Community Helpers from A to Z

by Bobbie Kalman, Niki Walker

Let's meet people who make our communities a more pleasant place to live. Colorful photos show workers performing their tasks which helps put their roles into a context children will recognize. Young readers are introduced - agricultural workers - firefighters - recycling workers - veterinarians, and more!

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Bobbie Kalman is the award-winning author of more than 400 non-fiction books. She established herself as a leading author in children’s non-fiction in the 1980’s and 90’s with two acclaimed series about pioneer life, The Early Settler Life Series (15 titles) and The Historic Communities Series (31 titles), both published by Crabtree Publishing. She has created many of Crabtree’s most popular series, which also include The Native Nations of North America Series (19 titles), The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series (93 titles), and The Science of Living Things Series (32 titles), among others.

Born in Hungary in 1947, Bobbie and her family escaped to Austria during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. The family spent several weeks there as refugees before immigrating to North America. A former teacher, Bobbie Kalman taught at both the elementary and secondary levels. She also spent several years working as an educational consultant for several publishing companies. Bobbie holds degrees in English, Psychology, and Education. She is married and has four children and three grandchildren.

Although best known for her non-fiction, Bobbie’s newest book is autobiographical. Released in September, 2006, Refugee Child is the account of Bobbie and her family’s escape from Hungary when she was just nine years old. Written to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution in October of 2006, the book is told from the perspective of a young girl.

Reviews

[Lisa Nagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our teachers usually do a community helpers unit every year, so this will be nice addition to our library. I like that it is an A to Z book and on each page there is a simpler text along with added information to extend learning to older students.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am using this non-fiction text in my unit plan on communities. It's an effective introduction, illustrating the goods and services citizens provide through jobs. The role community helpers play in making a community prosperous is an enduring understanding of my unit.

[Hana Sm. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Non-fiction book lists community helpers from A to Z. I like the fact that the book takes the time to go into specific terms that are related to each job.

For instance, "A is for agricultural workers. Agricultural workers work on farms & help grow fruits & vegetables or raise livestock. Where you live, agricultural workers help your community... Others, called migrant workers, travel from place to place to help farmers in different areas.

This is the list of the community helpers in ABC order: Agricultural workers, Business people, Community helpers & Construction workers, Doctors, EMTs, Firefighters, Gymnastics coach, Home helpers, Industrial workers, Journalist, Kitchen staff, Librarian, Mail carrier, Nurse, Officers, Pharmacist, Quality-control technician, Recycling workers & Refuse collectors, Service industry workers, Teachers, Utility workers, Veterinarian, Water treatment workers, X-ray technologist, You, Zookeeper.
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I could use this book to teach literacy to my class by teaching students the terms that relate to each community helper. Most students have no idea what a "migrant" is or does, so that could be a great opportunity to explain that term means.

[Erica Mayberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for early learners so they can get used to both the alphabet and leaders of the community. If they see these workers in a nonthreatening context such as a book, they can know they play an important role in case of an emergency.

[Ebono1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book to talk to children about different community helpers and have them understand what each one does. good alphabet book

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview for first grade community/career units.