Elizabeth Rider Montgomery (1902–1985)

Though the content of this book is not nice to read, I consider it a valuable addition to our library. Hernando De Soto was one of the famous Spanish explorers of the 16th century, so I am happy to have an easy-to-read, engaging account of his life on the shelf. However, parents should be aware that the atrocities of the Spanish conquistadors are described in here. De Soto was in Peru with Pizarro, and learned from him to kill the Indians if they did not do as he wished. He became ruthless, show more and killed many Indians himself when he was exploring Florida later. show less

Well now I know what all the fuss is about. Yes, the family is awfully WASP, and, yes, good readers will want to rip through this in about 2 days and move along ahead of the class. But it sure does beat the little morals on the slates that children like Laura Ingalls had to struggle through. Still, I don't see the value for today's children - only for scholars.

30 months - Dick and Jane was the first book I could read by myself. My grandmother was a school teacher and she had a first edition of the book that she gave me. It was very exciting to be able to read something without help! I remember we loaned the book to my friend Cory and never saw it again. I always wished I had that book. Anyway, I came across this treasury at the thrift store and just had to buy it for O for when she begins to read on her own.

Walt Disney started out as a paperboy and factory worker for his father, who paid nothing. His brother Roy was his support, but he left soon after becoming an adult. Disney enlisted in the Red Cross Ambulance Corps to get away from home and later on started his own business several times over and was always focused on drawing and animation. He lived off of very little and was always concerned about how to better the business. He got married to one of his employees. After a bad business deal, show more Disney thought up Mickey Mouse. Silent films were on there way out, so Disney had to adapt, using his own voice for Mickey. He continually made his pictures better, adding color when it became available and prospering through the Great Depression. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became a huge hit. He had two daughters. He built an amazing amusement park and died at age 66 but his work lives on.

I love Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. I think he was an amazing man. Often times the most successful people are the ones who sacrifice and build things up from the very bottom. He started with nothing and built a 4 Kingdoms! Literally! It's quite inspirational.

I would apply this in a class by letting the children research how cartoons are made and letting them make some simple animations (a flip book perhaps.) We also could summarize the story and highlight all of the hardships to show the students that you can triumph, even when it seems hopeless. show less