is darker, with straight hair, and brown-skinned Isabel wears her hair in two Afro puffs. Experiments, charts, and definitions are hand-lettered and profusely decorated with sketches, and each chapter ends with further questions. Accessible and approachable, a useful tool for science learning. (Informational fiction. 8-12) Spot color

Girls (and boys!) can become stronger and more resilient simply by realizing how strong and resilient they already are, and running provides a pathway to that realization. Programs like Girls on the Run (which serves more than 200,000 girls each year, through 200 councils, across all 50 states) help kids discover their inner reservoirs of fortitude. Such programs address the whole child when she most needs a counterbalance to harmful stereotypes of who she should be and how she should act. In the words of participants, “Girls on the Run made me realize that I am the boss of my brain.” “At Girls on the Run I learned how to be comfortable in my own skin!” Refusing to quit, overcoming weariness, skinned knees, and self-doubt to finish a cross-country run, the resolute narrator of I Am Darn Tough realizes that she is stronger than she thought, inside and out. I Am Darn Tough shapes the Girls on the Run philosophy into a beautifully illustrated narrative to inspire any child, anytime, who wants to run toward greater confidence in themselves. color throughout