There’s a reason why experience makes us wiser. I remember the first time I read an “Amelia Bedelia” book to my students. I had just completed 12 years in a secondary school environment (as a teacher, then a librarian), and recently had transitioned to an elementary school library. Not knowing a thing about literature for a younger audience, except for what I remembered of my own childhood, I chose to read Amelia Bedelia (Harper & Row, 1963) to kindergarteners. Needless to say, it did not go well. They didn’t understand it at all: “Why would she put the light bulbs on the clothesline?” About halfway through, I realized my mistake. Rather than continue down the wrong path, I said, “Oh, look at what time it is boys and girls! It’s time to go. We’ll have to finish our story another day.” I tried again with grade two, and it went brilliantly. Sometimes a short book just works better with an older audience. The humor is usually more sophisticated, and often, the story line is intended for a mature reader. Higher vocabulary levels and necessary prior knowledge are also factors. With the emphasis in Common Core on reading in the content area, librarians in search of titles to support the social studies curriculum will find what they seek in these new picture books for older readers. BROWN, Don. Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution. Roaring Brook. 2013. ISBN 9781596432666. JLG Level: I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4). In the winter of 1775, the Patriots had lost control of the great city of Boston. With no cannons, General Washington couldn’t reclaim it from the British. After the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, there were more than 50 available cannons―but New York was 300 miles away. Henry Knox knew about artillery; he agreed to accept the challenge. In the bitter cold he rode horseback over 40 miles a day to reach his destination. He chose fifty-nine cannons and arranged (with the help of some men and three boats) their transport across Lake George. Wind-driven waves and dangerous rocks impeded the soldiers’ progress. Sleds pulled by oxen provided passage across the land, but warm temperatures melted the snow, and the sleds stuck in the mud. Cannons fell into ice-encrusted ponds, but Knox’s men fished them out. Finally, after a more than a month-long struggle, the Patriots reached Boston. “Not a single cannon had been lost.” The rest is history. Brown’s Revolutionary tale of a tireless leader and his troop brings history to life. A bibliography is included. Fleischman, Paul. The Matchbox Diary. illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick. 2013. ISBN 9780763646011. JLG Level: E : Easy Reading (Grades 1-3). “Pick whatever you like most. Then I’ll tell you its story,” a great-grandfather tells his young great-granddaughter. She chooses a matchbox that holds an olive pit. He puts it in his palm and begins to tell the stories of how their family emigrated from Italy to America. Each matchbox contains a small treasure that symbolizes a memory of his past. The olive pit reminds him of when his mother redirected his hunger by giving him an olive pit to suck on. A worn photograph of his mustached father prompts the tale of how his father went to America first. The patriarch wrote letters that no one could read at their home in Italy. Being poor, they worked instead of learning to read and write. The schoolmaster’s son read their letters and recorded events in a diary. Wanting to keep his own diary, the young boy found matchboxes on the ship that took the family to join their father. So that he wouldn’t forget his grandmother, he began to keep small objects in the boxes. Life in America would be difficult for the Italian family. Rumors of buttonhooks in your eyes frightened them. Housing was expensive. Work was hard to find. His mother wanted him to learn to read and write. Could he teach his sisters what he learned? If he did, would it make a difference to the family? Inspired by the matchbox diary of artist Gary Hamel, Fleischman’s immigration tale is complemented by Ibatoulline’s warm illustrations. The longer narrative makes it an excellent read aloud, and could inspire readers to begin a diary of their own. HOPKINSON, Deborah. Knit Your Bit: A World War I Story. illus. by Steven Guarnaccia. Putnam. 2013. ISBN 9780399252419. JLG Level: E+ : Easy Reading (Grades 1–3). “Knitting is for girls,” Mikey says to his sister when Ellie reads about firemen who are making scarves for the soldiers overseas. Even President Wilson keeps sheep for wool on the White House lawn. The protagonist changes his mind when he is challenged in a knitting fundraiser in Central Park—one that pits the boys against the girls. Mikey’s mom teaches his friends how to knit and purl, though some still need more practice. The day of the Knitting Bee arrives, and a sea of women and men―young and old―fills the park. Who will knit the fastest? The best? A soldier who has lost one leg congratulates the boys on their efforts just as Mikey is starting to feel that his work is in vain. Does it matter how small a boy’s attempts may seem? Will his imperfect socks be a comfort to soldiers in the winter? An author’s note indicates that Knit Your Bit is based on real events. On July 30, 1918, the Navy League Comforts Committee sponsored a three-day Knit-In in Central Park. The NY Times reported that $4000 was raised with volunteers knitting 50 sweaters, 48 mufflers, and 224 pairs of socks. Prize winners included four blind women, two men, an 83-year-old woman, and four children younger than 11. With the current knitting craze, readers will be amazed to see that almost one hundred years ago, even boys knit. JIANG, Ji-li. Red Kite, Blue Kite. illus. by Greg Ruth. Disney/Hyperion. 2013. ISBN 9781423127536. JLG Level: E+ : Easy Reading (Grades 1–3). Based on a true story, this fictional tale explores the effects of China’s Cultural Revolution. When a father is sent to a labor camp for controversial ideas, he makes a plan with his son to communicate: “Every morning you can go to the hill to fly your red kite. I will see it from my camp. Every sunset I will fly my blue kite, so you can see it from here,” his father tells him. “A secret signal!,” shouts Tai Shan. He lives with Granny Wang while his father is away. She teaches him to braid a straw grasshopper, ride a water buffalo, and how to spin cotton on her wheel. Every morning, the boy walks up the hill and sends his kite into the air. At sunset he looks to the sky for the blue kite, but it never appears. After three days, Tai Shan begins to worry. Where is his father? Did something happen? What will happen to him now? Between 1966 and 1976, Mao Zedong created “revolutionary standards” that would keep all citizens on the Communist path. Though Jiang’s reality-inspired story line spares young readers of the era’s violence, an author’s note fills in more details. Social studies teachers could easily use the title even in high school classes. MACLACHLAN, Patricia. Nora’s Chicks. illus. by Kathryn Brown. Candlewick. 2013. ISBN 9780763647537. JLG Level: E : Easy Reading (Grades 1-3). Moving to a strange town can be difficult, but moving from Russia to the desolate prairies of America brings tears to Nora’s eyes. No hills. No neighbors. Even her baby brother is too young to hold a conversation. When their nearest neighbor comes for a visit, a girl Nora’s age accompanies her mother. Shyness keeps the girls from having much to say to each other. The immigrant family adopts a stray dog, but it seems to love her brother best. Nora worries that she will never have a friend. One day, her father brings home some chicks and geese. Instead of being dinner, they become Nora’s pets, following her everywhere she goes―even into church. After the service, one of the chicks goes missing. Where could it be? Will Nora find it? Readers will be happy to learn that during unfortunate circumstances, wonderful things can happen. MacLachlan’s immigration story explores modern-day themes of loneliness, friendship, and new beginnings. For strategies about how to use these books and links to supportive sites, check out the Junior Library Guild blog, Shelf Life. Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children's and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.