Anniversaries - A busy day in history

March 31st has an interesting collection of anniversaries. On March 31st in 1732 composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born. I remember going to visit his birthplace when I was ten years old and then hearing some of his music performed in Vienna. It was a wonderful opportunity to get a sense of what Haydn's world was like. To this day I still love his music, in particular the The Farewell Symphony. I have reviewed a wonderful book about this piece of music here on Through the Looking Glass Book Review. You can hear part of the symphony below as performed in 2009 by the Youth Artists Symphony.




The next anniversary of note is the birthday of Cesar Chavez, the labor leader who changed the lives of countless farm workers in America. You can see the books I have reviewed about Chavez here.

Last but by no means least, on this day in 1889 the Eiffel Tower was completed. I have reviewed an excellent book about this much loved piece of architecture here on the Through the Looking Glass Website. This wonderful has come to epitomize France and many people cannot think of France or Paris without thinking almost immediately of the Eiffel Tower.

An Anniversary - Harry Houdini's Birthday

On this day in 1874 a very singular person came into the world. His name was Erik Weiss, but when he was a young man he took on a different name, a name that he felt would better suit his career as a performer; he called himself Harry Houdini.

Houdini began his career as a magician, but he soon focused his energies on developing exciting escape acts. He broke out of handcuffs, jumped off bridges with chains wrapped around him, and he was even able to escape from a milk can full of water. No one knew how he did these amazing feats, and he was soon famous all around the world.

I have reviewed a selection of books about Houdini, which you can view here on the TLLG website. I particularly liked The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick. In this title, Selznick beautifully combines fact and fiction to give readers a story that is both fascinating and thought provoking.

For young readers who like a good mystery there are the Houdini and Nate Mysteries. In these titles, a young boy - with Harry Houdini's help - solves some thrilling and often dangerous mysteries.

An Anniversary - Composer George Frederic Handel's birthday

On this day in 1685 George Frederic Handel was born. I can still remember going to a concert of his Music for the Royal Fireworks when I was quite young. The performance was outdoors, and the music was accompanied by a real fireworks display, which was coordinated to compliment the music. It was wonderful. While I was driving around in my car today my local public radio station was playing Handel's Fireworks in honor of his birthday, and I was reminded of that concert and how much I have enjoyed Handel's music over the years.

I have reviewed two books about Handel that you can view on the Handel feature page. I hope you enjoy the reviews.

Here is a video Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks - with fireworks!

Charles Darwin - A birthday

On this day in 1809 Charles Darwin, a man whose ideas would cause a great deal of fuss around the world, was born. In honor of Darwin's birthday I reviewed a new book about him.

Young Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle

Ruth Ashby

Nonfiction

For ages 8 to 12

Peachtree Publishers, 2009, 1561454788        

   When Charles Darwin was a boy, he had very little interest in learning Latin and Ancient Greek. He much preferred rambling around the countryside observing nature and collecting beetles. Nothing he chose to do pleased his father, who thought that Charles could well become a “disgrace” to the family.

    Charles did not know what he wanted to do with himself when he grew up, so he agreed to go to Edinburgh with his brother Erasmus when Erasmus when to the university there to study medicine. Becoming a doctor sounded like a good idea until Charles realized that he found the whole thing enormously distasteful. He then agreed to go to Cambridge University to prepare himself for a career in the clergy. The plan was that he would have one last hurrah before settling down; he would go on a trip somewhere to see the world a little.

   One of Charles’ friends heard about a ship that was taking a trip around the world. He suggested that Charles join the expedition, which Charles eagerly agreed to do. The journey on the HMS Beagle not only changed the direction that Charles’ life took, but it also made him one of the most famous people in the world.

  This excellent biography shows readers that greatness can lie in the hearts and minds of even the most unlikely of people. The author helps her readers to see how Charles Darwin’s ideas developed over time, and how he came to develop a theory that that would, for years to come, cause a great deal of controversy.

You can purchase this book here, and look at other reviews that I have written about Charles Darwin books here. 

On this day: Nellie Bly ends her trip around the world

On this day in 1890 a young reporter ended an amazing journey around the world. Her name was Nellie Bly (her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochran) and she was determined to prove that she could travel around the world in less than eighty days. People all over the world watched to see if this pretty young woman could break the record of Phileas Fogg, Jules Verne's ficticious character who traveled around the world in eighty days by boat and train in Verne's famous book Around the World in Eighty Days.
Nellie's journey began on November 14th, 1889, and it ended "seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes and fourteen seconds after her Hoboken departure."


I have read several books about Nellie and her incredible journey, and you can read my reviews here on Through the Looking Glass Book Review. 


You can find more information about Nellie Bly and her remarkable career here on Wikipedia. 

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

When I was around twelve or thirteen, my English literature teacher, Mr. Lovesy, decided that he would show us that beautiful language could be found in many places. He introduced us to Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream speech." It blew us away. Most of knew very little about Martin Luther King Jr. We were in an English school on the island of Cyprus and the English (as in from England) curriculum in the school did not include much American history. Many years later I moved to the United States and I began the process of learning about my new country. Reviewing children's books has given me the opportunity to learn a great deal about Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. Some of the books I have reviewed focus on one aspect of his life, while others look at the complete story of this extraordinary man. Here is my review of my favorite of these general books. 

Genius: Martin Luther King Jr.

Jennifer Fandel
Nonfiction
For ages 10 to 14
The Creative Company, 2005   ISBN: 978-1583413296

The son of a teacher and a pastor, Martin Luther King Jr. did not have to suffer many of the hardships that his father had had to endure. He had a comfortable home, plenty to eat, and he was able to get an education. But there was something that he did not have, something which no black person in the south had at that time. Martin did not have the same rights as white people. He lived in a society that was segregated and he had to accept that he was a lesser citizen who could not play where he wanted, who could not eat in the restaurant of his choice, and who could not sit at the front of the bus. He, like the millions of other black people living in the south, was a victim of segregation.

As he grew up Martin came to understand how cruel and unjust segregation was and he wanted to do what he could to bring it to an end. He worked hard to get a good education and he, like his father before him, became a pastor. Like his father too Martin knew in his heart that his people would never be able to give of their best if they were forced down by laws which kept them separate and decidedly unequal. So Martin set about working to get the laws repealed and in the end he gave his life for the struggle.

With wonderful period photographs, quotes, and a timeline at the bottom of the pages, this biography of Martin Luther King Jr. captures the essence of who Martin was and what he fought to do in his lifetime. Superbly written with poignancy and an obvious appreciation for the history of the times, this is a book which will help readers understand what made Martin Luther King Jr. such a world icon.

At the back of the book there is a “In His Words” section. Here readers will find the texts for two of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speeches: the one he gave in a high school in 1967, and the one he gave when he was presented with the Nobel Peach Prize in 1964.

You can see my other Martin Luther King Jr. children's book review here. 

The School Children's Blizzard - January 12th, 1888

On this day in 1888 a terrible storm hit the plain states in America. People were caught unawares because the weather had been so warm, and when the storm hit many children were stranded in their school houses. Some children tried to make their way home and were lost in the storm. Numerous lives were lost, but there were also those lucky ones who found a haystack to shelter in, or who stumbled across a barn and who were thus saved.
Take a look at the books I have reviewed about this historic event in the School Children's Blizzard Feature.

On this day...Rosa Parks takes a stand.

It has been one of those days. I discovered that what I thought was going to be a small - ish - job is going to be a big one. I took a deep breath and dived in. Only to encounter numerous computer related technical difficulties. Things snowballed and snowballed and now the job looks like a mountain in front of me. Not only is it enormous but it is also covered with a glacier and snow. It looks insurmountable.

I was beginning to truly wallow in my anxiety and self pity when I looked at the TTLG Bookish Calendar and saw that on this day in 1955 Rosa Parks took her famous stand. Suddenly trying to get my new website ready for January 1st does not seem that important. After all, I can go where I wish, say what I wish, vote freely, and I can go about my life without having to worry that someone is going to make my life miserable because I am different in some way. You can find some great books about Rosa Parks here, and I do hope you get a chance to look at the first one, Rosa, by Nikki Giovanni. This book greatly moved me and it helped me better understand the American Civil Rights movement.

Today is also the birthday of author/illustrator Jan Brett. Jan's picture books are a joy to look at, and readers of all ages love her delightful pictures.

The Gunpowder Plot

On this day in 1606 a group of Englishmen, including an explosives expert called Guy Fawkes, tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. This "Gunpower Plot" failed, and the conspirators were tried and later executed.

When I was growing up we used to have a big bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night. A dummy Guy would be burned on the fire - rather gruesome really - and fireworks would be set off. I always enjoyed it. We children used to sing a poem, which went like this:

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

should ever be forgot

I understand that there is more to the poem than this, but we children never knew the words. There is lots of information about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpower Plot on Wikipedia if you are interested.

I am still on the lookout for a good book for children about this event in history. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

Johnny Appleseed's birthday

On September 26th, 1774, a little boy was born in New England who would become the stuff of legend. He was called John Chapman, but he came be known as Johnny Appleseed, the man who planted thousands of trees around the country.

I have reviewed several books about this interesting man, and one of the best is a title that I reviewed recently. Written by one of America's great children's book writers, Jane Yolen, it is a book that is both entertaining and informative. Here is my review:

Johnny Appleseed

Jane Yolen

Illustrated by Jim Burke

Non Fiction Picture Book

Ages 6 to 8

HarperCollins, 2008, 0060591358

Many of us have heard about Johnny Appleseed, the folk hero who, it is said, traveled around the country planting apple trees. The real story of John Chapman is even more impressive than the legends that came to be associated with his name.

After his father returned home from serving in the revolutionary war armies, John (Johnny) Chapman went to live in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, with his family. Being the son of a poor man, Johnny was not able to stay in school as long as perhaps he would of liked. Instead, he was apprenticed to a local farmer. Johnny learned how to plant and care for apple trees on the farmer’s land, and he grew to love the trees that are so useful and so beautiful.

When he was in his twenties, Johnny decided that he wanted to follow the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, a philosopher who believed that people should “do good and spread the doctrine of God’s goodness and bounty.” And so Johnny traveled around the countryside living simply, preaching, and selling people small apple trees that he grew from seed.

In this delightful picture book, Jane Yolen gives her readers a picture of what the real Johnny Appleseed was like. Though verse and prose she tells the story of a man who was often considered “crazy,” but who loved to travel, to share stories, and to give people apple trees. At the end of the book, Yolen also talks about the legend of Johnny Appleseed. She helps young readers to appreciate that this legend is based on the real life story of a man who did indeed do remarkable things.