Friday, June 14, 2013

William Penn: Founder of Pennsylvania


Welcome to another Perfect Picture Book Friday!!  Today I am featuring a non-fiction book based on a famous man who was part of the founding of America. . .



Author: Steven Kroll
Illustrator: Ronald Himler
Publisher: Holiday House
Date: 2000

Ages: 10 and up

Themes: Colonial Period, Biography, United States History, Quakers, Pennsylvania

Source
Jacket Flap: "William Penn was born to a life of privilege at a time when Great Britain was torn by civil war and religious strife. As a young man, he was inspired by Quaker ideas about conscience and equality. Soon these controversial ideas became the focus of his life. . ."

First Lines: "Born to a life of privilege, William Penn chose dissent instead. In a turbulent time, when breaking from the established Church of England could mean imprisonment and even death, William became a Quaker."

Why I Like This Book: I have never heard the entire story of the life of William Penn, so this was a good review for me. It is well done, but more factual, rather than creative or dramatic. So I would recommend this book for Junior High aged readers and above. Nice to read historic events without being bogged down by unnecessary details.




Here are some links to more information and activities relating to this topic:



*Info on Penn's estate in, of course, Pennsylvania, HERE!

*Video summary of Penn's life, HERE.

*Find a simpler biography of Penn for the younger crowd, HERE.

*Stories about Quaker life, HERE.


And, for more great book ideas, categorized by subject for use by teachers, librarians, and parents, see Susanna Hill's Perfect Picture Book list...truly an amazing resource!



12 comments:

  1. Erik will love this one, Jarm!

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  2. I love historical biographies/fiction. I didn't know a lot about William Penn, so I found your review and the resources of great interest. He was very forward thinking. Liked the video a lot.

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    1. Great! I'm glad you were able to access the video. Penn was certainly tenacious!

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  3. My goodness...I think I have much more to learn than I ever was taught in school about William Penn. I look forward to finding this. My summer goal is to check out many non-fiction picture books--I always tend to forget that section of the library.

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    1. This one is jam-packed with information. Hope you enjoy it!

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  4. A PB for middle graders - yay!

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  5. As Pennsylvanians we are always in need of more material about Wiliam Penn. This looks like an excellent resource as well as a great book. Thank-you for featuring this one!

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    1. You are welcome, Joanne. . .nice to meet someone from Pennsylvania!

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  6. Sounds very interesting indeed! Thanks, Jarm!

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I would love to have you comment...thanks!

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