If you go to Langone Park, a waterfront park in the North End of Boston, be sure to look for a plaque that reads

Boston Molasses Flood
On January 15, 1919, a molasses tank at 529 Commercial Street exploded under pressure, killing 21 people. A 40-foot wave of molasses buckled the elevated railroad tracks, crushed buildings and inundated the neighborhood. Structural defects in the tank combined with unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to the disaster.

Try to imagine what happened on that day. A tank, 50 feet tall and 90 feet in diameter, containing about 2,300,000 gallons of molasses, collapsed. The molasses came out of the tanks in waves. At the peak of this accident, the waves of molasses rose up as much as 25 feet and traveled at 35 miles per hour, covering everything in their wake with a brown sticky substance. Buildings near the tank were knocked off their foundations and destroyed. Girders that were part of an elevated subway structure were bent and distorted. The buildings and train structure represented the material damage. The human toll was even sadder. There were the 21 people who died, and at least 150 others were injured. Many horses, dogs and cats also perished.

Many in the city rushed to the rescue – cadets from a training ship, the Boston Police, workers from the Red Cross, the Army, and the Navy. The cleanup took weeks in the city of Boston, but it took much longer to get rid of the molasses that had been tracked to other locals.

The Great Molasses Flood by Deborah Kops (Charlesbridge, 2012)

For adults: Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo, an historian and Boston Globe reporter, wrote (Beacon Press).

When I was in elementary school, I remember one of my teachers telling our class that if one is called a “bird brain” that is actually a compliment. My teacher went on to compare the size of  birds’ brains to all that they learn to do to survive. She also gave us a lesson on instinct and learned behavior. Pamela S. Turner takes the “bird brain” analogy even further in her new book, Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World’s Brightest Bird (HMH).

The author chronicles the work of Dr. Gavin Hunt and his team on the Pacific archipelago, as they study the New Caledonian crows. Because of the knowledge that the scientists have gathered, they now compare the intelligence of crows to that of dolphins, monkeys, and chimpanzees. These crows use tools to obtain food, and they even manufacture their own tool kits.

Crow Smarts is the latest release in the outstanding Scientists in the Field Series by the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Andy Comins has collaborated on other books in the series. His color photographs in Crow Smarts demonstrate his talent for bringing science to life for children and adults. The art of Guido De Filippo further enhances this informative book.

Bar-tailed godwits’ tale of migration is extraordinary, even compared to other shorebirds’ migrations. Each year, the godwits fly from their northern home in Alaska to their southern home in Australia and New Zealand. They make this 7,000 mile journey before the Arctic winter begins. When they return to the north, they stop to feed in the wetlands of Asia.

Jeannie Baker’s latest book, Circle (Candlewick Press), is a lovely testimony to these amazing birds and their journeys. Her art is depicted in stunning collage. Besides depicting the birds, she also adds in a young, physically challenged boy who dreams of flying.

The Global Flyway Network unites researchers who devote their work to studying bird migrations all over the world.

Jeannie Baker describes her art in Circle in the following video.

Enjoy this description of bar-tailed godwits!

One of the rights of passage for our eighth graders is their study of the United States Constitution and Supreme Court cases. Every year, one of the popular choices to study is the 1954 decision of Brown v. Board of Education. In this decision, the US Supreme Court made school segregation unconstitutional, saying separate is never equal. While this case is well known, there was an important trial over a hundred years previous to Brown. The Massachusetts case, Roberts v. City of Boston, began the fight for an equal education for all children.

The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Bloomsbury) introduces Sarah Roberts, a young African-American girl who was evicted from the Otis School because it was only for white children. The Otis School was close to Sarah’s home, but Boston had a rule that children who weren’t white had to go to a separate school that was just for them. The school that Sarah was told to go to was the Smith School, which was far away from her home. The Smith School only owned one book, subjects like history and drawing weren’t taught, and there was no area to play outside.

Adeline and Benjamin Roberts decided to fight for their daughter’s education, and they hired a young African-American attorney, Robert Morris. The case was filed in 1848, yet it wasn’t until late in 1849 that it was heard in court. By then, Morris had asked Charles Sumner, a lawyer and staunch abolitionist, to help him. The two attorneys, one black and one white, argued that Boston children should attend schools that were closest to their homes. Sumner spoke eloquently and said that all children deserved an equal education. The Massachusetts Supreme Court announced the decision in 1850 that segregated schools were legal.

Sarah’s father went on to fight for equal education outside of the legal system. He traveled around Massachusetts to speak on the subject. Wherever he went, he passed out copies of Charles Sumner’s speech from court and carried petitions to be signed. In 1855, Boston became the first major city to officially integrate the public schools.

Fast forward to the 1950s…Linda Brown had a long and arduous journey to school in Topeka, Kansas. Her parents joined with other families and called the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to file a suit. The better school that was closest to her home was only for white children. It was the Charles Sumner School. Serendipitous?

In this informative and intriguing account about the fight for educational equality for all children, Susan Goodman writes about taking steps forward and then steps back throughout history. As a Boston resident, the author includes a timeline with information about the busing crisis during the 1970s. There are other valuable sections at the back of the book when Goodman writes about what happened to those involved in the Roberts’ case. She also describes her research and sources. The illustrator, E. B. Lewis has won much recognition for his artwork.

Readers, both children and adults, can learn some amazing facts from books that are published primarily for children. An interesting example of this is The Secret Subway by Shana Corey, illustrated by Chris Sickels of Red Nose Studio (Wade Books). While I’m wary of using too many superlatives when I write about books because they can be overused, this book is a true original. The subject is little known to most people, and the illustrations are very unique.

Alfred Ely Beach was a dreamer and an inventor in the 1860s. He was also a publisher whose father owned a newspaper, and most importantly, he was a man of action. Beach imagined building a train powered by an enormous fan underground where there was no traffic. At first, he was denied the permits from the city. So, he proposed a mail tube instead. He got Boss Tweed, New York City’s powerful and unofficial mayor to approve of his plan, so the actual city offices agreed to his construction.

Beach secretly moved out all of his excavated materials at night so that no one would question the enormity of his project. He turned his underground tunnel into a tourist attraction. It was later closed when Boss Tweed rewarded his friends with building more transports underground.

The talented illustrator, Chris Sickels, develops his art as Red Nose Studio. He tells stories through puppets and animation.

I just have to share two videos. One is about Alfred Ely Beach and his underground invention. The other is a clip that shows Chris Sickels’ work on The Secret Subway. Both videos have the same opening picture, but they are different.

The estimated number of sharks (about 500 species) worldwide is 7 billion.

The estimated number of humans (just one species) worldwide is 7 billion.

The average number of people killed by sharks of all species yearly, worldwide is about 11.

The number of sharks of all species killed by people yearly, worldwide is 100 million.

(Information taken from The Great White Shark Scientist)

Living along the East Coast, and especially in Massachusetts, we often hear about great white shark sightings. During our warmer months, there are often advisories that there have been shark sightings off of Cape Cod, especially near Chatham’s and Orleans’ beaches.

Sy Montgomery, a talented non-fiction writer, has chronicled the latest research about great whites in her newest book, The Great White Shark Scientist (HMH). Photographs by Keith Ellenbogen complement her text, and she brings her knowledge to life for her readers.

While we usually fear sharks, and great whites especially, Montgomery supplies some interesting information that puts these fears into perspective. Some of her facts are given with a bit of humor.

Number of Americans killed by shark bite between 1984 and 1987: 4

Number of New Yorkers bitten by humans during same period: nearly 1,600

“The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) was established to support white shark research and education programs to ensure that this important species thrives.”  There is a shark center in Chatham where children and adults can learn more about this special species.

Eaten out of house and home, Not budge an inch, Seen better days, and Into thin air are all phrases that we use today, and they were all first used by William Shakespeare. The author, Jane Sutcliffe, wrote that she wanted to publish a book in her own words about the Globe Theater and William Shakespeare. As she progressed on the project, Sutcliffe became so enamored with Shakespeare’s words and phrases that an entirely different book came to be. Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk (Charlesbridge) is illustrated by John Shelley. This author and illustrator’s collaboration is an engaging title that will educate and amuse readers of all ages.

Here’s an example from Will’s Words:

WILL’S WORDS: Green-eyed monster

WHAT IT MEANS: Jealousy. Four hundred years ago the color green was thought to be the color of jealousy. (That’s why we say “green with envy.”)

WHERE IT COMES FROM: Othello, Act 3, Scene 3. The villain tells the hero of the play to beware that green-eyed monster jealousy-then he does everything he can to make him jealous.

…But tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.   – The Beatles

As a baby boomer, I enjoy sharing my memories of growing up and the music that I enjoyed and still enjoy with children. They have a vague concept of a band named The Beatles, but few know anything about the “Fab Four” or their songs.

Two recent additions to our collection should intrigue intermediate and middle school readers. Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich, illustrated by Adam Gustavson (Henry Holt) is a picture book biography and a fine introduction to the early lives of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. The young men had much in common, growing up in Liverpool, England and finding escape in music.

A more sophisticated and more comprehensive title is How the Beatles Changed the World by Martin W. Sandler (Bloomsbury). There are many black and white and color photographs throughout the book that chronicles the rise of one of the most influential musical groups in history.

There are some authors who have the gift for entertaining their readers while they are educating them. That describes Meghan McCarthy, an author and illustrator of numerous non-fiction books for children.

One of McCarthy’s latest books is Earmuffs for Everyone: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs (Simon & Schuster, 2015). She describes the way people protected their ears from the cold throughout history. Along the way, the author infuses her story with other facts about inventors and inventions, including the work of Thomas Edison. Chester Greenwood employed many women in his factory, and this may be because his wife, Isabel, was active in getting women the right to vote.

Meghan McCarthy has written many other books that I enjoy sharing with children, among them are City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male (Simon & Schuster, 2007), Aliens Are Coming!: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast (Knopf, 2006), Pop: The Invention of Bubble Gum (Simon & Schuster, 2010), and Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton (Simon & Schuster, 2013).

The author’s website is interesting for children to explore. Meghan McCarthy produced this very homemade video about Earmuffs for Everyone!. It is actually a fine example of how she doesn’t take herself too seriously.

October 30, 1938

The United States was battling its way through the Great Depression. Adolph Hitler had risen to power in Germany, and his army was advancing throughout Europe. Many American families gathered around the radios in their homes for entertainment and news. Because of the world events, listeners became accustomed to their radio entertainment being interrupted by news reports. Orson Welles used this model of breaking into a regularly scheduled show with news. He decided to use some ideas from H.G. Wells 1898 book, War of the Worlds. In that story, alien vessels landed in London and terrorized that city and moved throughout the world.

Orson Welles took that idea and made a radio play based on it for the CBS Mercury Theatre on the Air. In his script, aliens first landed in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Very few radio listeners heard the announcement at 8:00pm that it was a dramatic presentation. Instead, thousands of people panicked and believed that the United States was being invaded.

Meghan McCarthy’s picture book, Aliens Are Coming: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast (Knopf, 2006) is an interesting way to share this event. The children are sure that this hoax couldn’t be perpetrated today because of our technology.