Abe Lincoln at Last! Magic Tree House Series #47

Written by: Mary Pope Osborne

Illustrated by: Sal Murdocca

Age Level: 6+

Themes:

Adventure, Government Structure, Fictional Biography

Summary:

Annie and Jack are in search of the third item which will help them bring Penny back. The next item they must find must come from President Lincoln. They travel back in time to when President Lincoln was in office. They meet Tad and Willie along the way and form friendships. They travel even farther back in time and meet Sam, who promises to take them to meet Lincoln. After helping Sam, they travel to the time when Lincoln was president and finally meet the President. It runs out Sam was the president and they have already received their gift from Lincoln. 

Pre-Reading Activity:

Students will complete a graphic organizer of the parts of government.

Post-Reading Activity:

Students will use the graphic organizer to write an essay of the parts of the US government, Students will write a one page paper on the parts of the government.

About the Author:

MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is also the coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers series with Will, and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.

SAL MURDOCCA has illustrated more than 200 children's trade and text books. He is also a librettist for children's opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, and bicyclist, and a teacher of children's illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.

From: Amazon.com

Reflection:

This is a great book for kids to read because they are entertained and captivated by the story while gaining insight into historical facts. It is a great way to get kids interested in history. There is also another Tree House Series  book which mirrors this book in an autobiography of Abe Lincoln.  

What does the President do?

Written by David J. Jakubiak

Ages: 8+

Grades: 3-5
Themes: US Government, President Obama

Summary:
This book is a factual book which gives information about Barack Obama and his job as president. It explains the electoral college and the election process. The author describes the duties of the president, including how the president works with other world leaders to solve problems. There is a description of Cabinet and Congress. A tour of the White House is given with details of all the rooms in the house.

Pre-Reading Activity:
Ask the students to fill out a K-W-L chart about the US government.

Post-Reading Activity:

Revisit the K-W-L chart and fill in what the students learned. Also, have them come up with questions that they still have about the government they would like to learn. Students could research these questions to find the answers in different books or online.

About the Author:

"I am a content strategist, a writer, a husband, a father, a gardener, a brewer, and a lover of food.

My goal is to capture voices in stories that are true to those who tell them, and to offer readers experiences when they take in my words. I work each day to be a better husband and dad. I weed, I compost, I brew, and I cook." 

taken from: http://www.davidjakubiak.com/about-me/

Reflection:

I like this book and would use it in the classroom. I think it provides good explanations of the parts of the United States government. It has great photos and is layed out in a way which is visually appealing to children. It is divided into different topics which would make it easy for students to use as a reference. This author has written other informative books which would be good references for any classroom.