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WILHELM'S JOURNEY

Name: WILHELM'S JOURNEY
Author: Anke Bär
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4352-3

by Anke Bär ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

This lively, informative peek at life aboard a 19th-century emigrant sailing ship ably complements other titles on...

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A German teen describes his 1872 journey to America on the sailing ship Columbia.

Growing up poor on a farm in Germany, Wilhelm attends woodcarving school, where he learns to draw, sculpt, read, and write. Hearing about free farmland in America, he eagerly joins an expedition of emigrants from neighboring villages and travels by foot and train to Bremerhaven, where he boards the Columbia and finds a bunk in steerage for the crossing to New York City, which takes over four weeks. Presented in the format of an illustrated diary, Wilhelm’s record of his experiences includes the nitty-gritty of seasickness, bedbugs, bucket lavatories, and hardtack as well as the games children play, a storm at sea, essential navigation tools, animals and birds encountered, nautical knots, and the life of the ship’s crew. This fictional account offers the immediacy and realism of a first-person narration enlivened by spontaneous-feeling, quick sketches of passengers and crew. Sidebars and appended notes expand Wilhelm’s story with fascinating historical facts pertinent to life on an emigrant ship and American immigration, including a map of the Columbia’s route and a cross-section of the ship.

This lively, informative peek at life aboard a 19th-century emigrant sailing ship ably complements other titles on immigration. (timeline, list of museums) (Historical fiction. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-7358-4352-3

Page Count: 72

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

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All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.

Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)