50 Trailblazers of the 50 States (50 States #5)

by Howard Megdal (Author) Abbey Lossing (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: 50 States

Meet 50 trailblazers who made the United States what it is today in this gorgeously illustrated biography book.

With one trailblazer from every state, you'll discover how Rosa Parks from Alabama fought for civil rights, how Barack Obama from Hawaii proved an African-American could be President, how Joe Biden from Delaware protected women from domestic violence, and how Betty Ford from Michigan improved treatment for drug addiction.

Each spread features a timeline of the trailblazer's life, key facts about their achievements, and how their trailblazing continues today. By honoring people who strove in the areas of equal rights, feminism, and environmentalism/conservation, this fact-packed book celebrates what makes America great, then and now.

Alabama: Rosa Parks; Alaska: Margaret Murie; Arizona: Cesar Chavez; Arkansas: All-American Redheads (women's basketball team); California: Colin Kaepernick; Colorado: Corky Gonzales; Connecticut: Rebecca Lobo; Delaware: Joe Biden; Florida: Emma Gonzalez; Georgia: Jackie Robinson; Hawaii: Barack Obama; Idaho: Marilyn Schuler; Illinois: Betty Friedan; Indiana: Eugene V. Debs; Iowa: Carrie Chapman Catt; Kansas: William Allen White; Kentucky: Muhammad Ali; Louisiana: Norris Henderson; Maine: Dorothea Dix; Maryland: Thurgood Marshall; Massachusetts: W.E.B. DuBois; Michigan: Betty Ford; Minnesota: Maya Moore; Mississippi: Myrlie Evers-Williams; Missouri: Michael Harrington; Montana: Barbara Ehrenreich; Nebraska: Susette La Flesche; Nevada: Velma Bronn Johnson; New Hampshire: Doris Haddock; New Jersey: Paul Robeson; New Mexico: Notah Begay; New York: Margaret Sanger; North Carolina: Jessica McDonald; North Dakota: Dave Archambault; Ohio: LeBron James; Oklahoma: Woody Guthrie; Oregon: Lola Baldwin; Pennsylvania: Rachel Carson; Rhode Island: Marjorie van Vliet; South Carolina: Sarah and Angelina Grimke; South Dakota: Hubert Humphrey; Tennessee: Hattie Caraway; Texas: Lyndon Johnson; Utah: David Nelson; Vermont: Clarina I.H. Nichols; Virginia: Mildred Loving; Washington: Jenny Durkan; West Virginia: Debbie Null; Wisconsin: Robert LaFollette; Wyoming: Harriet Elizabeth Byrd

The 50 States series of books for young explorers celebrates the USA and the wider world with key facts and fun activities about the people, history, and natural environments that make each location within them uniquely wonderful. Beautiful illustrations, maps, and infographics bring the places to colorful life. Also available from the series:

  • The 50 States
  • The 50 States: Activity Book
  • The 50 States: Fun Facts
  • 50 Cities of the U.S.A.
  • 50 Maps of the World
  • 50 Adventures in the 50 States
  • 50 Maps of the World Activity Book, Only in America!
  • We Are the 50 States
Select format:
Paperback
$14.99

More books in the series - See All

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up--The trailblazers profiled in this book are a refreshing collection of people who have made a difference on a local and national scale. Readers will immediately understand the significance of game-changers like Hawaii-born President Obama and Kentucky native Muhammad Ali but may not recognize names like Dale Lee, who led the 2018 teachers' strike in West Virginia, and Marjorie van Vliet, a world peace advocate from Rhode Island. Some have been in the news as recently as Floridian and Parkland survivor Emma González. Others are from the past, like South Carolina sisters and abolition and women's rights advocates Sarah and Angelina Grimké. No matter who has been chosen from each state, the book explains their background, their contributions, and how their work continues to make a difference. The information presented is just enough to pique readers' interest and could stimulate further research. The causes represented in the book include civil rights, animal rights, workers' rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. A glossary is included after the spread about each person. Lossing's drawings are vibrant and will make a lasting impression on readers. VERDICT This is a worthwhile addition to any middle grade biography section. An informative and entertaining read.--Kim Gardner, Fort Worth Country Day School, TX

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Howard Megdal

Abbey Lossing is an illustrator and animator based in Brooklyn, NY. She grew up in Granville, Ohio, and relocated to NYC after attaining a degree in Illustration from Syracuse University. Having worked as a staff illustrator at BuzzFeed and then Vice News she took the leap into full-time freelance in 2017. Since then she has worked with Facebook, Google, Target, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Working in Photoshop from initial sketch right to the colored final, Abbey uses a Cintiq to maintain the presence of her hand in her digital work. Often inspired by fashion and textiles, she loves to integrate patterns into her work and when she's not working digitally she loves to revisit her background in screen printing and get her hands dirty. If she's not creating art, Abbey can usually be found walking the sidewalks of NYC, seeking out new food she's never tried.

Howard Megdal is a journalist and editor who has worked hard over his career to equalise coverage between both men and women's sports. His career has seen him work in many various rolls including as a sports columnist for POLITICO New York, Editorial Director for Excelle Sports and Editor-in-Chief for High Post Hoops. Howard is always curious, always seeking the deeper story, the connection between a stat and how it got that way, looking to shine a light on what is missed elsewhere. He has written for numerous publications including The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Forbes.

Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781786039675
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Wide Eyed Editions
Publication date
November 20, 2019
Series
50 States
BISAC categories
JNF007050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Cultural Heritage
JNF007110 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Social Activists
JNF007020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Historical
Library of Congress categories
Civil rights workers
United States
Social reformers
Reformers
Community activists

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