Why am I passionate about this?

I am an art and architectural historian whose field also includes the histories of cities. My area of specialty is Africa. I am also a professor at Harvard who has lived in Cambridge, Ma. for over 30 years where I have become a civic leader, co-founding the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association to help bring improvements to the city and preserve historic buildings here. I teach a class on Harvard Square (and the city of Cambridge) and following January 6, I felt it was important to rethink the way we teach young people – encouraging them to understand the diversity of all our communities. 


I wrote

The Streets of Newtowne: A Story of Cambridge, MA

By Suzanne Preston Blier, Jim Blake (illustrator),

Book cover of The Streets of Newtowne: A Story of Cambridge, MA

What is my book about?

The Streets of Newtowne is a history of the first planned city in North America (Cambridge, MA) from its indigenous…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of A Street Through Time: A 12,000 Year Journey Along the Same Street

Suzanne Preston Blier Why did I love this book?

This book takes us through a visual journey of how one street has changed over its long history, providing us with a glimpse of its shared and divergent economic and religious history as well as the many ways that bridges and buildings have changed from Stone Age to the Industrial Revolution, to the present and possible future.

The carefully rendered illustrations provide ample settings for discovering new things in each different period of life on the street.

By Steve Noon (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Street Through Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

Have you ever wondered what your street was like thousands of years ago? This illustrated history book for children takes you on a 12,000-year journey to find out the story of a single street.

Think of the street you live on. Now think of how it may have looked in the Stone Age in 10,000 BCE, or in Victorian times during the Industrial Revolution, or how it may look 50 years from now. A Street Through Time takes you on a time-travelling journey that you won't forget. Highly detailed illustrations bring 15 key periods in time to life. You will…


Book cover of Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Suzanne Preston Blier Why did I love this book?

A timeless 1860 classic, given fresh vision with illustrations and complementary documents on the 1775 Patriot’s Ride by Christopher Bing.

This book not only brings the history of this period to life, but also the importance of Longfellow himself as a period storyteller and poet. This book illuminates key events in American history that make one want to learn even more.

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christopher Bing (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Midnight Ride of Paul Revere as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In his magnificent interpretation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow s poem, Christopher Bing seamlessly weaves history and imagination into a rich portrait of an American hero. A meticulous researcher, Bing includes material that provides texture to history, maps that follow the British campaign to quell the rebellious citizenry, as well as the patriot s ride into the Massachusetts night of April, 1775. Documents firmly affixed into the book, including the British general s orders to his troops and Revere s own deposition relating the events, give the reader not only a visual experience but a tactile one as well. Far more…


Book cover of Make Way for Ducklings

Suzanne Preston Blier Why did I love this book?

This is a wonderfully told local story that is a classic for area residents and visitors, where the key characters are not humans – but birds.

The book provides a wonderful sense of how important geography and place are to humans and animals alike. The story is in many respects a personal one that highlights the ongoing power of individual relationships and families. This is a book whose wonderful illustrations amplify the story as one is reading it to children.

By Robert McCloskey,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Make Way for Ducklings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

This brilliantly illustrated, amusingly observed tale of Mallards on the move has won the hearts of generations of readers. Awarded the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children in 1941, it has since become a favourite of millions. This classic tale of the famous Mallard ducks of Boston is available for the first time in a full-sized paperback edition. Make Way for Ducklings has been described as "one of the merriest picture books ever" (The New York Times). Ideal for reading aloud, this book deserves a place of honor on every child's bookshelf.


Book cover of Olu and Greta

Suzanne Preston Blier Why did I love this book?

This delightful new addition to children’s literature addresses two young cousins, both living in large cities on different continents one (Olu) in Lagos, Nigeria, and the other (Greta) in Milan Italy – share complementary experiences and differences in their diverse settings – in their lived lives and while they are playing.

The bold, colorful, and wonderfully engaging illustrations that convey the different characters and settings are a key part of the pleasure of reading this book.

By Diana Ejaita, Diana Ejaita (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Olu and Greta as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

The geographical and cultural distance between two cousins is counteracted by the universalities of childhood and the dream of uniting.

Olu lives in Lagos, Nigeria; his cousin, Greta, lives in Milan, Italy. Though their lives may be different, their ways of living and playing are quite similar. They both roller skate; they both skip down the street; they both play with toy trains, trucks, and boats... and they both dream of meeting and being together. Debut author-illustrator Diana Ejaita references her own childhood and heritage to create a rich, poignant, and authentic portrayal of Nigeria, of Italy, and of the…


Book cover of The Street Beneath My Feet

Suzanne Preston Blier Why did I love this book?

This book, which takes one on a journey below ground in a city as well as a rural area, providing a glimpse of both the man-made infrastructure (tunnels and pipes) as well as the burrowing trails of animals and many layered rock formations.

The book encourages its readers to think more about the paths and streets on which we and others have long traveled.

By Charlotte Guillain, Yuval Zommer (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Street Beneath My Feet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This award-winning, double-sided foldout book takes you on a fascinating journey down through the layers of the Earth, all the way to the planet’s core and out the other side.

When you’re out walking around, whether on the city streets or a country trail, there’s always so much to see and hear. But do you ever stop and look down? Have you ever wondered what’s going on deep in the ground under your feet?

There are so many amazing sights to see! One side of the foldout shows the ground beneath the city, while the reverse side shows the ground…


Explore my book 😀

The Streets of Newtowne: A Story of Cambridge, MA

By Suzanne Preston Blier, Jim Blake (illustrator),

Book cover of The Streets of Newtowne: A Story of Cambridge, MA

What is my book about?

The Streets of Newtowne is a history of the first planned city in North America (Cambridge, MA) from its indigenous origins to the present day as told from the perspective of its varied pathways, waterways, and streets. The text engages the legacy of indigenous life, Puritan life, the American Revolution, slavery, the Civil War, immigrant vitality, the city’s industrial growth, and famed universities. We witness the forces that made this city, state, and country what they became, in eight period-specific chapters and accompanying illustrations.

The Streets of Newtowne is more than just a book about one town. It is a journey through time, exploring events and individuals that shaped not only the community of Newtowne, and our nation's history in a captivating exploration of America's past.

Book cover of A Street Through Time: A 12,000 Year Journey Along the Same Street
Book cover of Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Book cover of Make Way for Ducklings

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Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

By Margot Machol Bisnow,

Book cover of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

Margot Machol Bisnow Author Of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve become passionate about telling parents how to raise happy, resilient, creative, confident, entrepreneurial children who are doing something that gives them joy. So many young people are unhappy; parents don’t understand how to help. They think their children should follow their path, but that no longer works for many. For the last 10 years, I’ve been speaking to parent groups; I was an Advisor to EQ Generation, an after-school program that gives children the skills to succeed; on the Advisory Board of MUSE School, preparing young people with passion-based learning; and on the Board of Spark the Journey, mentoring low-income high school students to achieve college and career success. 

Margot's book list on learn how to raise confident children

What is my book about?

This book shakes longstanding assumptions of parenting.

Through 99 stories of people who are now changing the world, it shows how to raise creative, confident, resilient children who are filled with joy and purpose. Based on interviews with top entrepreneurs and their parents, it guides you to help your children identify their passion and figure out how they can spend their professional lives doing something they love. 

Parents' well-intentioned efforts often boomerang. By ignoring their children’s skills and interests, parents can inadvertently create pressure and anxiety, thwarting their children's ability to excel and find happiness. Too often, following your heart…

Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

By Margot Machol Bisnow,

What is this book about?

Learn how successful entrepreneurs were raised! Could your children start a company that disrupts existing industries? Or a non-profit that helps people around the world? Or follow their passion as an artist or activist? And most important, lead a life of joy and purpose, to be happy and fulfilled? Margot Machol Bisnow, mother of two thriving entrepreneurs, reveals how to raise creative, confident, resilient, fearless kids who achieve their dreams, through 99 stories of families who did it.

Read stories from 70 families who raised true game changers. See family photos of these thriving entrepreneurs, both when they were young…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Boston, Nigeria, and geology?

Boston 188 books
Nigeria 68 books
Geology 53 books