Father Groppi Marched to Change Milwaukee

"Father Groppi: Marching for Civil Rights" tells the story of Father James Groppi, a Catholic priest from Milwaukee, Wis., who stood up for civil rights in the 1960s and 1970s.

This important new addition to the Badger Biographies series for young readers also tells about a turbulent time in Wisconsin history and sheds light on the civil rights movement and its place in the North.

Growing up on the south side of Milwaukee as the son of Italian immigrants, young James Groppi learned early on what it felt like to be made fun of just because of who you are, and he learned to respect people from other races and ethnic groups. Later, while studying to become a priest, he saw the discrimination African Americans faced. It made him angry, and he vowed to do whatever he could to fight racism.

Father Groppi marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders of the civil rights movement. But he knew there was work to be done in his own city. In Milwaukee, he teamed up with the NAACP and other organizations, protesting discrimination and segregation wherever they saw it. It wasn't always easy, and Father Groppi and the other civil rights workers faced great challenges.

What are some food favorites in Wisconsin, and why are they special to us? How have our landscape and the people who have inhabited it contributed to our food heritage? This unique blend of history book and cookbook gives kids a real taste for hands-on history by showing them how to create and sample foods that link us to the resources found in our state and the heritage of those who produce them.

Designed for kids and adults to use together, The Flavor of Wisconsin for Kids draws upon the same source material that makes The Flavor of Wisconsin by Harva Hachten and Terese Allen a fascinating and authoritative document of the history and traditions of food in our state, and presents it in a colorful, kid-friendly format that’s both instructional and fun. Mindful of the importance of teaching kids about where the foods they eat come from, each chapter examines a different food source—forests; waters; vegetable, meat, and dairy farms; gardens; and communities. The authors explore our state’s foodways, from their origins to how they have changed over the years, and then offer a selection of related recipes. The recipes are written for modern kitchens but use many traditional ingredients and techniques. Level of difficulty is clearly noted, as well as whether a recipe requires a heat source to prepare.

The remarkable story of the golden plover’s annual migration, this beautifully illustrated nature title for young readers sees the small but mighty plover embark on a six-thousand-mile flight between the frozen Alaska tundra and gentle grassy slopes of the Hawaiian Islands. Equally at home in his two very different habitats, the once-endangered golden plover has evolved many behaviors and adaptations that make it perfectly well-suited to each of its homes, and this book contains many fascinating facts about them. Readers are also introduced to the plover’s neighbors and friends—from the giant Hawaiian goose, or nene, to the musk ox, grizzly bear, arctic fox, and sandhill crane.

Learn how Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom worked to save the greater prairie chicken from extinction in the Wisconsin Historical Society Press’s new book for young readers, "Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom: Wildlife Conservation Pioneers." Fran and Frederick grew up in New England, and married in 1935. They both loved nature and wanted to dedicate their lives to understanding and preserving wildlife. As students of the famous naturalist, Aldo Leopold, they learned about new ways for humans to think about saving land for animals. Fran was a brave, outgoing woman who cared more about interacting with animals than wearing pretty dresses. Frederick was a calm, thoughtful man who loved to study and conduct research. Together, they spent over thirty years mentoring many future scientists, and working to save the greater prairie chicken, and other animals, from extinction. "Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom: Wildlife Conservation Pioneers" is the newest addition to the Society Press’s Badger Biographies Series.

From boyhood adventures to the creation of visionary buildings like the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright and His New American Architecture chronicles the vibrant life of one of the world's most famous architects.

Wright's love of architecture was nurtured early on-from paintings of European cathedrals hung in his childhood room; to "Froebel Gifts" building blocks, which he crafted into crude structures; to long walks near the Wisconsin River, where his mother pointed out patterns and colors in nature. Wright also learned, from summers spent on his uncle's Spring Green farm, that adversity is part of life. And perhaps this helped him weather a life beset with both tragedy and triumph.

Wright's prolific career spanned more than 70 years, and he created more than 1,100 designs. Author Bob Kann brings readers into the eccentric stories behind some of Wright's landmark buildings. Find out about Wright's Oak Park home, known to locals as "the house with a tree growing through it;" the Robie House, which is shaped like a battleship; and Fallingwater, which is built on a waterfall. Learn how Wright successfully built the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo to withstand earthquakes, and how the Johnson Wax Building and Guggenheim Museum set new standards in institutional architecture.

People running from slavery made many hard journeys to find freedom—on steamboats and in carriages, across rivers and in hay-covered wagons. Some were shot at. Many were chased by slave catchers. Others hid in tunnels and secret rooms. But these troubles were worth it for the men, women, and children who eventually reached freedom. Freedom Train North tells the stories of fugitive slaves who found help in Wisconsin. Young readers (ages 7 to 12) will meet people like Joshua Glover, who was broken out of jail by a mob of freedom workers in Milwaukee, and Jacob Green, who escaped five times before he finally made it to freedom.

This compelling book also introduces stories of the strangers who hid fugitive slaves and helped them on their way, brave men and women who broke the law to do what was right. As both a historian and a storyteller, author Julia Pferdehirt shares these exciting and important stories of a dangerous time in Wisconsin’s past. Using manuscripts, letters, and artifacts from the period, as well as stories passed down from one generation to another, Pferdehirt takes us deep into our state’s past, challenging and inspiring us with accounts of courage and survival.