Talking Book Topics

January-February 1998
Books for Children--Nonfiction

Books listed in this issue of Talking Book Topics were recently sent to cooperating libraries. The complete collection contains books by many authors on fiction and nonfiction subjects, including animals, geography, nature, mystery, sports, and others. Contact your cooperating library to learn more about the wide range of books available in the collection. Cassette books, labeled with the code RC, play at 15/16 ips. To order books, contact your cooperating library.

West by Covered Wagon: Retracing the Pioneer Trails RC 42951
by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
read by Gary Telles
1 cassette
Each year on Memorial Day weekend, a group of people in western Montana takes a wagon-train journey to recapture the spirit of the covered-wagon caravans of the 1800s. The author compares the modern-day journeys with those endured by the earlier travelers. For grades 3-6. 1995.

The True Adventure of Daniel Hall RC 42968
by Diane Stanley
read by Gary Telles
1 cassette
Growing up in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Daniel Hall constantly hears tales about the adventures of the men who sail on whaling ships. Just before his fifteenth birthday, Daniel signs on for a three-year voyage. Unfortunately the cruel captain mistreats Daniel, so Daniel and a friend flee the ship far from home. For grades 3-6. 1995.

Jungle Days, Jungle Nights RC 43120
by Tanis Jordan
read by Laura Giannarelli
1 cassette
Describes some of the many animals and plants of the Amazon rain forest. Baby spectacled caimans use their special hatching tooth to break out of their eggs at dawn, a hummingbird drinks nectar in the sizzling heat, and a tiny mouse opossum cleans herself by moonlight. For grades K-3. 1993.

Tomie dePaola's Book of the Old Testament: New International Version RC 43163
read by Erik Sandvold
1 cassette
DePaola presents twenty-one well-known Bible stories using the New International version. They include "Noah and the Great Flood," "The Tower of Babel," "The Israelites Cross the Red Sea," "David and Goliath," and "Daniel in the Den of Lions." For grades 2-4 and older readers. 1990.

Skin RC 43209
by Stephen Savage
read by Laura Giannarelli
1 cassette
Describes the skin and other coverings of different animals. A rhinoceros's horn, a tortoise's shell, and an armadillo's armor are all made of skin cells. Other types of coverings include fur, feathers, scales, and spines. For grades 3-6. 1995.

Your Privacy: Protecting It in a Nosy World RC 43236
by Edward F. Dolan
read by Randy Wieck
1 cassette
Dolan explains that most people divulge personal facts when they go to a doctor, apply to a college, get a job, or buy a car. But he says such data can follow you for years and its unauthorized use is intrusive and wrong. Covers such privacy issues as school rules and dress codes. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 1995.

Be a Friend: Children Who Live with HIV Speak RC 43248
edited by Lori S. Wiener and others
read by Sharon Murray
1 cassette
Children and teenagers with HIV or with family members who have HIV write about their feelings. Heaven, God, friends, and medicine are among the topics discussed. For grades 3-6. 1994.

Animal Experimentation: Cruelty or Science? RC 43258
by Nancy Day
read by Andy Chappell
1 cassette
Explores the controversy over the issue of animal experimentation, stating the respective cases in support of and opposing such practices. Provides a historical view on the subject and describes alternative experimental methods that avoid vivisection. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 1994.

The Storytelling Handbook: A Young People's Collection of Unusual Tales and Helpful Hints on How to Tell Them RC 43271
by Anne Pellowski
read by Janis Gray
1 cassette
The author offers many suggestions for people who like to spin tales for family and friends. Covers selecting a story, practicing, and handling interruptions. Also includes several easy-to-tell stories. For grades 3-6 and older readers. 1995.

Junior Girl Scout Handbook RC 43337
by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
read by Nona Pipes
2 cassettes
An introduction to the world of Scouting for Junior Girl Scouts ages eight to eleven. Explains the history, traditions, ceremonies, and recognitions of Girl Scouting. Covers a range of subjects that include safety and health, life skills, leadership, sports, and outdoor activities. For grades 3-6. 1994.

Brownie Girl Scout Handbook RC 43339
by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
read by Nona Pipes
2 cassettes
Handbook for Brownie Girl Scouts ages six through eight. Includes activities and stories to help girls learn about scouting, themselves, family, friends, their community, and the world around them. For grades K-3. 1993.

Cadette Girl Scout Handbook RC 43343
by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
read by Nona Pipes
1 cassette
This official guide to Cadette Girl Scouting outlines the roots and traditions of Girl Scouting and covers such topics as healthy living and self-esteem, relationships with family and friends, life skills, and recreation. Explains the various Girl Scout awards and recognitions. For grades 6-9. 1995.

Girl Scout Badges and Signs RC 43344
by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
read by Nona Pipes
2 cassettes
Instructions for earning up to ninety-eight badges in the five Girl Scout worlds of interest: well-being, people, today and tomorrow, arts, and the out-of-doors. Requirements for three signs are also included. For grades 4-7. 1990.

The Sea King: Sir Francis Drake and His Times RC 43355
by Albert Marrin
read by Ed Blake
2 cassettes
An account of the life of Francis Drake, England's famous mariner who was knighted in 1581 for his escapades as a pirate. Traces his achievements as an explorer, global circumnavigator, and military genius in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Assesses his role in England's rise as a sea power. Violence. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 1995.

Two Lands, One Heart: An American Boy's Journey to His Mother's Vietnam RC 43365
by Jeremy Schmidt and Ted Wood
read by Steven Carpenter
1 cassette
In 1975, a South Vietnamese girl and her brother and sister are separated from their father in a panicked crowd and are adopted by an American family. Years later, the girl, now grown, finds her Vietnamese parents and takes her son to visit them. This is the story of that trip. For grades 3-6. 1995.

It's a Girl Thing: How to Stay Healthy, Safe, and in Charge RC 43400
by Mavis Jukes
read by Camille McCurty Ali
1 cassette
The author believes that knowing what is going on with your body is important and reassuring and can help you stay healthy and safe. She explains in simple language what happens to a girl's body as she matures. Topics include breasts and bras, menstruation, boys and puberty, condoms, and sexually transmitted diseases. For grades 5-8. 1996.

When Plague Strikes: The Black Death, Smallpox, AIDS RC 43426
by James Cross Giblin
read by Jamie Horton
1 cassette
Profiles three epidemics--the bubonic plague, smallpox, and AIDS--that killed hundreds of thousands of people and wreaked havoc on the stricken societies. Portrays the suffering of the victims and the tendency to make them scapegoats. Tells how each plague led to advances in the treatment of disease. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 1995.

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More RC 43430
by Valerie Worth
read by Gabriella Cavallero
1 cassette
Ninety-nine short poems for children. The verses describe things familiar to everyday life, like flowers, animals, and fences. For grades 4-7. 1994.

Michael Jordan: A Life above the Rim RC 43439
by Robert Lipsyte
read by Erik Sandvold
1 cassette
Recounts the career of Michael Jordan, a late bloomer who was cut from his high school basketball team but went on to become one of the nation's most successful players. Correlates Jordan's commercial value with the rise in popularity of the NBA and explores the use of sports stars in the marketing of products. For grades 5-8. 1994.

We Rode the Wind: Recollections of Native American Life RC 43440
edited by Jane B. Katz
read by Erik Sandvold
1 cassette
Selections from the autobiographies of eight nineteenth-century Native Americans of the Great Plains. They relate the legends, traditions, histories, and lives of the Plains Indians before the region was changed by white settlers. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 1995.

Maya Lin: Architect and Artist RC 43443
by Mary Malone
read by Gabriella Cavallero
1 cassette
Chronicles the life of Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also known as "the Wall." Explains her intentions as expressed in the Wall's design and recounts the early controversy over its unconventional form as a war memorial. Recounts her life and career accomplishments. For grades 4-7. 1995.

Wicked Jack RC 43448
retold by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
read by Bob Askey
1 cassette
Recounts the story of Wicked Jack, who was turned away by both St. Peter and the Devil, and how he came to be responsible for the mysterious light that one sees in the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina. For grades K-3. 1995.

Fireworks: The Science, the Art, and the Magic RC 43519
by Susan Kuklin
read by Terence Aselford
1 cassette
Introduces the art and science of pyrotechnics, taking the reader to the factory where the shells are loaded and through the two-day preparation for a twenty-two-minute fireworks show. For grades 2-4 and older readers. 1996.


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