Ms. Tointigh's Book Blog

  Title:   The Thanksgiving Story Genre:  Historical Fiction Author : Alice Dalgliesh Illustrator:  Helen Sewell Major Awards:  Caldecott Award Age group : 2nd-4th Summary This is a story of the origin of Thanksgiving and how it became a tradition.  The story starts off with a bunch of pilgrims setting sail on the Mayflower to find the new land.  The boat have very crowded and dirty conditions.  So they are more than exciting to finally be off the boat.  Unfortunately worse challenges come to light.  The pilgrims face thirst and hunger and sickness if they cannot find shelter and food.  Luckily they are found by native people of the land they have just arrived on.  The natives give them food and show them how to farm that way they can survive the new land.  And then harvest day arrives both groups get together to celebrate all the food and growth that has happened and that is what we know today as Thanksgiving. Evaluation ...

Title:   Ox-Cart Man Genre:  Historical Fiction Author : Donald Hall Illustrator:  Barbara Cooney Major Awards:  Caldecott Award Age group : 1st-4th Summary This story follows a farm families throughout the year.  Specifically the father of the family and how he journey's ten whole days with his ox into the harbor market.  He is carrying all the goodies that his family has collected over the past year using his ox and cart.  when he get to the market one by one he sells all the goodies and then the cart and then the ox and last the ox's yoke and harness.  The father then buys in the market a kettle for his wife, a needle for his daughter, a knife for his son, and a bag of peppermint candy for the whole family to share.  Now the father returns home on foot where he gives out the gifts to his family and then the story takes us through the year again in cyclic form until right before it is time for the father to head on back to the market. Evalu...

  Title:   Henry's Freedom Box Genre:  Historical Fiction Author : Ellen Levine Illustrator: Kadir Nelson Major Awards:  Caldecott Award Age group : 4th-8th Summary This is a story about a boy named Henry.  He is born into slavery and just as his master is uping in age Henry gains a little ounce of hope that he will be freed.  Unfortunately his master gives Henry to his son because he is such a hardworking, loyal slave to the family.  Henry then grows up still working as a slave for the family and he meets another slave that the family hires and they fall in love.  His new master allows them to be married and have children. Unfortunately the plantation starts losing money and the owner has no choice but to sale Henry's family to other buyers.  henry is heart broken after this takes place because he knows that he will never see his family again.  Henry goes back to working on the plantation afterwards but he grows restless to the point wh...

  Title:   Benno and the Night of Broken Glass Genre:  Historical Fiction Author : Meg Wiviott Illustrator: Josee Bisaillo Age group : 2nd-5th Summary This story follows a neighborhood cat named Benno.  Benno has the best life any street cat could really ask for.  He gets pets and affection from most the people who see him on the street.  Food vendors even set out water and give him day old food so he stay fed and healthy.  As a reader we watch Benno go through his day that is calm and peaceful.  Unfortunately that night the Nazis storm into the town and break windows and set fires and leave behind nothing but disaster.  Benno finds it hard to sleep comfortably as his eyes are burning with the smoke that's in the air and the window he normally sleeps at has gone dark and shut him out.  The next morning the city street is devoid of humans and the one's who are there are no longer nice to Benno, Benno becomes very sad.  He even keeps ...

  Title:   Grandfather's Journey Genre:  Historical Fiction Author/Illustrator : Allen Say Major Awards:  Caldecott Award Age group : 4th-6th Summary                                                                                                                                                This story loosely follows the journey of Say's own grandfather.  His grandfather was born and raised in Japan.  As a young man he journeyed to America where he took in so many sights such as the desert rocks, mountains and seas, the railroad cars, and diverse cultures.  The more he traveled the more he loved se...

  Title:   The War That Saved My Life Genre:  Historical Fiction Author/Illustrator : Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Major awards : Newberry Award Age group : 5th-8th Summary This story follows the life of a young girl named Ada.  She is living her everyday life in the time of World War II.  On top of that she also has a disability that impairs her mobile ability to walk.  Ada comes from an abusive home where her brother is the favorite and the only reason she is abused is because of her disability.  Through the novel we get to see Ada's growth that comes from escaping the abusive home and trusting in a stranger who maybe needed Ada more than Ada needed her.  An element that Ada always makes present is her kindness regardless of what her situation is the kindness that she shows to others and her perseverance to strive past the label of "disabled".  In the end Ada and her brother are taken in by a kind older woman where a symbiotic relationship is ...