Additional information
by Dona Herweck Rice (Author), Alice Dell (Author)
Discover how the past connects to the present and shapes the future!
This social studies book explains how events, people, and places of the past continue to influence modern life, encouraging students to see history as a living story rather than a distant subject. The book explores the concept of historical memory, including how societies decide who and what to remember--and why. By connecting past and present, students gain a deeper understanding into how history impacts their own lives and communities today.
What Is History?
- Links history to the present and showcases the influence of the past on students' everyday lives
- Emphasizes the significance of original documents and firsthand materials in preserving important moments throughout history
- Includes timelines and explains how they reveal the flow of events across time
What Is History? is part of the Knowledge Builders: Social Studies Readers series. This series introduces young learners to the world with high-quality nonfiction that is captivating and informative. Each book blends engaging text with striking primary source imagery and dynamic text features, allowing every student to connect with social studies content in meaningful ways.
Author Biography
Dona Herweck Rice is the prolific author of books, stories, and poems for children of all ages. She's written hundreds of books and more on just about every topic under the sun, from acrobats to zucchini and everything in between. She has also written award-winning books and curriculums for educators, especially on the subjects of writing and language arts. In fact, her first publications were a series for teachers on how to teach writing in the classroom. She spearheaded the development of Write TIME for Kids, which earned the Golden Lamp award for curriculum from the Association of American Publishers. Her writing is featured heavily in such acclaimed series as Focused Phonics, Untold Stories, Fiction Readers, Nonfiction Readers, Learn and Create, and more.
Dona's best-selling children's title with more than 13,000 copies is How Plants Grow, and her most recent titles include dozens of books for the Exploration Storytime series, two titles in the Curious Me!(TM) board book series, and Ride with Rampage in partnership with the Los Angeles Rams. When Dona visits classrooms to talk about being an author, the most requested titles include History's Mysteries, Bad Guys and Gals of the Wild West, and Oh, Rats!--the latter being one of Dona's particular favorites.
Dona is the creator of Cam E. Chameleon, the enchanting little reptile featured in her books The Adventures of Cam E. Chameleon and Cam and Sam's Colorful Adventure. Observant readers can also find Cam singing and dancing throughout the illustrated retelling of If You're Happy and You Know It.
Writing is Dona's passion, but she also loves reading, live theater, and handmade arts and crafts, with many artists and creatives in all mediums among her extended family. Dona was a preschool and middle school teacher and is an acting coach for all ages. She lives in southern California with her husband, son, and one cute, silly, and loveable little dog.
