Here’s a new title that middle and high school students will welcome. Award-winning author and historian Rod Gragg’s book, The Declaration of Independence: The Story Behind America’s Founding Document and the Men Who Created It boasts yet another subtitle: A Museum in a Book. And a museum it is. For in addition to its lavish illustrations, the book includes replicas of actual diaries, private journals and artifacts related to the drama of independence. Reach into a pocket on page five, for instance, and you can pull out a walking map of Philadelphia in 1756. A replica of a list of patriots killed and wounded at Concord peeks out from behind a period illustration of the famous battle. And, of course, there’s also a full-size replica of the Declaration itself. This informative, attractive book includes notes and a bibliography. Gragg, who is also the author of Lewis and Clark: On the Trail of Discovery, has created a unique, fascinating and interactive resource that truly makes American history come alive.
Deborah Hopkinson’s new book for children of all ages is entitled Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America.
