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LAURA INGALLS WILDER

STORYTELLER OF THE PRAIRIE

How can a biographer summarize the early life of Laura Ingalls Wilder without seeming entirely derivative of Laura's own work? Although the first chapters read like summaries of the Little House books, Wadsworth (John Burroughs, The Sage of Slabsides, p. 229, etc.) rises to the challenge, providing background on Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and covering one of the saddest periods in the family's history (which Laura omitted), the death of their nine-month-old baby boy. Wadsworth then chronicles Laura and Almanzo's move to Missouri with their daughter, Rose; the death of their infant son; Rose's far-flung journalistic triumphs; and the close collaboration of mother and daughter, beginning when Laura was 63, that resulted in the original series of books. The use of black-and-white archival photographs and drawings from the series reinforces the notion that a biographer cannot separate most of Laura's life from the stories Laura told—and told better. Further, while Laura is a product of her times, reflected in her views of the Osage Indians (performing ``war chants'' nearby), Wadsworth never shows her as such, lodging herself unwaveringly in Laura's perspective and preserving the image of the harmless, hardworking pioneer to the last. (bibliography, index). (Biography. 8-12)

Pub Date: Feb. 20, 1997

ISBN: 0-8225-4950-6

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Lerner

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1997

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BROWN GIRL DREAMING

For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share.

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A multiaward–winning author recalls her childhood and the joy of becoming a writer.

Writing in free verse, Woodson starts with her 1963 birth in Ohio during the civil rights movement, when America is “a country caught / / between Black and White.” But while evoking names such as Malcolm, Martin, James, Rosa and Ruby, her story is also one of family: her father’s people in Ohio and her mother’s people in South Carolina. Moving south to live with her maternal grandmother, she is in a world of sweet peas and collards, getting her hair straightened and avoiding segregated stores with her grandmother. As the writer inside slowly grows, she listens to family stories and fills her days and evenings as a Jehovah’s Witness, activities that continue after a move to Brooklyn to reunite with her mother. The gift of a composition notebook, the experience of reading John Steptoe’s Stevieand Langston Hughes’ poetry, and seeing letters turn into words and words into thoughts all reinforce her conviction that “[W]ords are my brilliance.” Woodson cherishes her memories and shares them with a graceful lyricism; her lovingly wrought vignettes of country and city streets will linger long after the page is turned.

For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share. (Memoir/poetry. 8-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-399-25251-8

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014

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THE BOY WHO FAILED SHOW AND TELL

Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless.

Tales of a fourth grade ne’er-do-well.

It seems that young Jordan is stuck in a never-ending string of bad luck. Sure, no one’s perfect (except maybe goody-two-shoes William Feranek), but Jordan can’t seem to keep his attention focused on the task at hand. Try as he may, things always go a bit sideways, much to his educators’ chagrin. But Jordan promises himself that fourth grade will be different. As the year unfolds, it does prove to be different, but in a way Jordan couldn’t possibly have predicted. This humorous memoir perfectly captures the square-peg-in-a-round-hole feeling many kids feel and effectively heightens that feeling with comic situations and a splendid villain. Jordan’s teacher, Mrs. Fisher, makes an excellent foil, and the book’s 1970s setting allows for her cruelty to go beyond anything most contemporary readers could expect. Unfortunately, the story begins to run out of steam once Mrs. Fisher exits. Recollections spiral, losing their focus and leading to a more “then this happened” and less cause-and-effect structure. The anecdotes are all amusing and Jordan is an endearing protagonist, but the book comes dangerously close to wearing out its welcome with sheer repetitiveness. Thankfully, it ends on a high note, one pleasant and hopeful enough that readers will overlook some of the shabbier qualities. Jordan is White and Jewish while there is some diversity among his classmates; Mrs. Fisher is White.

Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless. (Memoir. 8-12)

Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-338-64723-5

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020

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