Florence Wightman Rowland

Amish wedding is an older picture book, that is based on true facts about the Amish culture. The story centers around Jonathan, a young boy who goes through the experience of helping his sister prepare for her wedding. Jonathan is so excited to get a brother, because he only has sisters. Jonathan finds joy in helping prepare for his sisters wedding, and once the big day arrives, he is trilled to celebrate with everyone in his community. At the end of the story, after Jonathan's mother tells him how big of a help he was, he wonders what his own wedding will be like someday. This book has simple, yet accurate drawings, with black and blue being the only colors used in the book. I think this book is wonderful for children to read because they are learning about a culture that they might otherwise not get to learn about. For example, women in the Amish culture usually don't wear white on their wedding day, they usually just make a new dress for the occasion.Also, once men get married, they must grow a beard to symbolize their marriage. This book is overall good and it teaches children to be good helpers like Jonathan.… (meer)

This is the story of a Chinese family who lives on a junk and never comes to land. The oldest son, Wong Ting, has a secret wish, to walk on the land. One day while he is fishing, he finds a jade bracelet decorated with dragons. This treasure helps him to realize his dream.

This is an older book, but the story is very interesting. I found the account of the family living on the boat fascinating, from the tricks to keep a toddler safe while the family fishes to how they managed through storms and flood.

This is an interesting tale of ancient China, and it could be used in a social studies class to discuss how much has changed and how much has not. The class could use the descriptions of Wong Ting's life on the boat to make a diorama. There are illustrations in the pen-and-ink style that could be used as models for an art class.… (meer)