Book Review: The ABCs of Omaha

 The ABCs of Omaha by Ashlee Coffey, illustrated by Matt Haney, Omaha World Herald, Omaha, NE, 2019.

This is a children's book which I checked out to see if it would give me any ideas of where to visit in Omaha.  Just about everything I had already discovered from other resources.  It did mention the Keystone Trail which basically follows Papillion Creek from the Culver's trailhead which I visited, to Omaha.  The book also mentions the yellow goldenrod flower which I will now be on the look out for.  Some of the otherthings mentioned in this book include: College World Series, Joselyn Art Museum, Durham Museum, Boys Town and the river front.

As far as the book goes it seems the author was sgtruggling to make rhymes because some are not very good.

Book Review: Brigham Young: Corageous Mormon Leader

Brigham Young: Courageous Mormon Leader, Courageous Heroes of the American West, by William R. Sanford and Carl R. Green, Easlow Publishers, Berkeley Heights, NJ, 2013.

This book gives a good overview of the life of Brigham Young, while not getting into anything controversial.  It starts with the Utah War and Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Then it goes back and tells the life of Brigham.  A little about his parents, and how Brigham Young found the gospel.  Brigham Young was called as an apostle after Zion’s Camp.  He was responsible for leading the Saints to Illinois from Missouri while the prophet Joseph Smith was at Liberty Jail.  With the death of the Prophet, the council of twelve apostles took over leadership of the church, with Brigham Young as its president.  At this time the leadership of Brigham Young was really put the test.  He had to deal with mob actions, prepare the Saints to move and the actual move West, deal with government officials which lead to the Mormon Battalion participate in the Mexican American War, determine where exactly to lead the Saints, provide food and transportation for the poorer Saints, and many other day-to-day issues.  Through all this he maintained his composure, wan lead the first wagon train to Utah.  He select4ed a temple site.  He quickly returned east, but then again traveled to Salt Lake.  The city was already well established when he returned. 

Brigham Young had many wives.  He practiced polygamy.  He established two houses in Salt Lake, the Beehive House and the Lion House for his large family.  They were met with another threat after the Civil War ended.  This was a threat from the Ute Indians warring under Chief Black Hawk.  The Mormons where active in the railroad.  Although they main line did not go through Salt Lake, Brigham Young established local lines going from the main line.  He also was active in developing sugar beets and iron factories in Utah for the benefit of the Saints.  Wallace Stegner would later call Brigham Young “a colonizer without equal in the history of America. 

Biography: Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played with Puppets

Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played with Puppets by Kathleen Krull, paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Random House, New York, 2011.
This book, though a children's book, gives a good description of the contributions of Jim Henson.  Jim Henson and his Muppets became household names after they joined the inaugural season of Sesame Street.
However Henson's first start on television was at the age of sixteen.  In college he studied home economics, because that was where he could study art and puppet making.  Then after graduation, after a time in Europe pursuing art, he dedicated himself to the Muppets.  They took off slowly.  That start was mostly in commercials, where the Muppets helped sponsor many different products from coffee to sausage.  (See You Tube Jim Henson commercials) However it was in 1968 with the start of Sesame Street that the Muppets really took off.  Kermit ws already a popular character, but Henson developed more, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, and Miss Piggy.  Who can forget Kermit, and Piggy and the gang.  This eventually lead to a weekly television series, and a series of movies.
However the Muppets were not the only project for Henson.  He was also involved in The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.  He also helped design Yoda for The Empire Strikes Back.
The book mentions Henson receiving awards for his work, but does not give specifics.  What is for certain, Henson made millions of people laugh.
Henson died too young, at the age of 53 in 1990.  At his funeral where butterfly puppets of many different colors.

Book Review: A River Ran Wild

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, Hampton-Brown Books, Carmel, CA, 1992.
This is a history of a Nashua River and the valley that carries the same name.  It starts with Native American times, when the river was home to many wild animals, and Native Americans built a village along its banks and used the river for fishing and transportation.  The river supplied all they needed.  Next came a mountain man, who was welcomed.  Then came farmers, who cut down the towering forest and raised crops and animals.  They built saw mills along the river and used the power from the river.  They trees were cut into lumber to make houses and buildings.  Native American fishing rights vanished, as did the forests for hunting. 
This was followed by an industrial age.  Paper factories dumped leftover pulp and dye into the river.  Then came plastics.  Chemicals and plastic waste were also dumped.  The river became more and more clogged.  It also became smelly.
Oweana, a Native American descendant of those early Native Americans, and his friend Marion, both dreamed of the pebbled bottom of the river, which was long gone, and decided something must be done.  They began talking to others who imagined a clean river with a pebbled bottom.  First the convinces the paper mills to build a waste plant and no longer dump in the river.  They also persuaded factories to stop dumping.  New laws were enacted and factories stopped polluting.  Slowly the river's current began cleaning the river.  Today it is a river restored. 

Sea Turtles: National Geographic Kids

Sea Turtles by Laura Marsh, National Geographic Kids, Washington, D.C., 2011.
Many things in this little book about Sea Turtles of which I  was not aware.  For example, there are six different types of sea turtles.  Five types have shells, but one type, the largest type of sea turtle, does not have a shell.  This is the leatherback.  Instead of a shell it has rubbery skin with bones underneath.  The Kemp Ridley is the smallest sea turtle.  It is also the most endangered.  The Olive Ridley has an olive color.  The flat back has the flattest body.  The green turtle is the only sea turtle which likes to warm itself in the sand on the beach.  The hawksbill usually stays closer to the surface.  Turtles are reptiles.  The breath like we do.  They must stay close to the surface, but some can dive  very far down.  However they must resurface to take another breath.  Some things we can do to help turtles, pick up trash on the beach and don't let trash get in the ocean.  Flying balloons by the ocean can be especially bad.  Help pick up trash.  Turn of unnecessary lights by the ocean as lights can confuse the turtles.  Follow warning signs about turtle hatching  areas.  Stay away.  You can accidentally step on a nest.  Tell others about turtles and how to keep them safe.

Book review: Nettie's Trip South

Nettie's Trip South by Ann Turner, illustrated by Ronald Himler, Alladin Paperbacks,  New York, 1987.
This is actual a book of fiction, describing a trip South just before the Cicil War.  The author says this of the book, "This story is inspired by my great grandmother Henrietta
'a [Nettie's] diary of her trip South, taken in 1859 when she was a young woman.  there, she witnessed a slave auction and returned home a committed abolitionist.  As she said in her own words, 'All I have heard of slaver seemed unreal until now that I see for myself.'"
The story of this book is a young woman, traveling South with her older brother and sister, just before the Civil.  Her brother was determined to see conditions, and to see a slave auction.  It appears he was writing a paper.  It describes the auction, and the slaves being required to jump when told to do so.  They slaves did not have last names, just their first.  Families meant nothing to the overseer, so without a last name they could removed easily from relatives.  The story tells of two siblings being separated.  It also confronts the idea of three fifths of a person according to the constitution, because all the people for full people.
The story tells of the profound effect on the author, who now has nightmares.
Slavery was a nightmare for our country, and lead to inevitable results to get rid of it.

Book Review: Let's Read About...Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let's Read About martin Luther King, Jr. by Courtney Baker, Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, Scholistic, New York, 2001.
This is a very good book about the childhood of Martin Luther King, and the things that would effect him in later life.  It explains the circumstances of his developing a dream that children would be able to live together, no matter the color of their skin.

Book Review: Holildays and Festivals: Christmas

 Holidays and Festivals: Christmas, by Nancy Dickman, Heinemann Library, Chicago, Illinois, 2011.
This book appears to be geared towards second graders.  It is good to know that there are books about Christmas available.  Of course it is one in a series of books.  This book is very basic.  Christmas is a holiday celebrated by Christians, people who believe Christ is the son of God.  The celebrate by sending cards, decorating, putting up a Christmas tree, going to church, singing carols, giving gifts and getting gifts from Santa Clause.

Book Review: Jim Thorpe Legendary Athlete

Native American Biographies: Jim Thorpe Legendary Athlete, Barbara Long, Enslow Publishers, Springfield, NJ, 1997.

When Jim Thorpe participated in the 1912 Olympics in Sweden, the king of Sweden declared Thorpe the greatest athlete in the world.  He won the pentathlon and the decathlon.  He came home and proved his athleticism by being a pioneer in professional football, and also playing professional baseball.  Thorpe excelled at football, at Carlisle University, playing for Pop Warner.  He would play defense, offense and kick.  He excelled at kicking.  As a result he scored more points than the normal athlete.  He would run for a touchdown, and also kick field goals.  Even after retiring he entertained crowds at halftime by showing his kicking prowess, standing in the middle of the field and kicking in turn both directions. 

Jim Thorpe was of Fox and Sauk ethnicity.  He is a descendant of the famous Sauk Chief Black Hawk.  He had a twin brother, but when he went hunting with his father his brother was left behind because he was ill.  He would die before they could see him again. 

Thorpe would marry three times, and was the father of 8 children.  His oldest son died of juvenile paralysis and Thorpe described this as the hardest time of his life.  He had three more daughters with his first wife, four sons with his second.  When he was elderly he remarried his third wife.  His first two marriages ended in divorce.  It is hard to maintain a family and travel as much as is required of an athlete. 

A few years after winning the two Olympic gold medals, it was discovered that Thorpe had been paid a nominal fee to play baseball.  As a result he lost his amateur status and the medals were taken away.   They were given back to the family after his death, and an appeal based on the Olympic rules that medals could not be taken away so long after they were given. 

At times Thorpe struggled to make a living after he retired form sports. 

Book Review: Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims

Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims, Clyde Robert Bulla, pictures by Peter Burchard, Scholastic Inc., New York, 1954.
I found this book and excellent read.  It is a youth book, and historical fiction as it tells the story of Squanto.  However I really found myself engaged with the character Squanto and the things that happened to him.  I had heard he was kidnapped, and it was a good read to see how that happened.  He was sold into slavery, and rescued by some Catholic Priests.  Originally he had gone to England willingly.  He enjoyed his time there, and found it difficult to get home.  When he finally did, his people had all died from disease.  His community had been where the Pilgrims settled, so he moved in with the pilgrims and taught them about how to survive in the new world.  His ability to speak English was a great asset.

The Story of Margret Ray, H.A. Ray and Curious George

The story of the Rays is remarkable.  Margret and H.A. or Hans were German Jews.  Hans developed a love of drawing, living across the street from the Hamburg zoo.  Margret was a writer.  They met in Brazil.  Hans was there selling bath tubs.  After marrying the returned to Europe to live in Paris.  There they published their first book, which introduced Curious George.  The book, "Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys" introduced a little monkey, Fifi, who would later become George.
Just before Paris fell to the Nazis, the Rays fled on bicycles.  They had the pictures for a new book, about George on the bicycles with them.  The crossed the French-Spanish border, and caught a train for Lisbon. Portugal.  From there the sailed to Brazil.  They were able to use Han's Brazilian passport to gain entry to the United States.  Margret minded the business end of things and negotiated for a publisher.  They were able to produce the first Curious George book in 1941.  However with the war, subsequent books were put on hold.  There was not enough paper to produce children's books at the time.  However the Rays would write and illustrate seven Curious George books.  Some of them dealt with going to the hospital, some helped teach younger children to read.  George goes up in to space in a rocket, and in another wins a medal.  He also deals with an ostrich at the zoo.  What ever the story, they are delightful, and the Rays knew how to entertain children.  They did not have any children of their own, but were often involved in projects to improve the lives of children.

Book Review: Gettysburg Address: in Translation

The Gettysburg Address: in Translation; What It Really Means, by: Kay Melchisedech Olson, Fact Finders, Kids’ Translations, Capstone Press, Mankato, MN, 2009.

http://whilhelmsthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/03/word-i-like-lincolns-gettysburg-address.html 

Gettysburg Address

This is again a children’s book, so only expect an overview.  I don’t like the idea of translating the words.  It is not a true translation, and appears manipulated so the author can express opinion or information he/she wants to without regards for the original document.  However this does include the original words, which sound so much better than the translation, almost poetic. 

There is also a glaring factual error, which is repeated twice.  The author says the battle at Gettysburg was the first in the North of the war.  Antietam was in Maryland the year prior.  Maybe the author thought Maryland was in the South, but her own map and list of states has it in the North.  I don’t know how this could have been missed. 

This is something I need to check out.  The book suggests www.facthound.com.  You choose your grade level, and then put in the book code, 1429619309 and it will give you links for age appropriate information. 

Book Review: Inca Town, written by Fiona Macdonald and illustrated by Mark Bergin, Grolier Publishing1998.

Inca Town is an interesting book.  It present an Inca community, most likely Cusco, at the end of the 15^th century, or the Incan Empire’s most prosperous time.  This was before an internal rebellion, and before the arrival of the Spanish.  This book presents several different Incan ideas, but does say no one knows exactly what things were like.  Among other things it mentions the moving of those conquered to different areas, and thus avoid the chance of rebellion.  It shows a picture of an enemy’s eyes being removed so we will not be able to participate or plan battles any more.  It also mentions the practice of sacrifice, generally of the Sun Maidens, or woman selected for their beauty and talents.  Some just made chichi (an alcoholic beverage) or wove fine linens.  However some were also honored with the task of being sacrificed to the Sun.  It mentions children were also sacrificed at times. 

It also shows farming; which was difficult at high elevations.  Incan farmers are known for terraces, and irrigation.   They raised potatoes, corn, beans and gourds.  Their diet was mostly vegetarian.  There were also craftspeople.  Those who worked with clay, or carved stone or wood, and also those who worked previous metals.  All these people were taxed by a percentage of their produce.  Also taxes were levied in the form of labor.  This is how many communal projects were completed.  Religious ceremonies were important to the Incas.  The would have processions in which they would show of their finest items to the Sun God. 

I found this book interesting.  It was illustrated throughout with cut-out buildings so you could see inside.  Sometimes it was difficult to tell if a wall or something was cut away or if that was the way it actually looked. 

Book Review: Gold, Gold from the American river, Don Brown Roaring Book Press 2011

This is an interesting read, and presents some startling statistics I had never seen before.  Of those traveling to California over the California trail perhaps as many as 4000 people died on the trip.  This is understandable, as it was a very hard road.  Also many people traveled this route; in 1849 alone over 20,000.  Most died from disease, especially cholera. 

The fact that is even more remarkable is the number of the gold miners who also died.  “One of every five forty-niners died from disease or accident the first six months of arriving in California.”  That is a significant statistic.

The story starts with the journey to California, around South America, over the Isthmus of Panama, or the California Trail.  It talks of some of the hardships with these options, but the goal was to arrive at Sacramento. 

Although most of the miners were Yankees, not all.  A quarter were mixed ethnic backgrounds, mostly Chinese.  Those of other ethnic groups were not treated well.  Eventually a miner’s tax was imposed on foreigners, and many returned home.

Native Americans were treated even more poorly.  They were expelled by mining communities, and often succumbed to new diseases brought by the miners.  Many towns offered a bounty for them, so many were murdered. 

Only a few people made a fortune in the gold mines.  By 1852 most of the mining was done by large companies with large machines, which ended to gold rush.  Even so 300,000 people arrived in California during this period.  Those who did become wealthy, mostly did so in merchandising rather than in mining.