Intriguing generational narrative for young readers with an interest in history, particularly women’s history.
An illustrated memoir of four generations of women at the kitchen table by semiretired middle school English teacher Kenney.
Kenney traces her family history, with a red-handled rolling pin symbolizing continuity. First introducing the memoir through her own childhood story of a china demitasse set (illustrated here in full color), Kenney shows that her own mother appreciated finer things and possessed the resources to do so. In contrast, her grandmother Mary Rose O’Brien Crowley—for whom the author was named, though they never met—worked from home as a baker after her husband’s industrial death at a young age. From her grandmother, Kenney inherited a love for baking. In turn, Kenney used the same red-handled rolling pin as a mother teaching her own children to bake. Of the four generations of women, the most affecting story is that of Mary Rose, raising her only daughter, Margaret, as a single parent with a cottage industry the sole source of financial support. With his habit of consuming a daily baked onion to ward off illness, Mary Rose’s unnamed father was a tangible tie to the old country. Interestingly, the only men featured or even mentioned in the memoir are Mary Rose’s father and dead husband. Notably, although Kenney does not specifically mention it, all three adult generations of women worked, at times when women frequently did not financially contribute to the family. In fact, the juxtaposition of two typically female symbols—rolling pin and kitchen table—with financially independent women helps this memoir-based children’s book stand out. Sometimes, though, the descriptions are unnecessarily confusing; for example, “Her mother, my grandmother, was Mary Rose O’Brien and then Crowley. Then means later when girls get married.” In addition, the introductory story—based on Kenney’s only memory of using her mother’s demitasse set—doesn’t necessarily tie into the theme represented by the titular rolling pin.
Intriguing generational narrative for young readers with an interest in history, particularly women’s history.Pub Date: May 19, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5049-1163-4
Page Count: 30
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
