MAGRUDER' S 2007 AMERICAN GOVERNMENT (Magruder's American Government)
Snow Falling in Spring: Coming of Age in China During the Cultural Revolution (Melanie Kroupa Books)
by Moying Li
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
In 1966 Moying, a student at a prestigious language school in Beijing, seems destined for a promising future. Everything changes when student Red Guards begin to orchestrate brutal assaults, violent public humiliations, and forced confessions. After watching her teachers and headmasters beaten in public, Moying flees school for the safety of home, only to witness her beloved grandmother denounced, her home ransacked, her father’s precious books flung onto the back of a truck, and Baba himself taken away. From labor camp, Baba entrusts a friend to deliver a reading list of banned books to Moying so that she can continue to learn. Now, with so much of her life at risk, she finds sanctuary in the world of imagination and learning.
This inspiring memoir follows Moying Li from age twelve to twenty-two, illuminating a complex, dark time in China’s history as it tells the compelling story of one girl’s difficult but determined coming-of-age during the Cultural Revolution.
In 1966 Moying, a student at a prestigious language school in Beijing, seems destined for a promising future. Everything changes when student Red Guards begin to orchestrate brutal assaults, violent public humiliations, and forced confessions. After watching her teachers and headmasters beaten in public, Moying flees school for the safety of home, only to witness her beloved grandmother denounced, her home ransacked, her father’s precious books flung onto the back of a truck, and Baba himself taken away. From labor camp, Baba entrusts a friend to deliver a reading list of banned books to Moying so that she can continue to learn. Now, with so much of her life at risk, she finds sanctuary in the world of imagination and learning.
This inspiring memoir follows Moying Li from age twelve to twenty-two, illuminating a complex, dark time in China’s history as it tells the compelling story of one girl’s difficult but determined coming-of-age during the Cultural Revolution.
Presidential Elections: And Other Cool Facts
by Syl Sobel
from Barron's Educational Series
Which three pairs of relatives have been U.S. presidents? What is the electoral college? What's a caucus? How often has the vice president become president? The answers to these and many other questions about the presidential elections are revealed in this quick, friendly read by the author of How the U.S. Government Works. Guiding young readers through the complicated process of determining the leader of the country, the book includes chapters on the rules for electing the president, the electoral college, the presidential campaign, and the procedure and order of succession if something happens to the president. A glossary and selected bibliography provide useful fodder for future student research. Sprinkled throughout are fascinating tidbits on past presidents and their wives. In the 1948 election, for example, the Chicago Tribune was so sure Thomas Dewey had won the close race against Harry S. Truman, they printed a front-page story with the headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman." Imagine their chagrin when all the votes were counted and Truman had won!
Sobel does a fine job of extracting the relevant information from the elaborate electoral process, and making it manageable for elementary school-aged children (but watch out for typos!). Jill Wood's blue line drawings add interest to the well-balanced text. (Ages 8 to 11) --Emilie Coulter
Much that we all thought we knew about U.S. presidential elections went out the window with the historic Bush-Gore campaign of 2000. But that wasn't the only unusual election in United States history—merely the most recent and most surprising. The previous edition of Syl Sobel's Presidential Elections was a great introduction to past presidential campaigns for kids. The updated new edition is even better! Young readers will find all kinds of interesting facts for their history and social studies classes as they learn—Who can run for president? ... Who can vote? ... What is the Electoral College? ... What is a third-party candidate? ... What if something happens to the president? Some of the unusual facts they'll discover include—Which Republican president had a Democrat for his vice president? ... How many candidates have won the popular vote but lost the election? ... Why was President Truman so happy in 1948, when he read the Chicago Tribune headline that declared: "Dewey Defeats Truman"? Most interesting of all, and with Syl Sobel's guidance, boys and girls will explore the dramatic presidential election of 2000, a marathon contest that wasn't decided until five weeks after Election Day.
America Votes: How Our President Is Elected
by Linda Granfield
from Kids Can Press, Ltd.
Kids shouldn't have to wait until they're old enough to vote to get caught up in the excitement of presidential elections! From the first primaries, through the party conventions, to the final count at the polls, the race for the presidency is a whirlwind of passionate speeches, sensational campaigns and new beginnings that every American can be a part of!
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
from Puffin
Sooner or later, just about every American kid is required to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. And until now, it was one of the more boring, meaningless assignments. But artist and political cartoonist David Catrow (Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon) has changed all that with his witty, clear-as-a-Liberty-Bell picture book. For him, the Constitution is "a kind of how-to book, showing us ways to have happiness, safety, and comfort." With laugh-out-loud cartoony illustrations, and the actual words of the Preamble as the only text, Catrow depicts a camping trip taken by a diverse, bumbling group of friends, demonstrating the rights and responsibilities the Constitution places on all Americans, young and old. In one especially winning picture, the kids' long-nosed, long-eared pooch provides "for the common defense," keeping lackadaisical guard over the camp as the three human friends yuk it up in silhouette inside the tent. Readers will never yawn at mention of the Constitution again! (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
A long time ago some smart guys wrote the Preamble to the Constitution. You have probably read it before, but do you know what it means? And did it ever make you laugh? Now it will! Perfect for inspiring discussion in classrooms and around kitchen tables, this fun-filled and cheerfully illustrated look at the Preamble provides an accessible introduction to America's founding ideals for citizens of all ages.
Includes a glossary of terms and a foreword by the artist.
If I Ran For President
by Catherine Stier
from Albert Whitman & Company
_This title is a step above the usual election books, both in content and entertainment value. Six children take turns explaining the election process as if they were running for president. They discuss their decision to run, campaigning, primaries and conventions, debating, being interviewed, meeting the public, voting, and being sworn in on Inauguration Day. Stier does a good job of explaining election details, both in an introductory note about electoral votes and in the text itself....The author adds flavor by providing humorous examples, such as the need to smile despite indigestion....The lively cartoons cheerfully clarify the action and reinforce the concepts. Libraries will want this kid-friendly title.__School Library Journal
_Children will come away with a better understanding of the complex election-process, and, just maybe, an enduring respect for it._ _Booklist
Power & Choice: An Introduction to Political Science
by W. Phillips Shively
from McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
This general, comparative introduction to the major concepts and themes of political science engages students with concrete analytical examples without overwhelming them with excessive detail. In this extensively revised eleventh edition, W. Phillips Shively surpasses the high standards he set in prior editions, bringing political science conceptually alive as never before.
American Government (Magruder's American Government)
How the U.S. Government Works
by Syl Sobel
from Barron's Educational Series
A fine classroom supplement and a solid information source for kids writing social studies reports, this book explains the federal system as it works today, more than two hundred years after the framers of the Constitution brought it into existence. Covered here are the Legislative body, composed of Senate and House Representatives, the Executive branch, headed by the President and consisting of Cabinet members and their agencies, and the Judicial branch, headed by the U.S. Supreme Court, and extending to federal courts throughout the nation. Young readers learn how officials are elected or appointed and how government agencies work for the people's benefit. A complex process is explained in interesting terms that young readers can comprehend.
Magruder's American Government 2003 (Magruder's American Government)
by William A. McClenaghan
from Pearson Prentice Hall
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