Historical Fiction Reads for Children
I want to start off saying, that historical fiction is not typically my favorite genre and I really don't read a lot of books that fall within this section of the library. In reading these two books that I am about to share with you, my opinions have been changed and I am very eager to find even more historical fiction literature for my students and classroom. The two books that I read were, Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall and The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
Have you ever wondered what or who was the inspiration behind the adorable Winnie the Pooh bear that we all have come to know and love? Well, this book answers that question for us. The author places herself and her son in the story and tells the story of a soldier who was having to go off and fight in WWI, when he came across a bear that he purchased from a man who was not going to take very good care of it. As the mother tells the story of Winnipeg (Winnie) and the soldier to her son, we learn more and more about her relation to the real bear as well as the fictional character, Winnie the Pooh. The tone of the images that are accompanying the story, perfectly match the time period in which the story is taking place and it reads like the perfect bedtime story. My favorite part of this book, was the "album" section that was included at the end of the story. It included images of actual notes taken by the soldier that found and cared for Winnie as well as images of the bear with soldiers and doing different things with the army throughout the time of the war. It was very easy to see why this book won the Caldecott Medal. I highly recommend reading this book, if you have not already. It is a great read for really (in my opinion) any age. It is a great read aloud and as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story about this historic bear.
As I have previously mentioned, historical fiction is not typically a genre that I choose to read very often. With that being said, I absolutely loved reading The War That Saved My Life. This was one of those books that made you feel so many emotions throughout the story. I had times where I laughed, cried, got angry, and even times when my heart felt like it stopped for a second. It has been a very long time since I have read a book that has made me feel a rollercoaster of emotions as well as given me an ending that I could be happy with. Ada and her little brother Jamie are able to escape a terrible home life and end up living with a woman named Susan Smith. Susan doesn't want to take in the children at first, but in the times of World War II, that didn't matter. Throughout the book, Ms. Smith tries to contact the children's mother, but is not getting any response from her. We learn that Ada was born with a clubfoot and this is something that her mother blames on her and refuses to let her go anywhere for fear of anyone seeing her with her physical disability. In living with Ms. Smith, Ada goes through some moments of PTSD, but she also overcomes a lot of challenges. She begins a love of riding horses and is able to learn how to ride Ms. Smith's horse, Butter. She makes friends along the way and always wants to do what is best for her little brother Jamie. I don't want to give everything away, but this read is a powerful story and does a great job at focusing on the relationships between the main characters, while still reminding the reader that they are in the middle of a war. If you get a chance to read this book, you will quickly see why it won the 2016 Newbery Honor Medal. I am personally looking forward to reading the sequel, The War I Finally Won very soon.
Both of these books were great reads. I really think that Finding Winnie is geared more towards younger elementary children, but as I stated before, it can be enjoyed by anybody in any grade or at any age. I really enjoyed reading it and finding out how the author was connected to the bear. It made for an extra special treat within the story itself. The War That Saved My Life does deal with some heavier issues such as child abuse and the violence of war, along with other issues such as PTSD. With that being said, I think that this book would be more comprehendible if read by older elementary students and possibly students in middle school and upward.
Have you ever wondered what or who was the inspiration behind the adorable Winnie the Pooh bear that we all have come to know and love? Well, this book answers that question for us. The author places herself and her son in the story and tells the story of a soldier who was having to go off and fight in WWI, when he came across a bear that he purchased from a man who was not going to take very good care of it. As the mother tells the story of Winnipeg (Winnie) and the soldier to her son, we learn more and more about her relation to the real bear as well as the fictional character, Winnie the Pooh. The tone of the images that are accompanying the story, perfectly match the time period in which the story is taking place and it reads like the perfect bedtime story. My favorite part of this book, was the "album" section that was included at the end of the story. It included images of actual notes taken by the soldier that found and cared for Winnie as well as images of the bear with soldiers and doing different things with the army throughout the time of the war. It was very easy to see why this book won the Caldecott Medal. I highly recommend reading this book, if you have not already. It is a great read for really (in my opinion) any age. It is a great read aloud and as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story about this historic bear.
As I have previously mentioned, historical fiction is not typically a genre that I choose to read very often. With that being said, I absolutely loved reading The War That Saved My Life. This was one of those books that made you feel so many emotions throughout the story. I had times where I laughed, cried, got angry, and even times when my heart felt like it stopped for a second. It has been a very long time since I have read a book that has made me feel a rollercoaster of emotions as well as given me an ending that I could be happy with. Ada and her little brother Jamie are able to escape a terrible home life and end up living with a woman named Susan Smith. Susan doesn't want to take in the children at first, but in the times of World War II, that didn't matter. Throughout the book, Ms. Smith tries to contact the children's mother, but is not getting any response from her. We learn that Ada was born with a clubfoot and this is something that her mother blames on her and refuses to let her go anywhere for fear of anyone seeing her with her physical disability. In living with Ms. Smith, Ada goes through some moments of PTSD, but she also overcomes a lot of challenges. She begins a love of riding horses and is able to learn how to ride Ms. Smith's horse, Butter. She makes friends along the way and always wants to do what is best for her little brother Jamie. I don't want to give everything away, but this read is a powerful story and does a great job at focusing on the relationships between the main characters, while still reminding the reader that they are in the middle of a war. If you get a chance to read this book, you will quickly see why it won the 2016 Newbery Honor Medal. I am personally looking forward to reading the sequel, The War I Finally Won very soon.
Both of these books were great reads. I really think that Finding Winnie is geared more towards younger elementary children, but as I stated before, it can be enjoyed by anybody in any grade or at any age. I really enjoyed reading it and finding out how the author was connected to the bear. It made for an extra special treat within the story itself. The War That Saved My Life does deal with some heavier issues such as child abuse and the violence of war, along with other issues such as PTSD. With that being said, I think that this book would be more comprehendible if read by older elementary students and possibly students in middle school and upward.
Comments
Post a Comment