Born just after the Civil War, Sarah Breedlove knew the hardships of being a sharecropper when she was young. In her twenties, her hair started falling out, and she wanted to stop this before she became entirely bald. After trying others' remedies, she decided to make her own, and succeeded. This gave her the idea of helping other African - American women with the same problem, and she began selling her products door-to-door. Along with selling hair products, she also preached the ideas of pride and self-reliance. She married Mr. Charles Walker, and decided to name her company Madam C. J. Walker, since 'Madam' sounded French, and gave an air of sophistication. When she became a great success, she gave back to her community, by founding a large cultural center in Indianapolis, among other projects.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0763618349

ISBN-13: 9780763618346

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'Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa' by Jeanette Winter tells about Wangari Maathai's stuggle to bring the 'green' back to her native Kenya. Due to an increasing demand for lumber, most of Kenya's trees had been cut down. Where it had once been a paradise, Kenya was now battling soil erosion, crop failure, and barren land. Wangari was determined to reverse these changes. She decided to start reforesting Kenya by planting nine little seedlings. She enlisted the help of village woman to plant additional trees. This idea, known as the Green Belt Movement, spread throughout Africa. All across Africa, women were planting trees. In 2004, Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to world peace. In this story, we learn how one person's courage and determination changed the world.

Similar authors: Donna Napoli; Nelda La Teef

Similar books: Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Napoli; Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Cullerton; The Market Lady and the Mango Tree by Pete Watson; The Hunter and the Ebony tree by Nelda La Teef; Nobel's Women of Peace by Michelle Benjamin; Path's To Peace: People Who Changed The World by Jane Breskin Zalben

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 7/28/2010

ISBN-10: 0152065458

ISBN-13: 9780152065454

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In this timely picture book, the author has interviewed children from the Ambrit International School in Rome to find out what PEACE smells, looks, tastes, sounds, and feels like. 'It sounds like laughter and happiness, children on their birthdays. Or everyone's hearts beating together.'

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0689866763

ISBN-13: 9780689866760

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What Stinks is a humorous and information packed book explaining why some animals, insects and plants smell the way they do. Is it just to make us hold our noses? No, the smells help the creatures survive in the wild. Have you ever smelled a skunk? Skunks use their smell to chase away predators. Includes great photographs, vocabulary words (throughout the book and in a separate glossary), and a bibliography.

Reviewed by: lspraner

Date read: 12/28/2012

ISBN-10: 1581960352

ISBN-13: 9781581960358

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The creators of this book asked 25 families from around the world to display all the food they eat in one week. The reader is provided with both photographs, including the entire family and tables full of the food they eat in a week, and statistics about what food is shown, how much of each item the family eats, and how much it all costs. There is also a brief chapter about each family including the parents' jobs and the ages of the children, which helps present a more complete picture of how these families live. With families from six continents, the reader can see diverse family sizes and cultural eating habits. Short chapters address factors that contribute to the vast differences in families and food habits, including population distribution, street food, life expectancy and fast food. These sections touch on global health and, with such vivid illustrations, it is easy to see the differences in eating habits and lifestyles for people around the world. This global adventure covers families from Bhutan to Guatemala, Poland to Mali, with stops in Egypt, Greenland, Chad, the United States, and many more! While the information in this book is incredibly interesting, the photographs are astounding. You feel like you can eat the food right off the page!

Reviewed by: mlp

Date read: 6/2/2011

ISBN-10: 9781582462462

ISBN-13: 9781582462462

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