Children’s Books that Connect the Past to the Present with Back Matter

Beaming Books, 2021

Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book, written by Keila V. Dawson and illustrated by Alleanna Harris, discusses recent acts of violence against Black motorists in the back matter.

The Innovation Press, 2019

Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist: The True Story of a World-Traveling Bug Hunter, written by Christine Evans and illustrated by Yasmin Imamura includes a Q&A with an entomologist working in the field today.

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021

Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizabeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars, written by Laurie Wallmark and illustrated by Brooke Smart, includes a section on “Cryptography Today.”

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021

The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem written by Colleen Paeff and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter includes a section called “Poop Pollution Today” that goes into cholera and water pollution in today’s world and offers tips for kids looking to keep their local waterways clean.

An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin & Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution written by Beth Anderson and illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley ties Ben and Noah’s story to computers, texting, spell check, and some of the spelling issues kids deal with today. It also addresses new words appearing in the English language today and how they take their place in the latest editions of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Calkins Creek, 2020

Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices by Lindsay H. Metcalf includes back matter that shows how little has changed for farmers since they sought parity in 1979.

Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet, written by Elizabeth Rusch and illustrated by Teresa Martinez, has back matter that compares the hole in the ozone layer (a problem we solved) to the global warming of today (and problem we have the power to solve).

This is an ongoing list, so if you know of any books that should be included, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!