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It's My State!®
Kansas
Surveys the history, geography, government, economy, and people of Kansas. Includes a recipe or craft activity, and the state's song.
80 pages, Library Binding
First published April 1, 2004
3 people want to read
About the author
David C. King
126 books8 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
David has written--and published--more than 70 books, primarily nonfiction in American history and biography; there have also been about 20 studies of other cultures, including Taiwan, Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the United Arab Emirates. While most of his books have been for young-adult readers, many have been cross-overs, directed to both adult and young-adult audiences.
A former teacher of both English and History, David has also been a consultant to the State Department of Education, UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, Public Broadcasting Corporation, and several state departments of education.
"I love to write," he explains, "and my goal is to make encounters with history and culture as interesting, dramatic, and colorful as possible."
In his book on Taiwan, King explained why he felt comfortable writing about countries he has never lived in or even visited: "The important thing in writing about any other culture is to research your subject thoroughly and to develop a sensitivity for the people and their way of life. A good example is the classic study of Japanese culture, The Sword and the Crysanthemum. It was written by Ruth Benedict, who had never been to Japan."
David and his wife Sharon live in the picturesque Berkshires, surrounded by historical sites and cultural events. Sharon provides David with vital research assistance and is also the author of a young-adult novel--A Secret Star--now in its third printing. They have worked together on several projects, including an award-winning history of the Statue of Liberty.
(source: http://authordavidcking.com/index.php)
David has written--and published--more than 70 books, primarily nonfiction in American history and biography; there have also been about 20 studies of other cultures, including Taiwan, Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the United Arab Emirates. While most of his books have been for young-adult readers, many have been cross-overs, directed to both adult and young-adult audiences.
A former teacher of both English and History, David has also been a consultant to the State Department of Education, UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, Public Broadcasting Corporation, and several state departments of education.
"I love to write," he explains, "and my goal is to make encounters with history and culture as interesting, dramatic, and colorful as possible."
In his book on Taiwan, King explained why he felt comfortable writing about countries he has never lived in or even visited: "The important thing in writing about any other culture is to research your subject thoroughly and to develop a sensitivity for the people and their way of life. A good example is the classic study of Japanese culture, The Sword and the Crysanthemum. It was written by Ruth Benedict, who had never been to Japan."
David and his wife Sharon live in the picturesque Berkshires, surrounded by historical sites and cultural events. Sharon provides David with vital research assistance and is also the author of a young-adult novel--A Secret Star--now in its third printing. They have worked together on several projects, including an award-winning history of the Statue of Liberty.
(source: http://authordavidcking.com/index.php)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 23, 2012
This is a great series. I've only read three from the series but each one leaves me thinking "I should visit!" I didn't know anything about Kansas but learned lots of interesting facts. Here's a few things:
*It's called "The Sunflower State"
*Most of it's 200+ lakes and rivers are man made. Most were created by coal mining. The mining created deep depressions in the ground. Water eventually began to fill in the depressions and voila! lakes!
*After the "Dust Bowl" era, thousands of trees were planted to prevent future dust storms. One storm picked up an estimated 300 million tons of topsoil - some dust was dropped over 500 miles away on ships in the Atlantic Ocean. (Yikes!)
The only chapter that was boring to me was the part on government - as this book was written for kids, I don't really find them caring that much about the minute details of local government (whether or not they should is a completely different conversation.)
*It's called "The Sunflower State"
*Most of it's 200+ lakes and rivers are man made. Most were created by coal mining. The mining created deep depressions in the ground. Water eventually began to fill in the depressions and voila! lakes!
*After the "Dust Bowl" era, thousands of trees were planted to prevent future dust storms. One storm picked up an estimated 300 million tons of topsoil - some dust was dropped over 500 miles away on ships in the Atlantic Ocean. (Yikes!)
The only chapter that was boring to me was the part on government - as this book was written for kids, I don't really find them caring that much about the minute details of local government (whether or not they should is a completely different conversation.)
Displaying 1 of 1 review