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Books in What Was? series

  • What Was the Wild West?

    Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ, Stephen Marchesi

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, April 25, 2017)
    Saddle up and get ready for a ride back into the wild and wooly past of the American West.The west was at its wildest from 1865 to 1895, when territories west of the Mississippi River remained untamed and lawless. Famous for cowboys, American Indians, lawmen, gunslingers, pioneers, and prospectors, this period in US history captures the imagination of all kids and now is brought vividly to life.
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  • What Was Pompeii?

    Jim O'Connor, Who HQ, John Hinderliter

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, March 13, 2014)
    The morning of August 24, AD 79, seemed like any other in the Roman city of Pompeii. So no one was prepared when the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupted, spouting ash that buried the city and its inhabitants. The disaster left thousands dead, and Pompeii was no more than a memory for almost 1,700 years. In 1748, explorers rediscovered the port city with intact buildings and beautiful mosaics. This easy-to-read account is gripping and includes photos of the ruins.
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  • What Is Climate Change?

    Gail Herman, Who HQ, John Hinderliter

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, June 19, 2018)
    Learn more about what climate change means and how it's affecting our planet.The earth is definitely getting warmer. There's no argument about that, but who or what is the cause? And why has climate change become a political issue? Are humans at fault? Is this just a natural development? While the vast majority of scientists who study the environment agree that humans play a large part in climate change, there is a counterargument. Author Gail Herman presents both sides of the debate in this fact-based, fair-minded, and well-researched book that looks at the subject from many perspectives, including scientific, social, and political.
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  • What Was the March on Washington?

    Kathleen Krull, Who HQ, Tim Tomkinson

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, Feb. 7, 2013)
    On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people gathered in Washington, DC, to demand equal rights for all races. It was there that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, and it was this peaceful protest that spurred the momentous civil rights laws of the mid-1960s. With black-and-white artwork throughout and sixteen pages of photographs, the March is brought to life!
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  • What Were the Salem Witch Trials?

    Joan Holub, Who HQ, Dede Putra

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, Aug. 11, 2015)
    Something wicked was brewing in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. It started when two girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, began having hysterical fits. Soon after, other local girls claimed they were being pricked with pins. With no scientific explanation available, the residents of Salem came to one conclusion: it was witchcraft! Over the next year and a half, nineteen people were convicted of witchcraft and hanged while more languished in prison as hysteria swept the colony. Author Joan Holub gives readers and inside look at this sinister chapter in history.
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  • What Is the Statue of Liberty?

    Joan Holub, Who HQ, John Hinderliter

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, May 29, 2014)
    In 1876, France decided to give the United States a very big and very special present--the Statue of Liberty. The gift was to commemorate the 100th birthday of the United States, and just packing it was no small feat--350 pieces in 214 crates shipped across the ocean. The story of how the 111-foot-tall lady took her place in the New York Harbor will fascinate young readers.
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  • What Was the First Thanksgiving?

    Joan Holub, Lauren Mortimer, James Bennett

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, Aug. 15, 2013)
    The history of the feast! After their first harvest in 1621, the Pilgrims at Plymouth shared a three-day feast with their Native American neighbors. Of course, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag didn’t know it at the time, but they were making history, celebrating what would become a national holiday.
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  • What Is the Super Bowl?

    Dina Anastasio, Who HQ, David Groff

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, Oct. 20, 2015)
    With over 110 million viewers every year, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched television events in the United States. The final showdown between the two best football teams in the NFL attracts some of the biggest musicians to perform at the half-time show. But the Super Bowl is more than just a spectacle – it’s a high-stakes game to win the championship and claim a place in history. Go back in time and relive all the magic from years past – from excruciating fumbles to game winning plays.
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  • What Are the Ten Commandments?

    Yona Zeldis McDonough, Who HQ, Tim Foley

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, Oct. 10, 2017)
    Learn the story behind the ten laws that have been the guiding light of Judeo-Christian belief.Not just about Moses, whose origin story leaves open questions, this book looks back at the time when the commandments were written, how the belief in one all-powerful God set the Israelites apart from other ancient peoples, and the roles the Ten Commandments have played in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It also looks at what each individual commandment means and how together they form the basis of leading a moral life as well as forming a just government.
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  • What Is the Stanley Cup?

    Gail Herman, Who HQ, Gregory Copeland

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, March 12, 2019)
    Ice hockey fans will pull on their skates and gear up for this Who HQ title about the Stanley Cup Finals--the National Hockey League's championship games.Out of the thirty-two pro hockey teams that compete, only one can call itself the champion and proudly hoist up the Stanley Cup--the oldest sports trophy in the world! From the formation of the leagues and the crowning of the first championship-winning team, to the Rangers' Stanley Cup curse and the uncertain fate of the teams during the Spanish flu epidemic, this book recounts the highs and lows of this exciting ice hockey series.
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  • What Is the World Series?

    Gail Herman, Who HQ, David Grayson Kenyon

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, June 23, 2015)
    "Strike – you’re out!" "He’s safe!" "Homerun!" Every October, millions of baseball fans around the country anxiously wait to see which team wins baseball's biggest championship. But the original games of the 1900s hardly look like they do today. Take a look back over one hundred years and discover the history of baseball's greatest series. With triumphs, heartbreak, and superstitious curses, this action-packed book brings America’s Pastime to life.
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  • What Were the Negro Leagues?

    Varian Johnson, Who HQ, Stephen Marchesi

    Paperback (Penguin Workshop, Dec. 24, 2019)
    This baseball league that was made up of African American players and run by African American owners ushered in the biggest change in the history of baseball. In America during the early twentieth century, no part was safe from segregation, not even the country's national pastime, baseball. Despite their exodus from the Major Leagues because of the color of their skin, African American men still found a way to participate in the sport they loved. Author Varian Johnson shines a spotlight on the players, coaches, owners, and teams that dominated the Negro Leagues during the 1930s and 40s. Readers will learn about how phenomenal players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and of course, Jackie Robinson greatly changed the sport of baseball.
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