Nalini Krishnankutty
  • Home
  • About
  • Workshops
  • Publications
  • EVENTS
  • Contact

Children's Books That Celebrate Contributions of Immigrants

W is for Weisz aka Houdini: Books about Immigrant Magician and Escape Artist, Harry Houdini

4/12/2017

0 Comments

 
Erich Weisz was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1874, and moved with his family to Wisconsin when he was a child. Erich changed his name to Harry Houdini when he became a magician at the age of 20 - Harry was similar to his childhood nickname "Ehrie" and "Houdini" was in honor of a famous French Magician named Houdin.

More than his ability in magic, Houdini gained fame as an escape-artist, and performed shows all over the country, and even in Europe. His acts included escaping from handcuffs, straightjackets, water-filled tanks and packing crates. Houdini's most famous act was the Chinese Water Torture Cell, in which he escaped after being suspended upside down by his feet in a locked glass cabinet, after managing to hold his breath for more than three minutes to escape. 

Picture
Children's Books: 

A Picture Book of Harry Houdini

David Adler (Author), Michael Adler (Author), Collins Matt (Illustrator)
Publisher: Holiday House (2010)
Ages: 4-8 yrs; Grades: 1-3

​Review: Amazon Reviews 4.5*


Picture

​Harry Houdini (Kids Can Read)
Elizabeth MacLeod (Author),  John Mantha (Illustrator)
Publisher: Kids Can Press (2009)
Ages: 6-8 yrs; Grades: 1-3

​Review: Amazon Reviews 4.5*


Picture
Who Was Harry Houdini?
Tui Sutherland (Author),  
​
John O'Brien and Nancy Harrison (Illustrators)
Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap (2002)
Ages: 8-12 yrs; Grades: 3-7

​Review: Amazon Reviews 4.5*

0 Comments

T is for Tesla: Books about Immigrant and Inventor and Engineer, Nikola Tesla

4/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Nikola Tesla was born in current day Croatia in 1856, and came to the United States in 1884. Tesla got interested in inventing electrical devices, thanks to his role model, his mother Djuka Mandic, who invented small household appliances. After studying physics, mathematics in Germany, Austria and Hungary, Tesla came to the United States in 1884 at the age of 28, with little money, and a letter of introduction to inventor Thomas Edison from Charles Batchelor. "I know two great men," wrote Batchelor, "one is you and the other is this young man."

Tesla stopped working with Edison shortly after personal differences came in the way. His inventions caught the attention of George Westinghouse, who bought his alternating current patents to help with supplying electricity over long distances. In 1895, Tesla designed one of the first AC hydroelectric power plants in the United States, at Niagara Falls, which provided power to the city of Buffalo, New York. His inventions continue to  be used today - e.g. his AC system remains the worldwide standard for power transmission, and his 1891 invention, "Tesla coil," is still used in radio technology.

Picture
Children's Books: 

Electrical Wizard: Candlewick Biographies: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World

Elizabeth Rusch (Author); Oliver Dominguez (Illustrator)
Publisher: Candlewick (2015)
Ages: 8-12 yrs; Grades: 3-7

​Review: Amazon Reviews 4.5*


Additional Online and Other Sources:
  • Biography.com
  • History.com
  • Teslasociety.com
  • Wizard: The Life and times of Nikola Tesla: Biography of a Genius. Seifer, Marc J., Citadel, 2016. Print.
0 Comments

P is for Pedro: Book about Immigrant  and Baseball Player, Petro Jaime Martinez

3/29/2017

0 Comments

 
Pedro Martinez was born in the Dominican Republic in 1971. Pedro loved baseball since he was a child, and achieved his dreams of playing in Major League Baseball, making his debut on September 24, 1992 for the Dodgers. As one of the top pitchers in baseball, he pitched for five teams from 1992 to 2009, including the Boston Red Sox. He was a three time winner of the prestigious Cy Young Award, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Picture
Children's Books: 
​

Growing up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made it from the Dominican Republic All the Way to the Major Leagues
Matt Tavares (Author, Illustrator)
Publisher: Candlewick (2015)
Ages: 8-12 yrs; Grades 3-7

​Review: Amazon Reviews 5*, Kirkus Review


Online Sources
  • Society for American Baseball Research
  • Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Boston Globe
0 Comments

N is for Nadia: Book about Immigrant  and Gymnast, Nadia Comaneci

3/27/2017

0 Comments

 
Nadia Comaneci was born in Romania in 1961. At the age of 14, she created history during the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal by scoring the first ever perfect 10.00 in a Gymnastics event. She became a household name all round the world, after getting six additional perfect scores, and three gold medals at the Montreal Games. She defected to the United States in 1989, and became a US citizen in 2001.

Picture
Children's Books: 

Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Stil

Karlin Gray (Author); Christine Davenier (Illustrator)
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (2016)
Ages: 6-9 yrs; Grades 1-4

​Review: Amazon Reviews 4.5*, Kirkus Reviews


Additional Online Sources:
  • Biography.com
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica


0 Comments

M is for Muir: Books about Immigrant  and Environmentalist, John Muir

3/27/2017

0 Comments

 
John Muir was born in Scotland on April 21, 1838, and migrated to the United States in 1849 with his family. John loved nature and was a writer and explorer. He founded the Sierra Club on May 28, 1892 with the goal of protecting the environment. He was instrumental in persuading President Roosevelt during a three-day camping trip to return Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to federal protection as part of Yosemite National Park. He is often considered the father of the National Parks System.

Picture
Children's Books: 

The Camping Trip that Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and our National Parks
Barb Rosenstock (Author); Mordicai Gerstein (Illustrator)
Publisher: Dial Books (2012)
Ages: 6-8 yrs; Grades 1-3

​Review: Amazon Reviews 4.5*, Kirkus Review

Picture
 John Muir: America's First Environmentalist
 Kathryn Lasky (Author); Stan Fellows (Illustrator)
 Publisher: Candlewick (2014)
 Ages: 8-12yrs; Grades 3-7

​ Review: Amazon Reviews 4.5* ​


Additional Online Sources:
  • PBS National Parks
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • ​National Park Service
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture

    Series Author

    Nalini Krishnankutty
    Writer. Researcher. Speaker.  Eternal Migrant. Journeying between worlds in search of truth and meaning.

    Series Description

    Starting with A is for Albert, B is for Blackwell, and C is for Clive, the series highlights the contributions made by immigrants to science, art, medicine, and more - to the founding of our nation, our institutions and our ways of living. This series provides a starting point for parents, educators and librarians to shape personal perspectives, create common narratives, and increase awareness of the tremendous impact that immigrants have had on our country.

    Archives

    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    Series Introduction
    A is for Albert
    B is for Blackwell
    ​C is for Clive
    ​G is for Graham Bell
    ​H is for Hamilton
    ​I is for Irving
    J is for James
    L is for Levi
    ​M is for Muir
    N is for Nadia
    P is for Pedro
    T is for Tesla
    W is for Weisz 

      Subscribe to blog: 

    Submit

    RSS Feed


​DO STAY IN TOUCH  - I look forward to hearing from you! 

  • Home
  • About
  • Workshops
  • Publications
  • EVENTS
  • Contact