First sentence: On our farm, first of all, there's me Rudi Schimmelpfennig. Then there's my Vati--that's for Papa, in Pennsylvania Dutch, ja? And my Mutti, Mama. And Mutti's Mama Grossmutter Ritter--like you say, my granny. And plenty kinder. That's us Schimmelpfennig children. I mean you'd think there were plenty, except for what Mutti says.
Premise/plot: This book invites you to spend a year with the Schimmelpfennig family. Rudi, our narrator, is one of twelve children. It's set in Pennsylvania in the 1820s. What can happen to one family in the course of a year?! A lot.
My thoughts: Though published in 1972, I can't recall reading this one as a child. Would I have liked it? I did like historical fiction and family stories. So there's a chance I would have. I can easily say that I like it now. It is a quiet gem of a book.
I like the focus of family. I like the focus on culture--way of life--and traditions. I like that we get at least one page of text per month. (Some months like August and December get two pages of text.)
It would definitely be for older readers despite the picture book format.
© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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