If you want to see 20th century American history unfold before your eyes, stand on a city street corner and watch it change! It all starts when an immigrant named Oscar opens a barber shop...

When Oscar lands on Ellis Island, he has only a suitcase and a down payment in his hands. And he has a dream-- to own his own barbershop. After it opens on the corner of Front St. and Second Ave, Oscar's barbershop becomes a beloved local fixture... until the day Oscar decides to move on and become a subway conductor. Over the years, this barbershop will change hands to become a lady's clothing store, then a soup kitchen. A coffee shop follows, then the space becomes an army recruitment center, then a candy shop. As the years pass and the world changes, the proud corner store stands tall, watching American history unfold around it. Barry Wittenstein and debut husband-and-wife illustration team Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell tell the rich, fascinating story of key moments in American history, as reflected through the eyes--and the patrons--of the corner store.
Barry Wittenstein is the author of Waiting for Pumpsie, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. His follow-up picture book, The Boo-Boos That Changed the World, also received a starred review from Kirkus and was named a Kirkus Best Book of 2018. His upcoming titles include Sonny's Bridge, illustrated by Keith Mallett and A Place to Land, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Barry resides in New York City. Visit him on the web at onedogwoof.com and follow him on Twitter at @bwittbooks.

Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell are a husband-and-wife-illustrator duo based in Kansas City. They have their own studio, The Brave Union, and have taken on the freelance world or illustration, working on projects for magazines, packaging, t-shirts, educational purposes, and now, children's books. Visit them on the web at thebraveunion.com and find them on Instagram @thebraveunion.

Classroom Activities for Oscar's American Dream

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

“An interesting fictional lens through which to view history.” —School Library Journal

About

If you want to see 20th century American history unfold before your eyes, stand on a city street corner and watch it change! It all starts when an immigrant named Oscar opens a barber shop...

When Oscar lands on Ellis Island, he has only a suitcase and a down payment in his hands. And he has a dream-- to own his own barbershop. After it opens on the corner of Front St. and Second Ave, Oscar's barbershop becomes a beloved local fixture... until the day Oscar decides to move on and become a subway conductor. Over the years, this barbershop will change hands to become a lady's clothing store, then a soup kitchen. A coffee shop follows, then the space becomes an army recruitment center, then a candy shop. As the years pass and the world changes, the proud corner store stands tall, watching American history unfold around it. Barry Wittenstein and debut husband-and-wife illustration team Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell tell the rich, fascinating story of key moments in American history, as reflected through the eyes--and the patrons--of the corner store.

Author

Barry Wittenstein is the author of Waiting for Pumpsie, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. His follow-up picture book, The Boo-Boos That Changed the World, also received a starred review from Kirkus and was named a Kirkus Best Book of 2018. His upcoming titles include Sonny's Bridge, illustrated by Keith Mallett and A Place to Land, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Barry resides in New York City. Visit him on the web at onedogwoof.com and follow him on Twitter at @bwittbooks.

Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell are a husband-and-wife-illustrator duo based in Kansas City. They have their own studio, The Brave Union, and have taken on the freelance world or illustration, working on projects for magazines, packaging, t-shirts, educational purposes, and now, children's books. Visit them on the web at thebraveunion.com and find them on Instagram @thebraveunion.

Guides

Classroom Activities for Oscar's American Dream

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Praise

“An interesting fictional lens through which to view history.” —School Library Journal

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more