5 HISTORICAL FICTION Children’s Books

Five HISTORICAL FICTION Children’s Books 

In spirit of Children’s Book Week, I will be presenting FIVE quality children’s book each day. Thursday’s theme is

HISTORICAL FICTION

Why?

Historical fiction provides an opportunity for children to experience life from historical eras and events. I have never been one to remember dates or memorize historical facts but historical fiction helped me to connect with history in a much more meaningful way. Understanding how life is like for characters (how they dressed, what they did, etc.) is much more engaging than learning history without a character’s perspective. Additionally, many social studies lessons and curriculum materials briefly skim a wide range of topics and historical fiction books offer a more in-depth peak into a single topic. Aside from the educational benefits, reading historical fiction simply feeds the curiosity and inquisitive nature of children. 

THE BOOKS!

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks; Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman; 

My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff and Ann Tanksley; 

The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco; and Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson 

Happy Children's Book Week!

The Tiger's Wife

Obreht, T. (2011). The tiger’s wife. New York, NY: Random House.

*I received this book for free as a first reads winner on goodreads.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Natalia, a doctor, shares stories that she remembers from her grandfather as she goes on a journey of her own to better understand her deceased grandfather and the fable of the tiger’s wife.

I was thrilled to begin reading this book because the premise of the story was enticing, touching, and I was interested in the bond between Natalia and her deceased grandfather. 

However, the slow story development kept me from being pulled into the story. It took me nearly six months to read more than a few pages at a time. And honestly, “slow” is a fairly nice term…painful is more accurate. Don’t get me wrong, Obreht is a great storyteller and the writing was much better than some of the authors I have read but The Tiger’s Wife lacked character development, cohesiveness, and emotion from Natalia. 

For me, the most meaningful aspect of the book was when Natalia shared her childhood memories of spending time with her grandfather and his stories, especially his tellings of the “deathless man”. Obreht’s approach to flip back and forth between Natalia’s present and the grandfather’s stories was a bit disjointed but it did reinforce the similarities of the two and their paths of doctor-hood (at the sake of the book’s flow and readability).

Disappointing. If I had to describe my reading experience of The Tiger’s Wife, disappointing would be the word. Natalia’s character is not deep enough to unravel a magical legend. Or maybe it is the writing that makes me feel this way…the sentences were good but they lose their value when placed together so poorly. Hmmm…regardless, I do think there is much to gain from reading this novel and I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read something challenging and different.

Klondike Gold

Provensen, Alice. (2005). Klondike Gold. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Literary Genre: Historical Fiction (Picture Book) 

Bill Howell and a friend drop everything and head to Canada in search of gold in this adventurous tale. Alice Provensen organizes each page into three panes to provide the reader with more details and background knowledge about the 1897 gold rush of the Yukon Territory. The top pane highlights the detailed artwork that corresponds with the middle pane’s main story of Howell’s journey. More artwork, facts, maps, and diagrams are presented in the bottom pane to assist readers in expanding their knowledge about the daily lives and experiences of the people and prospectors that traveled to Yukon Territory looking for gold.

Alice Provensen proves to readers that the information shared in this text is authentic and accurate by acknowledging her sources of information. I am not sure how I feel about Provensen’s method of displaying some of the historical information in the bottom pane of the page. I like the added learning value but feel that the bottom pane is distracting and possibly overwhelming to readers. Additionally, while the story is intriguing, it is written much like a miniature textbook and may not appeal to children. When combined with other books, activities, resources, this book could be used to help children understand how tough and dangerous it was for the people that traveled to and sought gold in the Yukon Territory.

Silent Movie

Avi. (2003). Silent Movie. C. B. Mordan. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Literary Genre: Historical Fiction (Picture Book) 

“1909. Goodbye to the Old World! Papa Hans sails for America.” This Swedish father makes the trip to America six months before his wife and son, Gustave. When, Mama and Gustave arrive to New York they have no luck finding Papa. Gustave is seen by a silent movie director, Bunting, and becomes a good actor. Papa, weary from looking for his family, takes a break at the nickelodeon and sees his son on the screen. Gustave becomes the well-paid “wonder boy” of silent movies and his family fulfills the American Dream. The minimal text and black and white framed illustrations mimic the design of a silent movie.

Love this book! I am a huge fan of historical fiction in general, but I am especially fond of immigrant stories. Avi’s ability to transform a picture book into a silent movie is remarkable. The minimal text may hinder children’s ability to follow the plot on their own. However, Mordan’s close-ups of the characters allow the readers to feel the emotions of the characters and allow inferences to be made. Both the author and illustrator include a “note” at the end of the book that shares historical information about the time period, and silent movies. Avi mentions that silent movies were popular among immigrants because there was no language barrier, this is a huge insight that allows young readers to connect with how immigrants felt; which is what makes historical fiction so great. I would definitely recommend this quality book to others.