I had so many suggestions and want to share the list. I have one teacher who
took them right out of the box they were in and I haven't seen them since.
:-) But I will!
Thank you to ALL who sent the suggestions. A few are out of print but I'll
keep my eyes open.
OH, Cynthia Rylant has a connection to Alabama which I learned from the
books. I thought very neat!
Cynthia Patridge
Collins Elementary
Scottsboro, AL
jopat@scottsboro.org home
cpatridge@scottsboroschools.net school
Appalachia
A teacher at my school, knowing my passion for Appalachian Literature,
showed me her copy of Sandra Ballard and Patricia L. Hudson's _Listen Here:
Women Writing in Appalachia_. I couldn't rest until I ordered my own copy
which should arrive in a week or so from www.abebooks.com
<http://www.abebooks.com/>
Patricia L. Hudson is a former reference librarian at the University of
Tennessee and Sandra Ballard is a professor of English at Appalachian State
University.
Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant is one of my favorites. It is the
story of a young boy in Appalachia who runs behind the Christmas Train
hoping for a specific present. But each year he gets something he
really needs. When he grows up he becomes a doctor and goes back to the
mountains to practice and watches a little child run after the same
train. It is a beautiful story and not religious. I usually pair it
with The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston and
Barbara Cooney. It is set in the same part of the country but in this
story the little girls father is away at war. It is their family's turn to
provide the tree for the local church.
But they may not be able to do it since dad is gone. Another wonderful
story, the setting is the church and a church Christmas program but not
too religious for school. I think both are still in print and should be
available at a public library. Good luck I love to tell these stories.
A is for Appalachia by Linda Hager Pack
Appalachia : The Voices of Sleeping Birds Cynthia Rylant
Come Sing, Jimmy Jo Paterson
Flowers in the Attic V. C. Andrews
Silver Packages : An Appalachian Christmas Story Cynthia
Rylant
Stormy Henry
When I Was Young in the Mountains Cynthia Rylant
Wolf by the Ears Ann Rinaldi
Shiloh series Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Hound Heaven Linda Oatman High
Coal Camp Girl Lenski
MISSING MAY Rylant;
SLOPES OF WAR Perez;
Summer of the Swans Betsy Byars
The Star Fisher Laurence Yep
When I Was Young in the Mountains Cynthia Rylant
Pioneer Children of Appalachia Joan Anderson
But I'll Be Back Again: an Autobiography Cynthia Rylant
Shadows Dennis Hassle
Josie's Troubles Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Ghosts Don't Get Goosebumps Elvira Woodruff
Flea Circus Summer Cheryl Ware
Crossing the Trestle Slate
I live in the Appalachia Area of North Carolina and am looking for books
about clogging. fiction or non Fiction.
I could not find anything on Titlewave but found 3 childrens' books on
Barnes and Noble.
A pair of red Clogs (but it is not Appalachia)
Frogs in Clogs
Clogging in Appalachia
but none of these are on Titlewave.
any suggestions out there?
Rylant, Cynthia. Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds.
Text and illustrations explore the countryside and people of
Appalachia.
Rylant, Cynthia. The Relatives Came.
The relatives come to visit from Virginia and everyone has a
wonderful time.
Rylant, Cynthia. Tulip Sees America.
Rylant. Appalachia: Voices of the Sleeping Birds
When I was Young in the Mountains
Sis. The Train of States
"The United States of Appalachia", which, among other things covers the
Scots-Irish in that area. "Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped
America" will also work. We have a UNC Press title, "The Scotch(???)-Irish:
A Social History" which is a little more academic, and, I still don't agree
with the apparently now accepted usage of "Scotch" for Scots!
It's not fiction, but the autobiographies of Jesse Stuart are about
his experiences in a one-room school in Appalachia in the 20s. They
are wonderful reads, too. I think the title of one was The Thread
That Runs So True??? I'm at home so can't go look.
Tailypo is a creature of North American folklore, particularly in
Appalachia.
Alternate spellings include: Taily Po, Taileypo, Tailey Po and Tailipoe.
Most often (and especially in older adaptations) the Tailypo legends are
simply titled "Tailypo."
If you remove the hyphen you get these explanations.
http://www.ferrum.edu/applit/bibs/tales/tailypo.htm
A Blue-eyed Daisy is a good intermediate novel about growing up in West
Virginia. It is by Cynthia Rylant who writes nearly always about
Appalachia.
Asian-American selection might include the Yang the Youngest series and also
the Year of the Panda. Both are for 3rd graders who read well.
Picture books I love include How my Parents Learned to East
Japanese-Japanese American) and The Bicycle Man by Allen Say. The Caldecott
winner Grandfather's Journey, also by Say should not be overlooked.
There is a short story collection by Cynthia Rylant that has some good
ones. Silver Packages is from that collection and was done as a picture
book a year or two ago - about a child in Appalachia who is given things
from a rich man at Christmas and returns as a doctor to give back to the
community.
"PICTURE BOOKS THAT TRAVEL:" - PART 1
Try Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto for Texas and the Southwest. It's
nominally a Christmas story and it's one my kids -- my school is Hispanic
love and can relate too.
*****
For a sense of the plains of MT although it really is the plains of another
state you should look at Patricia Maclachlan's WHAT YOU KNOW (KNEW?)
Also related to this is IF YOUR'RE NOT FROM THE PRAIRIE by David Bouchard.
This later one probably has the better illus for the level you need.
For a MT rocky mountain legend there is the recently published SPOTTED
BEAR; A ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOLKTALE by Hanneke Ippisch which tells a story of
how spotted bears get their spots. The illus. and borders show and the
notes at the back explain many local plants and animals.
Now if you don't hear from Maine let me know. (KF) I have been researching
lighthouses and sea related things now that I am in a state without ocean
access and I could make several suggestions. I am also a storyteller and
much of what I read and look for relates to my storytelling passion.
Then from NH where I lived twice and where my hearts other roots are-there
is a picture book called THE BEAR THAT HEARD CRYING by Natalie
Kinsey-Warnock, which retells an early settling of NH legend of Sara
Witcher who got lost in the woods in 1876 when she was 3 years old and for
four days seemingly was protected by a bear. I have told this story in my
own way and it makes a huge impression on the students. I happen to have
been given a beeswax-molded candle of a bear holding in its lap a baby bear
and I use this as a visual lead in to my telling.
I grew up in NYS but no picture books come to mind right now. Another book
I love but again might have to be adapted is Vera Williams and her daughter
Jennifer--done in created post cards, about two brothers taking a trip from
KS to the sea (Pacific Ocean!) It is a fantastic book if only for the
teacher to maybe get ideas from.
*****
Here are a few from Alabama:
Mary Barwick - Alabama Angels (you can read about it at Amazon)
Mark Childress has written some children's books which are set in south
Alabama. Joshua and Bigtooth Synopsis (from Amazon)
Living with his family in a log cabin on the banks of the Magnolia River,
Joshua makes a pet of a tiny alligator that he calls Bigtooth, but his
problems begin when his tiny pet starts to grow--and grow.
Joshua and the Big Bad Blue Crabs
Synopsis
Setting out on his boat to deliver a huckleberry pie to his granny, young
Joshua is astonished when a mob of crabs raids the boat and steals the tasty
fare, and he becomes equally frustrated when no one believes his story. Both
of these are now out of print
*****
For southern Appalachia, try Cynthia Rylant's books. She has other books
that are not Appalachian in setting or theme, but the ones that are *rock*.
*****
I have an article from _School Library Media Activities Monthly_
(Jones and Willard Sept '96 p. 23-28) that gives an extensive list. You may
want to try to get your hands on it. I've picked a few of the
titles from each region for you--your message made it sound like you wanted
current rather than historical topics, so I picked the ones that
sounded like they might work--haven't read them all, but they may be worth a
try.
Southwest:
Kimmel _Four Dollars nad Fifty Cents_
Sewall _Ridin' that Strawberry Roan_
Williams _Grandma Essie's Covered Wagon_
Plains:
Toht _Sodbuster_
Harvey _My Prairie Christmas_ and _My Prairie Year_ (these all
sounded historical)
Mid-Atlantic
Barracca _The Adventures of Taxi Dog_
Bial _Amish Home_
Bunting _The Wall_
Say _Grandfather's Journey_
Southeast
COle _When the Tide is Low_
Hershey _Cotton Mill TOwn_
Mitchell _Uncle Jed's Barbershop_
Pollacco _Chicken SUnday_
Rylant _When I was Young in the MOuntains_
New England
Cooney _Island Boy_
Guiberson _Lobster Boat_
McClosky ...anything
GIbbons _Beacons of Lighthouses_
Great Lakes
Hendershot _In Coal COuntry_
Paterson _The Smallest Cow in the World_
Williams _Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe_
Mountain
Lauber _Summer of Fire: Yellowstone 1988_
Levinson _Showshoe Thompson_
Pacific
MacDonald _The Little Island_
Rattigan _Dumpling Soup_
Smith _Sea Otter Rescue_
(end of part one).
We are looking for a unit already put together for middle school students on
Appalachia-especially involving Kentucky. It should involve all areas of
the curriculum. Thanks.
Houston. My Great-Aunt Arizona. Appalachia.19c.
Appalachia
West by Covered Wagon
Can anyone comment on these, I haven't looked at these either.
Dovey Coe - O'Rourke (Appalachia)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
* LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
* LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
* EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/sub/
* LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
* LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home