First sentence: What I'm going to tell you about took place on our farm in Fentress, Texas, in the early spring of 1901.
Premise/plot: Calpurnia Tate is one of seven children growing up in rural Texas at the turn of the century. She has five brothers too many in her opinion. (I think she makes an exception for her younger brother, Travis.) But Callie has more opinions than brothers. Strong opinions. Opinions that clash with her mother's ideal often. But the same traits and qualities that make her at odds with her mother, endear her to her grandfather. Those two are super-super close. Both have scientific minds; both love nature; both love animals. In this one, Callie 'rescues' a butterfly with a broken wing AND saves a sheep and a lamb. (The sheep has twins. The first one she gives birth to without any problem at all; the second, well, it's a good thing Callie has read plenty of books and observed the local vet as he works as well.
My thoughts: It's an early chapter book. It's the second in a new historical series for young readers. The characters are not new, however. They originally appeared in two books written for an older audience. (The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate.) I would not have thought to continue the series with a younger audience in mind. But. I think it works well for the most part. I really enjoyed the illustrations. It's great to see quality books published for this age group.
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment