Yanuell wanted to begin his morning by re-reading The Giant Cutaway Book: Inside the Titanic by Ken Marschall. After reading, Yanuell was interested in researching the passengers that were both in this book and on the Titanic. Frank Goldberg, a young boy at the time, wrote a book called Echoes in the Night, detailing his account of the Titanic. We went to the Titanic Historical website and found a plethora of fascinating information. After the research, we switched subject areas and read Angry Earth: Terrifying Tornadoes. This book covers a great deal of information beginning with how tornadoes are formed and what to do when a tornado warning is issued. It is packed with astonishing photographs of twisters and the destruction that these terrifying winds can cause. Yanuell is very interested in the terrible damage caused by tornadoes and that they strike quickly, violently, and almost everywhere on Earth. In reading, we learned that the United States has more tornadoes each year than any other country. After a morning of destruction, we transitioned to social studies reading, and read Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream by Jacqueline A. Ball. This book is part of an excellent series that introduces biographies to elementary students. The authors write in a story format that permits the books to be read independently by students in grades 3-5, which is ideal for Yanuell. Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream! covers everything from his childhood in the south to the historic march on Washington, D.C. It does an excellent job detailing the story of the civil rights leader's crusade to gain equal rights for all people. As readers, we were able to explore the life of one of history's most courageous people, while learning about the civil rights movement in the United States. There were amazing full-color photographs and a timeline in addition to the compelling biographical narrative. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been and continues to be one of Yanuell's favorite people to read about since he started school. Now that he is able to read biographies on his own, his excitement has even grown. In continuing with reading about Yanuell's favorite people, we ended today's reading session with I am Abraham Lincoln (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer. The book jacket had some insight into this amazing series, “Kids always search for heroes, so we might as well have a say in it,” Brad Meltzer realized, and so he envisioned this friendly, fun approach to biography – for his own kids, and for yours. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in an entertaining, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, those who aren’t quite ready for the Who Was series. Each book focuses on a particular character trait that made that role model heroic. For example, Abraham Lincoln always spoke up about fairness, and thus he led the country to abolish slavery. This book follows him from childhood to the presidency, including the Civil War and his legendary Gettysburg Address. The cartoon illustrations combined with the actual story had Yanuell reading from beginning to end with a smile on his face.