2 Choice Picture Books

"John, Paul, George, and Ben"





"John, Paul, George, and Ben" is written and illustrated by Lane Smith. I would use this book with students who are in second through fifth grade. 


Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. 




Summary: This is the story of John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin before they became legends. This book describes their childhood and how the events that happened in their lives led them to where they left their mark in history. 




I love this book and will definitely be using it in my classroom. It is a fun way to teach children about history. It also allows them to picture these influential people as children like themselves. Teachers can use this book to teach their students about each of the men featured in this book and the rolls they played in our history. 






"Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride"

This book is written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by Brian Selznick. I would use this book with students who were in grades four or five. 




Rating: I would give this book 3 *** out of 3 stars. 




Summary: This is the story of a night in April when Amelia Earhart and her husband visited Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House. They were great friends who loved to do things that many thought women shouldn't be doing such as flying and driving. They go on adventures doing both of those things and share dessert at the White House afterwards.


  This book can be used to talk about the relationship between friends. Both of these women shared similarities as well as differences and this never hindered the fact that they liked to spend time with each other. Teachers could also use this book to teach children about the famous women in our history, these particular women included. You could teach your students about all of the wonderful things Amelia and Eleanor accomplished in their lifetime as well as some other influential women such as Rosa Parks. This book can also be used to introduce the issues between women's rights and the traditional roles women are expected to play. 




*Both of these books contain authors notes that contain the true story behind the ones illustrated in the book.