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Why not add some music to your books and food mix? Bruce Springsteen’s latest release, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions features his interpretation of 13 traditional songs associated with American folk music icon, Pete Seeger. It’s an album that both parents and children can enjoy, even if they aren’t Springsteen fans.

Several of the Springsteen/Seeger songs deal with figures from American folk tales and history - Jesse James, John Henry, the Erie Canal, and the Buffalo Gals. Another song - Froggie Went A-Courtin’ - is from a classic American story.

Some terrific books to go along with We Shall Overcome are:

• Frog Went A-Courtin’ - For ages 4 to 8, this Caldecott Medal winner in 1955, this book beautifully illustrates the courtship and marriage of the frog and the mouse. The song has its origins in England and Scotland with the music having its origins in the southern Appalachian mountains. Author John Langstaff makes one story from the different versions sung around the U.S.
• Amazing Impossible Erie Canal - (Grades 2 to 6) This gorgeous book by Cheryl Harness discusses the need for the canal, the politics of its planning and building, the workings of the locks and canals, and the pride people took in the accomplishment of this engineering feat including the celebration that marked the completion of the canal in 1825.
• That Dancin’ Dolly - (preschool through grade 1) - The traditional American song “Buffalo Gals” is adapted into book form with cut-paper illustrations. A little gal invites her favorite redheaded dolly “the one with the hole in her stockin” to dance, and the two friends leap and frolic till the moon comes up. This is a great book to bring the Buffalo Gals song from the Springsteen album to younger children.
• John Henry - For ages 4 to 8, this charmingly illustrated tome by Bill Balcziak retells the tale of John Henry, the African American railroad legend known as the Steel Driving Man. The story of John Henry goes back more than 130 years and originated with the miners drilling the Big Bend Tunnel of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in West Virginia.

The book’s index gives facts around the story, a glossary, and where to go for additional information on the web, through the mail, and in the library. Also included in the book is a recipe for Southern cornbread.

Southern Cornbread
from John Henry

Here is a recipe for real Southern cornbread. The men working on the C&O Railroad would have loved it! Do you know there is a huge difference between the cornbread recipes found in the North and the South? In the North, cooks use quite a bit of sugar and flour in their cornbread. In the South, cooks use little if any sugar and flour. But, my is it good!

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup buttermilk
2. 1 cup stone ground cornmeal
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5. 1 egg
6. 1 Tablespoon shortening

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees F.
2. Melt the shortening in a 9-inch round iron skillet in the oven.
3. Stir the cornmeal, salt and baking soda together. Add the egg and buttermilk and mix well.
4. Have an adult help you remove the hot skillet from the oven.
5. Pour the batter into the skillet, stirring the melted shortening into the batter.
6. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven when top of cornbread is brown.
8. Put the cornbread on a serving plate and cut into wedges. Serve right away with butter.

Activity Ideas and Reference Sites:

John Henry

• John Henry - The Steel Driving Man - more information on the legend from ibiblio.org, the public’s library and digital archive
• Present at the Creation - John Henry - from NPR
• Chesapeake & Ohio Railway - from wikipedia.org
• ACTIVITY - If you happen to be in West Virginia, plan on attending the John Henry Days Festival in Hinton from July 7-9.

Pete Seeger

• Pete Seeger - more information on the folk singer
• Pete Seeger - from wikipedia.org

Tall Tales

• American Folklore - Hey there folks! Welcome to American Folklore. This folklore site contains retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and legends, tall tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each and every one of the 50 United States. You can read about all sorts of famous characters like Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Daniel Boone, and many more.
• ACTIVITY - The Other Tall Tales for grades 6-8 from A-Z Teacher Stuff, students research tall tales, retell a tall tale, and write an original tall tale of their own

Erie Canal

• Erie Canal
• History of the Erie Canal - from the University of Rochester
• Erie Canal - a Journey Through History - The website combines songs, historic information, post cards, panoramic photos, maps and community profiles to create a comprehensive multimedia package about the canal and its national impact.
• ACTIVITY  - Research and learn about other famous canals in history like the Suez and the Panama canals. Identify where the canals are on a world map or atlas.

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