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Factory Girl
by Barbara Greenwood
Reviewed by Alice Herold, Big A little a
Barbara Greenwood insterspersed fiction with non-fiction to write a brilliant book entitled Factory Girl.
The photographs were taken by intrepid photographers who documented slums and the plight of child workers at the turn of
the twentieth century. I was especially
interested in reading this book because I'm going to visit the East Tenement Museum in New York soon.
Emily Watson was too young (12) to work in a shop. The laws said children must attend school until age 14, but Emily had
to quit school, lie about her age, and work in a factory because her mother couldn't pay the rent. Emily earned four
dollars per week and had money deducted if she cut anything she wasn't supposed to cut. The hours were 7:00 A.M.-6:15 P.M.
She had to pack her lunch in a small tin pail so the rats couldn't get to it.
Emily's boss threatened to fire anyone who talked to newspaper reporters. The plight of the children was such that they had to
earn a living to help their families survive. Then they were replaced by younger children. That meant they were
unemployed and lacked the training to get another job.
Historical figures such as Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr founded settlement houses to help improve the lives of the
working poor. Finally, two words (strike and union) changed everything. Laws were passes to prevent exploitation of
underage workers. Greenwood, however, points out that children in other countries are not similarly protected. Carpet
weavers overseas who must tie thousand of knots to weave one carpet to keep their families from starving today is one such example.
Greenwood included a timeline and glossary at the end of this informative and educational book.
Celebrate Easter/Celebrate Passover
by Deborah Heiligman
Reviewed by Kelly Herold, Big A little a
National Geographic's Celebrate books, written by Deborah Heiligman, are just perfect for marking the season.
Recently I reviewed Celebrate
Christmas and Celebrate Hanukkah. Now is the season for Celebrate Passover with Matzah, Maror, and
Memories and Celebrate Easter with Colored Eggs, Flower, and Prayer.
What I especially appreciate about the Celebrate books is their true international focus. These aren't books on
Easter or Passover in the United States—they're about the celebrations in the world and in all their diversity of
expression. The opening page of Celebrate Easter begins with colored eggs, flowers, and prayer. The gorgeous photo on the
left-hand page of the spread? "Women leave an Easter Sunday church service in Ghana." Celebrate Passover begins similarly,
the first page tagged with matzah, maror, and memories. The first photo shows a family holding "a seder in Yemen. The
plate is filled with the symbolic foods of Passover, including three pieces of matzah."
Heiligman's Celebrate books don't shy away from the religious significance for each holiday. The holidays and
rituals are lovingly detailed, with the help of a different consultant for each volume. Each volume also notes good works
involved with the holidays. In Celebrate Passover, for example, two pages are devoted to "we think of those who
are hungry." Likewise, fun and tradition are recognized. In Celebrate Easter, the book concludes with,
"Everywhere in the world Easter is a time to rejoice and celebrate. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we celebrate
spring, we celebrate life."
Celebrate Easter and Celebrate Passover include resource material at the end of the books, including
songs, recipies, and bibliographies including web resources. The books are perfect choices for school and municipal
libraries, as well as for home units on religion and holidays.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth
by Rochelle Strauss. Illustrations by Rosemary Woods
Reviewed by Kelly Herold, Big A little a
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth tells a harrowing tale beautifully. With Rosemary Woods lush, full-color
illustrations and Rochelle Strauss' measured, yet compassionate prose, One Well tells the story of water—how
all water on earth and in the atmosphere is linked, how some people have more access to water than others, and how we
should treat the water now and in the future.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth begins as a science book—informing the reader of how water on earth is,
essentially, from one well. The amount of water on earth and from which source (ocean, atmostphere, etc.) is also
detailed as is the water cycle. We learn about how plants and animals use the water as well as about water habitats.
Then One Well gets serious, from an ecological point of view. We learn how people use water, how hard it is to
provide fresh water for all the earth's inhabitants, and how residents of North America have access to fifty five buckets of
water a day, whereas people in Ethiopia, for example, have only one bucket. Rochelle Strauss' approach is factual and
sympathetic at the same time. Strauss further discusses saving the water, pollution, "demands on the well," and
"becoming well aware." The book concludes with a note for parents, guardians, and teachers on how to use the book and
what the individual can do to save the water at the well.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth adds a lot to the traditional study of the water cycle. It's perfect for
school or homeschool units for this reason. Because of the complex subject matter, One Well is best suited for
children in grades two to five. Rosemary Woods' absolutely gorgeous illustrations will serve as inspiration as well.
Factory Girl, by Barbara Greenwood. Kids Can Press, 2007. ISBN: 1-5533-7649-8.
Celebrate Easter: with Colored Eggs, Flowers, and Prayer, by Deborah Heiligman.
National Geographic, 2007. ISBN: 1-4263-0020-4.
Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories, by Deborah Heiligman. National
Geographic, 2007. ISBN: 1-4263-0018-2.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, by Rochelle Strauss. Illustrations by Rosemary Woods.
Kids Can PRess, 2007. ISBN: 1-5533-7954-3.
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