MAQ at Home Activities
Recommended Reading
Locomotive, by Brian Floca (author and illustrator)
It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountains to the ocean. Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, and watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails! Come cross the young country!
Real Cowboys, by Kate Hoefler (author) and Jonathan Bean (illustrator)
In this realistic and poetic picture book debut about the wide-open West, the myth of rowdy, rough-riding cowboys and cowgirls is remade. A timely and multifaceted portrayal reveals a lifestyle that is as diverse as it is contrary to what we’ve come to expect.
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, by Paul Goble (author and illustrator)
Goble’s Caldecott Medal–winning book tells the story of a young Native American girl who is devoted to the care of her tribe’s horses. With simple text and brilliant illustrations, Goble reveals how she eventually becomes one of the horses to forever run free.
Arrow to the Sun, by Gerald McDermott (author and illustrator)
With vibrant colors and bold geometric forms, Gerald McDermott brilliantly captures the stylized look of Pueblo Indian art in this Caldecott Award–winning retelling of an ancient legend. A young boy searches for his father, but before he can claim his heritage, he must first prove his worthiness by passing through the four ceremonial chambers: the kiva of lions, the kiva of snakes, the kiva of bees, and the kiva of lightning.
