Most Popular Books by Phillip Hoose

"This may be the most exhilarating and revelatory history of our country. It is must reading for today''s youth-as well as their elders." --Studs Terkel From the boys who sailed with Columbus to today''s young activists, this unique book brings to life the contributions of young people throughout American history. Based on primary sources and including 160 authentic images, this handsome oversized volume highlights the fascinating stories of more than 70 young people from diverse cultures. Young readers will be hooked into history as they meet individuals their own age who were caught up in our country''s most dramatic moments-Olaudah Equiano, kidnapped from his village in western Africa and forced into slavery, Anyokah, who helped her father create a written Cherokee language, Johnny Clem, the nine-year-old drummer boy who became a Civil War hero, and Jessica Govea, a teenager who risked joining Cesar Chavez''s fight for a better life for farmworkers. Throughout, Philip Hoose''s own lively, knowledgeable voice provides a rich historical context-making this not only a great reference-but a great read. The first U.S. history book of this scope to focus on the role young people have played in the making of our country, its compelling stories combine to tell our larger national story, one that prompts Howard Zinn, author of A People''s History of the United States, to comment, "This is an extraordinary book-wonderfully readable, inspiring to young and old alike, and unique." We Were There, Too! is a 2001 National Book Award Finalist for Young People''s Literature.

Attucks! is true story of the all-black high school basketball team that broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s Indiana, masterfully told by National Book Award winner Phil Hoose. By winning the state high school basketball championship in 1955, ten teens from an Indianapolis school meant to be the centerpiece of racially segregated education in the state shattered the myth of their inferiority. Their brilliant coach had fashioned an unbeatable team from a group of boys born in the South and raised in poverty. Anchored by the astonishing Oscar Robertson, a future college and NBA star, the Crispus Attucks Tigers went down in history as the first state champions from Indianapolis and the first all-black team in U.S. history to win a racially open championship tournament—an integration they had forced with their on-court prowess. From native Hoosier and award-winning author Phillip Hoose comes this true story of a team up against impossible odds, making a difference when it mattered most. An ALA Notable Book of 2019 NYPL Best Book for Teens of 2018 A 2018 Booklist Youth Editors'' Choice A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children''s Literature Best Book of 2018 A Kirkus Reviews Best YA Nonfiction Book of 2018 An ALSC Notable Children''s Book of 2019 A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Nominee This title has Common Core connections.

The tragedy of extinction is explained through the dramatic story of a legendary bird, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and of those who tried to possess it, paint it, shoot it, sell it, and, in a last-ditch effort, save it. A powerful saga that sweeps through two hundred years of history, it introduces artists like John James Audubon, bird collectors like William Brewster, and finally a new breed of scientist in Cornell''s Arthur A. "Doc" Allen and his young ornithology student, James Tanner, whose quest to save the Ivory-bill culminates in one of the first great conservation showdowns in U.S. history, an early round in what is now a worldwide effort to save species. As hope for the Ivory-bill fades in the United States, the bird is last spotted in Cuba in 1987, and Cuban scientists join in the race to save it. All this, plus Mr. Hoose''s wonderful story-telling skills, comes together to give us what David Allen Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds calls "the most thorough and readable account to date of the personalities, fashions, economics, and politics that combined to bring about the demise of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker." The Race to Save the Lord God Bird is the winner of the 2005 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the 2005 Bank Street - Flora Stieglitz Award.

In the winter of 1956, Phillip Hoose was a gawky, uncoordinated 9-year-old boy just moved to a new town-Speedway, Indiana-and trying to fit into a new school and circle of friends. Baseball was his passion, even though he was terrible at it and constantly shamed by his lack of ability. But he had one thing going for him that his classmates could never have-his second cousin was a pitcher for the New York Yankees. Don Larsen wasn''t a star, but he was in the Yankees'' rotation. And on October 8, 1956, he pitched perhaps the greatest game that has ever been pitched: a perfect game (27 batters up, 27 out) against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series. It forever changed Phil''s life. Perfect, Once Removed, recalls with pitch-perfect clarity the angst and jubilation of Phil Hoose''s 9th year. To be published on the 50th anniversary of The Perfect Game, it will be one of the best baseball books of 2006.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER AND NEWBERY HONOR BOOK ● Before Rosa Parks, there was 15-year-old Claudette Colvin. Read the first in-depth account of an important yet largely unknown civil rights figure in this multi-award winning, mega-selling biography from the incomparable Phillip Hoose. “When it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. You can''t sugarcoat it. You have to take a stand and say, ‘This is not right.’” —Claudette Colvin On March 2, 1955, an impassioned teenager, fed up with the daily injustices of Jim Crow segregation, refused to give her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of being celebrated as Rosa Parks would be just nine months later, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin found herself shunned by her classmates and dismissed by community leaders. Undaunted, a year later she dared to challenge segregation again as a key plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the landmark case that struck down the segregation laws of Montgomery and swept away the legal underpinnings of the Jim Crow South. Based on extensive interviews with Claudette Colvin and many others, Phillip Hoose presents the first major biography of a remarkable civil rights hero, skillfully weaving her riveting story into the fabric of the historic Montgomery bus boycott and court case that would change the course of American history. Awards and Praise for Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice National Book Award Winner A Newbery Honor Book A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Amazon.com 100 Biographies and Memoirs to Read in a Lifetime “Hoose''s book, based in part on interviews with Colvin and people who knew her—finally gives her the credit she deserves.” —The New York Times Book Review “Claudette''s eloquent bravery is unforgettable.” —The Wall Street Journal ★ “This inspiring title shows the incredible difference that a single young person can make.” —Booklist, starred review

"The true story of a group of boy resistance fighters in Denmark after the Nazi invasion"--

Documents the survival tale of an intrepid shorebird who has endured annual migrations between Argentina and the Canadian Arctic throughout the course of a long lifetime while his species continues to decline.

The story of the impactful partnership between humans and mockingbirds, both scientifically and culturally over the centuries, written for young adults by award-winning nonfiction powerhouse Phil Hoose. The Northern mockingbird’s brilliant song—a loud, bright, liquid sampling of musical notes and phrases—has made it a beloved companion and the official bird of five states. Many of our favorite songs and poems feature mockingbirds. Mockingbirds have been companions to humans for centuries. Many Native American myths and legends feature mockingbirds, often teaching humans to speak. Thomas Jefferson’s mockingbird, “Dick”, was the first White House pet. John James Audubon’s portrait of a rattlesnake raiding a mockingbird’s nest sparked outrage in the world of art. Atticus Finch’s somber warning to his children, “Remember, it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird,” is known throughout the world. Some jazz musicians credit mockingbirds with teaching them a four-note call that says, “Break’s over.” And mockingjays—a hybrid between jabberjays and mockers—are a symbol of the rebel cause in the Hunger Games trilogy. But in the early 1900s the mocker was plummeting toward extinction. Too many had been trapped, sold, and caged. Something had to be done. To the rescue came a powerful and determined group of women. Now, National Book Award and Newbery honor-winner Phillip Hoose brings the story of the important and overlooked connection between humans and mockingbirds—past, present, and future. It is the third volume of his bird trilogy. Duet is a study in the power of song. As author Steve Sheinkin puts it, “This book will change how you listen to the world.”

The perfect tool to help inspire compassion in our world’s youth.” —Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist A hilarious picture book that poses the eternal question: To squish or not to squish? With a meaningful message about the importance of caring for creatures big and small, this is a perfect book for Earth Day and year round. What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Would you stop and listen? That’s what happens in this funny, thought-provoking book. First composed as a song by a father-daughter team, this suprising conversation between a tiny ant and a little girl is sure to inspire discussions about caring, kindness, and respect for both animals and humans.

It''s Our World, Too is the invaluable companion to the award-winning We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History. The book gives young readers the tools to bring about change. Many young people are seeking out ways to become constructively engaged in their world. This book couldn''t be more timely. “Two books in one: first, fourteen fascinating accounts of children working for human rights, the needy, the environment, or world peace . . . Second, a handbook for young activists, with practical suggestions for planning, organizing, publicizing, and raising funds for social action projects.” -- Kirkus Reviews

Attucks! is true story of the all-black high school basketball team that broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s Indiana, masterfully told by National Book Award winner Phil Hoose. By winning the state high school basketball championship in 1955, ten teens from an Indianapolis school meant to be the centerpiece of racially segregated education in the state shattered the myth of their inferiority. Their brilliant coach had fashioned an unbeatable team from a group of boys born in the South and raised in poverty. Anchored by the astonishing Oscar Robertson, a future college and NBA star, the Crispus Attucks Tigers went down in history as the first state champions from Indianapolis and the first all-black team in U.S. history to win a racially open championship tournament—an integration they had forced with their on-court prowess. From native Hoosier and award-winning author Phillip Hoose comes this true story of a team up against impossible odds, making a difference when it mattered most. An ALA Notable Book of 2019 NYPL Best Book for Teens of 2018 A 2018 Booklist Youth Editors'' Choice A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children''s Literature Best Book of 2018 A Kirkus Reviews Best YA Nonfiction Book of 2018 An ALSC Notable Children''s Book of 2019 A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Nominee This title has Common Core connections.

Civil rights icon Claudette Colvin teams up with Phillip Hoose—author of the Newbery Honor and National Book Award-winning blockbuster biography Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice—to tell her groundbreaking story in this unforgettable picture book illustrated by New York Times–bestselling artist Bea Jackson. Montgomery, Alabama 1955. Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin is tired. Tired of white people thinking they’re better than her. Tired of going to separate schools and separate bathrooms. Most of all, she’s tired of having to give up her seat on the bus whenever a white person tells her to. She wants freedom NOW! But what can one teenager do? On a bus ride home from school one day, young Claudette takes a stand for justice and refuses to get up from her seat—nine months before Rosa Parks will become famous for doing the same. What follows will not only transform Claudette’s life but the course of history itself. In the words of Claudette Colvin herself, as told to acclaimed nonfiction writer Phillip Hoose, this empowering, heroic story illustrates how one simple act of courage can create real and lasting change.

Vigliani and Eaton’s high-interest exploration of medicine begins in prehistory. The 5,000-year-old Iceman discovered frozen in the Alps may have treated his gallstones, Lyme disease, and hardening of the arteries with the 61 tattoos that covered his body—most of which matched acupuncture points—and the walnut-sized pieces of fungus he carried on his belt. The herbal medicines chamomile and yarrow have been found on 50,000-year-old teeth, and neatly bored holes in prehistoric skulls show that Neolithic surgeons relieved pressure on the brain (or attempted to release evil spirits) at least 10,000 years ago. From Mesopotamian pharmaceuticals and Ancient Greek sleep therapy through midwifery, amputation, bloodletting, Renaissance anatomy, bubonic plague, and cholera to the discovery of germs, X-rays, DNA-based treatments and modern prosthetics, the history of medicine is a wild ride through the history of humankind.

Profundamente envergonhado com os líderes de seu país, que se renderam sem resistência aos ocupantes alemães na Segunda Guerra Mundial, o jovem dinamarquês Knud Pedersen, de 15 anos, se juntou a seu irmão e a um punhado de colegas da escola para tomar uma atitude contra os nazistas, já que os adultos não o fariam. Batizando seu clube secreto com o nome do impetuoso líder britânico, os jovens patriotas do Clube Churchill cometeram incontáveis atos de sabotagem, despertando a fúria dos alemães, que acabaram identificando e prendendo os garotos. Mas seus esforços não foram em vão: as façanhas do clube e a captura de seus membros ajudaram a desencadear uma resistência generalizada na Dinamarca. Intercalando sua narrativa com as memórias em primeira pessoa de Knud Pedersen, Phillip Hoose conta neste livro a história inspiradora desses jovens heróis de guerra.

The Spanish translation of bestseller HEY, LITTLE ANT is now available in paperback.

A song in which an ant pleads with the kid who is tempted to squish it.

A song in which an ant pleads with the kid who is tempted to squish it.

Que feriez-vous si au moment d''écraser une fourmi, elle vous implorait de la laisser vivre ? L''écouteriez-vous ? Sous le regard de ses copains, un petit garçon est sur le point d''écrabouiller une fourmi. Mais miraculeusement, elle se met à lui parler de sa vie, de sa famille... Alors, que faire ? Ecraser ou ne pas écraser la fourmi, telle est la question !