In Print

NEA Today, Feb 2006

In Print

AMERICAN HISTORY, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Spanning more than 500 years, Howard Zinn's Voices of a People's History of the United States presents stories that history often overlooks-those of women, people of color, Native Americans, workers, and others who struggle for equality and justice. Through speeches, letters, poems, and songs in this comprehensive historical survey they are at last given a voice. 665 pp. $18.95 from Seven Stories Press. Go to www.sevenstories.com.

THE REAL STORY OF ROSA PARKS

The recent death of Rosa Parks has unleashed a spate of remembrances-but how many are accurate? In She Would Not Be Moved: How We Tell the Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, author Herbert Kohl contends that framing Parks' actions as merely those of a tired woman ignores her bravery and commitment to political activism. Kohl aims to set the record straight in this study of the people, events, and groundwork that led to Parks' momentous decision on a city bus. Includes a teacher's guide and extensive resource list. 126 pp. $22.95 from The New Press. Go to www.thenewpress.com.

TOWARD A KINDER, GREENER WORLD

For teachers looking to incorporate environmental studies into their curriculum, Teaching Green-The Elementary Years: Hands-on Learning in Grades K-5 offers grade-appropriate strategies and project ideas to foster green appreciation. Editors Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn compile background information on environmental issues with practical instructions and activities that address a range of topics. 256 pp. $29.95 from New Society Publishers. To order, visit www.greenteacher.com.

PLEASE BE MY FRIEND

Whether meeting for a playdate in kindergarten or hanging out in the high school cafeteria, students with learning disabilities are especially vulnerable to rejection. Author Richard Lavoie suggests ways to help children whose social skills are suffering in it's So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success. Besides pointers on how to spot a learning disability, Lavoie discusses how a disability can affect a child's social development and offers strategies that teachers and parents can use to help children transform selfdefeating behaviors. 359 pp. $25 from Simon and Schuster. To order, visit www.simonsays.com.

AND NOTHING WAS EVER THE SAME

On a gray, ordinary morning, a boy wakes up and prepares for another ho-hum day, but nothing can prepare him for the revolution about to take place in his class. Along with an old Victrola, the new teacher brings a key that will unlock the boy's imagination. In Once Upon an Ordinary School Day by Colin McNaughton and Satoshi Kitamura, the children in Mr. Gee's class learn that music makes pictures in their heads, and that writing about the pictures gives their stories flight. Ages 4-8. 24 pp. $16 from Farrar Straus Giroux. Go to www.fsgkidsbooks.com.

I'M NOT CRAZY-IT'S EVERYONE ELSE!

The world can be perplexing when you're a 10year-old with ADHD. Rainy Tucker tries to pay attention to grownups and rules, but it's hard to stay focused. Rainy by Sis Deans presents a sweet, sunny girl with an endless supply of energy that sometimes takes her where she doesn't want to go. Left at camp for the summer, Rainy must negotiate tricky friendships and stay out of trouble, while remaining true to herself. Ages 9-12. 191 pp. $16.95 from Henry Holt and Company. To order visit www.henryholtchildrensbooks.com.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU, GETTING TO KNOW ME

To the legions of fictional boys struggling through adolescence, add Brad Stanislawski. As the new kid with an unpronounceable name who towers over his shorter classmates, Brad doesn't see how things can get worse, but in Mary Bartek's Funerals & Fly Fishing he's about to find out. Unforeseen circumstances ruin Brad's summer, and he's sent to stay with a grandfather he's never met-and who, Brad is horrified to discover, runs a funeral parlor. He also loves to fish, and through this shared pleasure they move tentatively toward friendship. Ages 9-12. 148 pp. $16.95 from Henry Holt and Company, www.henryholtchildrensbooks.com.

BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOUR PRESCHOOLERS

Laverne Warner and Sharon Anne Lynch, professors of early and special education, provide strategies for addressing behavioral issues before and after they arise in Preschool Classroom Management: 750 TeacherTested Techniques. The authors address 150 issues and their solutions, with advice on how to foster communication that allows children to make good decisions, have positive interactions, and learn more effectively. Useful for those both new to early education and those more experienced. 224 pp. $24.95 from Gryphon House. To order, go to www.gryphonhouse.com.