Widen students' worldview: make geography and history vivid for kids with these new books.

I study my shower curtain twice a day. It is a huge world map, and I spend my teeth-brushing time imagining faraway places and the renaissances and revolutions that shaped them. Your students can also be transported on instant world journeys with books like these.

EXPLORING THE WORLD

Around the World in a Hundred Years: From Henry the Navigator to Magellan by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Anthony Bacon Venti (Putnam, 1994); 128 pages; Grade 5-8; $17.95

Over the course of a century, starting in 1421, the globe was circumnavigated b the likes of Diaz, Columbus, da Gama, Cabot, and Vespucci. Jean Fritz knows how to make history compelling, and each chapter is laced with details that expose both the heroism and rampant greed of those European men who filled in all thos "empty spaces" on our maps. Introduce your students to another Spanish explorer the gold-hungry Cortes, in The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss by Sally Schofer Mathews (Clarion, 1994; 32 pages; Grades 5-8; $16.95), a nonfiction picture book about Cortes's arrival in Tenochtitlan in 1519, and how it marked the beginning of the Aztecs' downfall. Remarkable watercolors, done in the style of the original Aztec codices, make this book al the more powerful.

The Armadillo from Amarillo by Lynne Cherry (Harcourt, 1994); 36 pages; Grades K-3; $14.95

This is the perfect hook to start students exploring the United States. Texas armadillo Sasparillo wonders what's beyond his woods, and he hikes through the state to find out, even traveling on an eagle's back to view the city of Amarillo, Texas; the country; the continent; and the world. Told in rhyme, the story is enhanced by spectacular sweeping watercolor and oil pastels, and ends with an informative author's note that fills us in on armadillos' facts and fancies.

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman (Knopf, 1994); 32 pages; Grades K-3; $15

Let's say you're suddenly in the mood for dessert--but you're out of all the ingredients and the market is closed. What in the world do you do? Just tag along with this unflappable dark-haired heroine as she travels by boat, plane, and even parachute to get her semolina wheat in Italy, eggs in France, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, butter from an English cow, sugar from Jamaica, and apples from Vermont. All sorts of nice flourishes, including charming watercolors, world-ma endpapers that show the heroine's travel route, and an apple pie recipe, make this book a most delectable journey. Children can research and then plot out where in the world they'd go to gather ingredients for ice cream or fruit salad

All of the following picture books will appeal mightily to your globe-trotting students: Jeremy's Tail by Duncan Ball (illustrated by Donna Rawlins; Orchard, 1991; Grades PreK-2; $14.95), Magic Carpet by Pat Brisso, (illustrated by Amy Schwartz; Bradbury, 1991; Grades K-3; $14.95), Amelia's Fantastic Flight by Ros Bursik (Henry Holt, 1992; Grades K-3; $14.95), Uncle Lester's Hat by Howie Schneider (Putnam, 1993; Grades K-3; $14.95), and Love, Your Bear Pete by Dyan Sheldon (Candlewick, 1994; Grades PreK-2; $13.95).

OTHER CITIES, OTHER COUNTRIES

Away from Home by Anita Lobel (Greenwillow, 1994); 32 pages; Grades PreK-3; $15.93

The curtain rises on an international cast of 26 boys, each of whom acts out a city scene against a backdrop depicting a famous sight: David dances in Detroit Upton unpacks in Uxmal, and Xavier xylophones in Xian. Lobel's large, majestic paintings capture the essence of each city. Act this book out in narrative pantomime, and then stage your own around-the-world alphabetical tableau. Research cities, find pictures and interesting information, write new alliterative name sentences, and paint backdrops.

Learning to Swim in Swaziland: A Child's-Eye View of a Southern African Country by Nila K. Leigh (Scholastic, 1993); 48 pages; Grades 1-5; $15.95

Nila Leigh was a fourth grader when she wrote this charming photo-essay about the year she spent in Swaziland when she was eight. In her own handwriting, and with her own crayon illustrations, she portrays life there, showing how the Swazis dress and what the children do, and even includes a Swazi folktale. If you're thinking of having your students compile simple reports on countries, this is an unintimidating and entertaining format to use as a model. Give a broader view of Africa with Masai and I by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Four Winds, 1992; 32 pages; Grades K-3; $13.95), and Somewhere in Africa by Ingrid Mennen and Niki Daly (illustrated by Nicolaas Maritz; Dutton, 1992; 32 pages; Grades PreK-2; $13). Expose young learners to other countries and cultures with stories such as New Shoes for Sylvia by Johanna Hurwitz (illustrated by Jerry Pinkney; Morrow, 1993; 32 pages; Grades PreK-1; $15), which is set in the Latin American country-side, and informational books including A to Zen: A Book of Japanese Culture by Ruth Wells, illustrated by Yoshi (Picture Book Studio, 1992; 28 pages; Grades 3-6; $15.95), which explains many facets of modem Japanese life.

My New York by Kathy Jakobsen (Little, Brown, 1993); 36 pages; Grades K-6; $15.95

Written in the form of a letter from city girl Becky to Martin, a friend from the Midwest who is planning to visit, this is a dazzling tribute to all the glorious sights to be seen in the Big Apple--the Central Park Zoo, F.A.O. Schwarz, the Plaza Hotel, Chinatown, and much more. The best parts are the two pages that open up, taking you to the top of the Empire State Building and detailing the skeleton of both a new skyscraper and a dinosaur at the Museum of Natural History.

WAR AROUND THE WORLD

Unfortunately, one way children are introduced to unfamiliar places is through war and the media's ever-more-graphic coverage of it. In World War II, children watched newsreels from Bizerte, Anzio, Okinawa, and Mindina. In recent years, children have seen images of war-torn Iraq, Bosnia, and Rwanda. The following titles will help students grapple with the reality of war around the world.

War Game by Michael Foreman (Arcade, 1994); 72 pages; Grades 4-8; $16.95

This sobering World War I story, based on a true episode, will change your students' perceptions of war forever. In 1914, convinced the war will be over b Christmas, Freddie, Will, Lacey, and Billy, four friends from an English countr village, enlist and are sent to the Western Front in France, where they are posted as sentries in the trenches, "less than a goal kick away" from the Germa trenches. There, they overlook the devastation, barbed wire, and dead bodies littering no-man's-land. On Christmas Eve, the soldiers of the two armies serenade each other with Christmas carols, and on Christmas Day, meet in the middle of no-man's-land to shake hands, bury the dead, and play an impromptu game of soccer. A few days later, the German soldiers in the trenches are replaced by fresh troops who mount an attack on the British--and the carnage resumes. Foreman's glowing watercolors, as well as the reproductions of recruitment posters and period ads, make this story of war's senselessness vivi for kids. For a reproducible Meet the Author on Michael Foreman, see page 81.

Don't You Know There's a War On? by James Stevenson, (Greenwillow, 1992); 32 pages; Grades 1-4; $13.95

Author Stevenson weaves an autobiography of his boyhood during World War II, illustrating his reminiscences with watercolor sketches. To him, the war meant dad in the Army, a brother in the Navy, rationing, tinfoil collecting, enemy-plane spotting, Spam, and news-reels of the Allied bathes. Ask students t interview grandparents or other relatives who've lived through wars; Stevenson' episodic format is just right for students to emulate.

Casey Over There by Staton Rabin, illustrated by Greg Shed (Harcourt, 1994); 32 pages; Grades 1-5; $14.95

Three months have gone by without a single letter from Casey, who's serving as sergeant with the Fighting 69th in France during World War I. Seven-year-old Aubrey is worried about his big brother, so he writes to Uncle Sam and receives a heartfelt response from President Wilson instead. Facing pages show us Aubrey's life in sunny Brooklyn contrasted with somber sepia-tone paintings of the French trenches. Rosemary Wells's Waiting for the Evening Star (illustrated by Susan Jeffers; Dial, 1993; 32 pages; Grades K-8; $14.89) paints a portentous portrait of a town in bucolic Vermont just before the outbreak of World War I.

Lest your students decide horrific warfare is a thing of the past, read them excerpts of Zlata Filopovic's Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo (Viking 1994; 200 pages; Grades 4-8; ISBN 0-670-85724-6; $16.95), a journal kept by a now 13-year-old girl whose life was much like theirs until the Bosnian war erupted, destroying her city and profoundly changing her life.

Two outstanding professional books that you will find invaluable are Using Literature to Teach Middle Grades About War by Phyllis K. Kennemer (Oryx Press, 1993; 236 pages; paperback, $29.95), with six thematic units from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War, and War & Peace: Literature for Children and Young Adults: A Resource Guide to Significant Issues by Virginia A. Walter (Ory Press, 1993; 171 pages; paperback, $27.50), an annotated bibliography of more than 400 books dealing with war and conflict resolution, and how to share such issues in the classroom. Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk About by Margaret Read MacDonald (Linnet Books/Shoe String Press, 1992; 116 pages; Grades 1-6; paperback, $13.95) is an anthology containing dozens of insightful stories and proverbs about war and peace to aid children in their discussions about the personal and political choices they will need to make in their lives.

JUDY FREEMAN, librarian at Van Holten School in Bridgewater, New Jersey, is the author of Books Kids Will Sit Still For: The Complete Read-Aloud Guide (R. R. Bowker, 1990). An adjunct instructor at the Rutgers University School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, she also presents workshops on children's literature throughout the U.S. and Canada.