Hopkinson, Deborah. Home on the Range: John A. Lomax and His Cowboy Song. Schindler, S.D., Illustrator. The Penguin Group: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN: 978-0-399-23996-0.
Home on the Range is a historical fiction account of a man who loved cowboys songs, decided to preserve them, and shared them with the world. The story tells Lomax's story through narrative, song and captivating illustrations that all capture the cowboy spirit and the essense of each setting. The story builds to a climax when Lomax records the famous cowboy song "Home on the Range" to share with the world. Reminesent of Snowflake Bentley and his story, Lomax shows how one man's passion can ignite intrege and passion in others. End notes discuss important points about fact, fiction and the research the author did. Read specifically for this blog because of the publication year, Home on the Range proved to be a delightful illustration of the importance of music to culture and the importance of individual contributions.
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly
Kelly, Jacqueline. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. Henry Holt, May 2009. ISBN 978-0-8050-8841-0. Ages 9-13.
Calpurnia Tate is the only girl in a family of seven children living outside Lockhart, Texas in 1899. Against her mother's wishes that she become a proper, marriagiable young lady, twelve-year-old Calpurnia has ambitions to become a scientist and answer the many questions she poses in the notebook her oldest brother, Harry, gives to her.
Calpurnia finds a kindred spirit in her Granddaddy, who spends his retirement studying Central Texas wildlife and flora when he's not trying to distill pecans into some sort of drinkable whisky. Calpurnia learns about the Scientific Method, reads The Origin of Species, and becomes acquainted with Dickens under her grandfather's tutelage.
The book takes a little while to get going, with a serious lack of dialogue for several chapters. Soon, though, Calpurnia's character begins to blossom and it's easy enough for the reader to become engrossed in Calpurnia's life. The book is episodic, with the characters driving the book more than a strong plot. It's an easy book to come back to and enjoy in several sittings without losing pace with the action. I would have appreciated a little more development of Granddaddy and some of the other secondary characters, but overall I thought this was a nice debut novel.
Calpurnia Tate is the only girl in a family of seven children living outside Lockhart, Texas in 1899. Against her mother's wishes that she become a proper, marriagiable young lady, twelve-year-old Calpurnia has ambitions to become a scientist and answer the many questions she poses in the notebook her oldest brother, Harry, gives to her.
Calpurnia finds a kindred spirit in her Granddaddy, who spends his retirement studying Central Texas wildlife and flora when he's not trying to distill pecans into some sort of drinkable whisky. Calpurnia learns about the Scientific Method, reads The Origin of Species, and becomes acquainted with Dickens under her grandfather's tutelage.
The book takes a little while to get going, with a serious lack of dialogue for several chapters. Soon, though, Calpurnia's character begins to blossom and it's easy enough for the reader to become engrossed in Calpurnia's life. The book is episodic, with the characters driving the book more than a strong plot. It's an easy book to come back to and enjoy in several sittings without losing pace with the action. I would have appreciated a little more development of Granddaddy and some of the other secondary characters, but overall I thought this was a nice debut novel.
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