On this day 76 years ago, Amelia Earhart took flight from a Honolulu area runway in her red Lockheed Vega. Eighteen hours later, she had made her mark in the history books as the first pilot – man or woman – to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to California. She landed successfully in Oakland, Calif., on Jan. 12, 1935, having traveled a little over 2,400 miles!
This was just one of many adventure flights completed by the popular aviator, before she disappeared mysteriously in an around-the-world flight in 1937. Earhart had the heart of a pioneer, just like her grandparents who had traveled to Kansas in a covered wagon to help settle the Midwest.
Saddleback Educational Publishing strives to capture this spirit of adventure in its 32-page graphic biography “Amelia Earhart.” BigUniverse.com also offers other non-fiction picture books with smart, strong, courageous, kind and adventuresome females in the starring role. Read a book. Light a fire.
Books to Inspire Girls to Greatness
“We believe that books with good writing and amazing photos are irresistible to kids,” states Bearport Publishing, a new partner of the children’s picture book website Big Universe.
I found Bearport’s new horse books irresistible, so that must make me a big kid too! Not only was “Hollywood Horses” filled with images of celebrity equines from my childhood – Trigger, Mr. Ed and Silver – it also was chock-full of interesting trivia.
Q. Who was the first cowboy-and-horse team in Hollywood?
A. William S. Hart teamed with Fritz, a talented paint horse.
Q. How many westerns did actor Gene Autry and his trick pony Champion make together?
A. They made 91 westerns, and Champion starred on his own show.
Q. What is a “stuffie”?
A. Sometimes a mechanical horse called a “stuffie” is used to film certain riding scenes in movies.
Q. What was actress Dale Evans’ horse named?
A. He was named “Buttermilk” for his unique coloring.
Kids – especially girls – are drawn to horses like bees to honey. I was one of those and so was my oldest daughter. Other readers are drawn to trivia. Bearport Publishing has honed its topics to feed these interests, recognizing that they can be used to facilitate literacy.
“We believe that providing books kids want to read is one of the surest ways to foster reading achievement. These… principles guide the development of all our curriculum-aligned nonfiction titles for children in grades PreK-8.” – Bearport Publishing.
Great photos accompany the interesting non-fiction narrative written by Meish Goldish in “Hollywood Horses.” Vocabulary words are highlighted in the text and listed in a glossary at the back of the book. The humane treatment of horses and animals in films is emphasized. Fact boxes add interest, and resources for further study are given.
Big Universe also features three other selections from Bearport Publishing’s Horse Power series (Grade 2-7), including “Working Horses” by Mary Packard, “Show Horses” by Margaret Fetty and “Police Horses” by Sunita Apte. They offer historical facts and provide great cultural context. Other books in the series include “Fire Horses,” “Military Horses,” “Race Horses” and “Therapy Horses.”
Note: I list additional children’s picture books in my blog “20 Horse Books to Trigger Love of Reading.” To find other high-interest series, check out Bearport Publishing’s narrative non-fiction offerings on its website.
On this day 76 years ago, Amelia Earhart took flight from a Honolulu area runway in her red Lockheed Vega. Eighteen hours later, she had made her mark in the history books as the first pilot – man or woman – to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to California. She landed successfully in Oakland, Calif., on Jan. 12, 1935, having traveled a little over 2,400 miles!
