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1951

Editor's Note: Many of the books are out of print. The header information will be as complete as I can make it.

Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (Dutton, $12.79, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0525255702.	The Medalist A fact-based account of a remarkable African who worked hard and lived clean during his long life as a slave and freeman in the United States. This is a wonderful, inspirational tale about a horrific episode in U.S. history. It doesn't stint on decrying racism but it focuses more instead on this remarkable man's love for freedom.
Better Known as Johnny Appleseed by Mabel Leigh Hunt (J.P. Lippincott, fifth-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book The remarkable life of Johnny Appleseed is poetically described by the author. Sometimes the author's prose runs a little purple and she liberally adds dialogue and suppositions not in the historical record. However, she does do this strange man justice and manages to provide a fair amount of information about early American life on the frontier as it stood in the early 1800s.
Gandhi, Fighter without a Sword by Jeanette Eaton (Morrow, fifth-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book Eaton does a wonderful job of sharing highlights of one of the most amazing men who have ever lived. If you feel the need for righteous anger or a separate need to be inspired, reading this short book would be a welcome cure. It's hard not to be amazed at Gandhi's level-headed spirituality or the pigheaded nature of the racists he overcame in England and South Africa. Eaton doesn't waste words. In this book, her writing is sparse, true to the nature of the man she focuses on. She gives kids much food for thought and a fair introduction to world politics in the early 1900s. I highly recommend this book.
Abraham Lincoln, Friend of the People by Clara Ingram Judson. Out of print	Honor Book Judson provides the readers with an insightful look at one of our most beloved presidents. It took me about four books, but I finally figured out what Judson had in mind. She spends the vast majority of each of her biographies focused on the childhood and upbringing of these famous men, ostensibly in an attempt to make them more accessible to young readers. As a middle-aged history teacher I find myself getting upset with the skimpy sections on their most important work as adults. In any case, Judson does a creditable job of bringing "honest" Abe to light.
The Story of Appleby Capple by Anne Parrish (Harper & Brothers, fourth-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book A nonsensical story gives the author a chance to teach an extended lesson on alliteration and the alphabet. This story is so sickly sweet and cloying that I had to force myself to read it. It's not clever or funny or amusing and has aged as poorly as possible. Modern kids would find it extremely dull.

Copyright David Ross 2003