Showing titles in North America

On October 29, 1929, life in the United States took a turn for the worst. The stock market – the system that controls money in America – plunged to a record low. But this event was only the beginning of many bad years to come. By the early 1930s, one out of three people was not working. People lost their jobs, their houses, or both and ended up in shantytowns called “Hoovervilles”, named for the president at the time of the crash. By 1933, many banks had gone under.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese war planes appeared out of nowhere to bomb the American base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It was a highly secretive and devastating attack: Four battleships sunk, more than 2,000 servicemen died, and the United States was propelled into World War II. In a compelling, easy-to-digest narrative, children will learn all about a pivotal moment in American history.

With a storyteller's voice and attention to the details that make history real and interesting, Steve Sheinkin delivers the wild facts about America's greatest adventure. From the Louisiana Purchase (Remember: If you're negotiating a treaty for your country, play it cool.) to the gold rush (There were only three ways to get to California - all of them bad.) to the life of the cowboy, the Indian wars, and the everyday happenings that defined living on the frontier.

As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers on extreme opposites of the political spectrum. After the United States showed its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to be left behind. With communism sweeping the globe, the two nations begin a neck-and-neck competition to build even more destructive bombs and conquer the Space Race. In their battle for dominance, spy planes fly above, armed submarines swim deep below, and undercover agents meet in the dead of night.

In this incredible narrative, Erica Armstrong Dunbar reveals a fascinating and heartbreaking behind-the-scenes look at the Washingtons when they were the First Family and an in-depth look at their slave, Ona Judge, who dared to escape from one of the nation’s Founding Fathers. Born into a life of slavery, Ona Judge eventually grew up to be George and Martha Washington’s “favored” dower slave. When she was told she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to flee to the North, where she'd be a fugitive.

Spurred on by Sir Walter Raleigh, John White leads 120 men, women, and children across the treacherous Atlantic to colonize the wilds of Virginia. Landing at Roanoke Island in July of 1587 - with hostile Indians afoot and little food for winter - the colonists persuade White to return to England for the supplies and help they need. After a terrifying ocean crossing, White finds every available British ship pressed into service against the looming threat of the Spanish Armada.

An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin. On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution.

North Americans have long been fascinated by the Inuit, but this level of interest has been matched by a general lack of knowledge about the group itself. For centuries they have been called Eskimos, despite the facts that there are distinct differences within the group and many of them find the use of the word Eskimo offensive. With that said, the group's lifestyle has long been of interest to outsiders simply based on the fact that it's so different.

Even as a child, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shocked by the terrible and unfair way African-American people were treated. When he grew up, he decided to do something about it - peacefully, with powerful words. He helped gather people together for nonviolent protests and marches, and he always spoke up about loving other human beings and doing what’s right. He spoke about the dream of a kinder future, and bravely led the way toward racial equality in America.

"No Taxation without Representation!" The Boston Tea Party stands as an iconic event of the American Revolution - outraged by the tax on tea, American colonists chose to destroy the tea by dumping it into the water! Learn all about the famed colonialists who fought against the British Monarchy, and listen to this audiobook about this act of rebellion from our history! The Boston Tea party is brought to life!

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great - the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. This audiobook features Frida Kahlo, the renowned Mexican painter and activist. After surviving a bus crash, she made her mark in art history for her unique way of looking at the world and integrating her own image and life into her paintings.

Learn about the history of the U.S. Civil War with the iMinds JNR audio-learning series for younger minds. A civil war is a war where the two opposing sides come from the same country. It is a war that occurs within a single nation. The U.S. Civil War was waged from 1861 to 1865 and was fought between the Northern states (making up the Union) and eleven Southern states (the Confederacy). A major cause of the U.S. Civil War was the North's condemnation of slavery.

Kidnapped at the age of eleven from his home in Benin, Africa, Olaudah Equiano spent the next eleven years as a slave in England, the U.S., and the West Indies, until he was able to buy his freedom. His autobiography, published in 1789, was a bestseller in its own time. Cameron has modernized and shortened it while remaining true to the spirit of the original. It's a gripping story of adventure, betrayal, cruelty, and courage. In searing scenes, Equiano describes the savagery of his capture, the appalling conditions on the slave ship, the auction, and the forced labor.

February 19, 1942. George Takei is four years old when his world changes forever. Two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares anyone of Japanese descent an enemy of the United States. George and his family were American in every way. They had done nothing wrong. But because of their Japanese ancestry, they were removed from their home in California and forced into camps with thousands of other families who looked like theirs.

Whether they occur at home or in the workplace, fires are devastating events that sometimes cause the tragic deaths of innocent people. Find out what happened when a factory in New York City caught fire in the early 1900s. And discover why so many workers were unable to escape the blazing building.

Called the "Great Pathfinder", Daniel Boone is most famous for opening up the West to settlers through Kentucky. A symbol of America's pioneering spirit Boone was a skilled outdoorsman and an avid reader, although he never attended school. Sydelle Kramer skillfully recounts Boone's many adventures, such as the day he rescued his own daughter from kidnappers.

Welcome to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC - better known as the White House. From the outside, it looks innocent enough. But step through its front gate and you may be surprised by what you find! From ghostly sightings of Abigail Adams to strange doings in the Lincoln Bedroom, this audiobook, Who's Haunting the White House?, showcases the spooky side of history - including new information about hauntings during the Bush and Obama administrations! The audiobook also features an in-depth interview with the author about the ghosts of the White House.

Like Geronimo in the southwest during the same era, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were warriors and leaders of different groups of Lakota (Sioux), who fought in several skirmishes against settlers and U.S. forces across the Plains, during the 1860s and 1870s. Admired by their own people for their kindness and strong leadership, reviled by their enemies for their defiance, when The Great Sioux War of 1876 began, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were two of the most important leaders among all Native American tribes on the Plains.

The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most colossal disasters in American history - with damage so profound that few people believed the city could ever rise again. By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with careful research, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting and dramatic narrative, ultimately revealing how the human spirit triumphed even in a time of deepest despair and the people of Chicago found the courage and strength to build their city once again.

Basketball has evolved by leaps and bounds since its origin over 125 years ago, but what remains is the passion of the players, the heat of competition, and supreme strategy and athleticism on the court. In this tour de force, celebrated artist Kadir Nelson weds his love for the game with showstopping paintings that bring its heart-pounding history to life. The sage voice of an elder player narrates the journey from the early days of the slow game of “basket ball” to today’s dazzlingly athletic and fast-paced sport.