Exploring the Southwest States through Literature. Exploring the United States through Literature Series

• Main Author: Sharp, Pat Tipton, Ed
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Oryx Press 1994
• Subjects: Annotated Bibliographies; Childrens Literature; Elementary Secondary Education; History Instruction; Instructional Materials; Social Studies; United States (Southwest); United States History
• ISBN: 9780897747653; 0897747658

This book is comprised of seven annotated regional resource guides to selected print and nonprint materials for grades K-8. Each regional bibliography is divided into state sections identifying materials that relate to the history, culture, geography, resources, industries, literature and lore, and famous figures of the states in the region. This volume focuses on the Southwest states. The materials included in this bibliography offer young people a deeper understanding of the histories and contemporary cultures of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Functioning as a selection tool or as a resource for reader guidance, this volume identifies about 460 items that are set in or focus on at least one of the four states. In addition to bibliographic data and subject headings, each entry includes a brief annotation of 75-100 words. Each annotation describes the work, evaluates its merit, and suggests a follow up activity to encourage young people to extend the ideas or information in the work. Arizona's rich tradition of Native American stories is evident in the available books and nonprint materials relating to the state. Materials on Arizona history do not make up a major portion of the bibliography, and the same is true for materials on current business and industry in Arizona. New Mexico, like Arizona, has many publications that relate to Native American contributions and to stories collected from Native Americans. The colorful history of New Mexico is a major focus of the New Mexico materials. Because the choice of materials is limited, the New Mexico bibliography has fewer titles than some of the other state sections. Three major concepts predominate in the Oklahoma publications: (1) the Native American influence in the state; (2) the economic impacts of the dust bowl and oil; and (3) the southwestern culture of cowboys and homesteading. Texas independence is a major topic for that state. It is in the Texas resources that the cultural diversity of the southwestern portion of the United States is shown with most clarity. (DK)