Gretchen WoelfleReseñas

IN CHAPTER TWO THE N WORD IS USED IN A QUOTE.

I do not normally believe in covering words but might in this instance.

Pickpocket Kit Buckles is caught plying his trade at the Theatre playhouse, where the Lord Chamberlain's Men perform the plays of William Shakespeare. To avoid being sent to prison or the workhouse, Kit agrees to work for the players, sweeping the stage and running errands. Trouble is brewing for the Chamberlain's Men, who own the building but not the ground it sits on, and are in disputes with their landlord. While he is out of London for the holidays, they hire carpenters and carters to dismantle the building and take it away, to be reassembled into the playhouse that would become the Globe. Kit is drawn into the life of the playhouse, but could he ever become one of the company? Or is there another trade out there for him?

I was in grad school when I learned of this real-life heist performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men, when they disassembled the Theatre playhouse, moved it to the other side of the river, and reopened it as the Globe. I thought at the time that it would make a great children's book, and I'm glad to see that that's been done. I enjoyed this story, especially the child's perspective. Kit has a hair-trigger temper and his own reasonable angst about what's to become of him, but those details help make him into a fully rounded character. I didn't care much for the illustrations, which don't serve the story particularly well, but the text is strong and the real-life history behind it interesting. This book has been languishing on my to-be-read shelf, but I'll find a home for it in my permanent collection because of the Shakespeare connection.

A spirited telling of a strong suffragette and politician. The main text ends with her successful election campaign but don’t miss the footnotes, that cover her work in the Congress.

A picture book about the worst ever elected Congresswoman, a woman from Montana.

It's inspiring how children were her primary focus!

The experiences, dilemmas, and choices of 13 diverse African Americans, who lived during the American Revolution, are uncovered in this informational and well-sourced text. Excerpts from primary sources are included. Author Notes, Timelines, Bibliography, Source Notes, Index.

This is the true story of Mother Betty (Mumbet), a slave who believed that the words in the Declaration of Independence should apply to her and that she should be free. She bravely visited a lawyer, who helped her bring her case to the court. The author's note at the end of the book offers additional historical facts about Elizabeth Freeman (the name Mumbet chose for herself) and her daughter.

There was a women name Mumbet. She did not have a last name because
she was a slave. Colonel John Ashley was a rich man in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. He owned many things he also owned Mumbet. The Colonel’s wife, Mrs Ashley owed the sharpest tongue and she made fun of Mumbet she called her names like Useless baggage, stubborn wench, and Dumb creature. but Mumbet didn't listen. Mumbet also had a daughter she was starting to lose hope but Mumbet how they're like a mountain, strong and steady. How the mountain range tries to wither down the mountain but it doesn't Mumbet daughter Lizzy regains hope. Mumbet looking at the running water all she can think of was freedom.
in my opinion this book was very inspiring

This book tells the story of the Revolutionary War from the lens of African American's during the time. There are direct quotes and illustrations throughout the book. It is very historically accurate and informative for the reader.

The true story about a slave named Mumbet, who successfully sued for her own freedom in 1781 Massachusetts. Intense and inspiring.

Write On, Mercy is about the life of Mercy Otis Warren and the writings she wrote anonymously. Mercy was educated along side her brother until he went to college, but even then he brought home his books for her to learn. Mercy had a great interest in politics and writing. She began sending anonymous writing to the newspaper before the Revolution which received high praises. For the last thirty years of her life, Mercy wrote a series of history books and finally claimed her writings. Write On, Mercy gives a great message for children. Mercy's story explains to children they should not give up on their dreams even if people say they incapable.

This tells the biography of Mercy Otis Warren who was women's right activist, political activist, American poet, and author of the work History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination, of the American Revolution. The author tells her inspirational story of wanting more than what society deemed was appropriate for women.

The story tells her story as young girl until she is an old women. The cartoon illustrations provide excellent details to the era, and allow the reader to truly gain an appreciation Mercy's work. This is a great piece to use for women's rights or American Revolution. The author has also included excellent sources, timeline of Mercy's life, and additional readings for children.

Using a historical legend from the Netherlands, about a cat and human infant who survived the terrible fifteenth-century St. Elizabeth's Day flood together, as her starting point, Gretchen Woelfle weaves a heartwarming tale of family change and adjustment in Katje, the Windmill Cat, one in which the feline of the family finally finds her place. Devoted to her human, Nico the Miller, Katje was a much-indulged only cat, until the day Nico came home from the village with his new wife, Lena. A tidy soul who liked to clean, Lena had little patience for Katje (or anyone else) tracking flour into her house. When Nico and Lena's baby was born, the new mother, constantly worried about this and that (would Anneke's cradle tip over? would the cat make her sneeze?), drove Katje away from the infant. Retreating to the mill, Katje lived for a time in 'exile,' until a catastrophic flood, and Katje's balancing act, in saving little Anneke, convinced Lena that this was one cat she wanted around.

Unlike some of the friends who recommended this one to me, I was not unduly put off by Lena's initial resistance to having Katje around, nor did I find her conspicuously cruel. If anything, I thought this was probably a fairly realistic depiction of how a new housewife, one determined to keep her new domain clean (and boy, what an incredible amount of work that involved, before the advent of modern conveniences like electricity and heated water!), would react to an animal companion being allowed free reign in the house. Lena's actions, in separating Katje from her newborn baby, Anneke, also didn't strike me as maliciously intended, but rather as the result of a first-time mother's almost paranoid worry - would Katje make the baby sneeze? would she tip over the cradle? Of course, Katje's sadness, in being parted from her long-time human companion, Nico, was very poignant, and I felt that the integration of a new member (Lena) into the family could have been handled better, but I was very cognizant, while reading, of how recent an attitude that is, and how reliant on the contemporary idea of animals as part of the family.

In any case, the sad set-up pays off in the end, because Katje's balancing act, on Anneke's water-borne cradle, saves the day, and all is happily resolved. This too, while disturbing to some, seemed realistic to me. Sometimes, people need something extraordinary to happen, in order to be jolted out of their previous ideas, and ways of looking at things. In short, the narrative of Katje, the Windmill Cat really worked for me, and in combination with the artwork, which was simply gorgeous, made for a lovely reading experience. Nicola Bayley, who also illustrated The Mousehole Cat, knows her kitties, and that really comes through in the artwork here! I also liked some of the little details in the paintings, and the delft-looking tiles that form a vertical border, on the page. Highly recommended, to all young cat lovers, and to readers who enjoy fairy-tale style stories, where things change for the heroine because of momentous events.

Excellent historical fiction about a homeless, orphaned boy who finds himself working for the Globe Theatre and interacting with Richard Burbage and Shakespeare himself. Wonderful characters, and sense of time and place.

A good introduction to the life of this fascinating woman.

I like this book because it is full of diagrams, blue prints, photographs and even directions on how to make your own windmill. I would use this in a 2nd grade to fifth grade class, I would read some of the chapters out loud showing the children the pictures. I would also have this book in the Science Conner so that students can look at it by themselves and get Ideas. I like the fact that it has a chapter in the back of the book of addresses where famous windmills are so that maybe if there is one near where I live I can take the children on a field trip to go see it. I rated it a 3 out 5 because it is a little hard for children to read it without an adult’s help.

Woelfle, Gretchen. Jeannette Rankin: Political Pioneer. Honesdale, PA: Calkins Creek Books, 2007.

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Abstract and Mini-Review
This fascinating biography of the first woman in congress traces Jeannette from her pioneer roots in Montana to her induction into the Susan B. Anthony hall of fame. Insights not typically included in history books such as the Woman's International League for Peace and Freedom's position that the severe punishment of Germany following WWI would simply precipitate another war is fascinating and almost eerie. In the true spirit of a pioneer, Jeannette Rankin opened the way for women in politics and for the movement for peace.

Recommendation Justification
Although the author uses sidebars to communicate import historical background for different eras in Jeannette's life, I think the book would be best enjoyed after a student has had a full overview of US history (typically covered in grade 5). Students in high school may enjoy this as a quick read, but those doing research on Jeannette and her movements would probably prefer a more comprehensive text. The text could definitely be used as a springboard for further research with the comprehensive bibliography provided.

Uses in the Library/Classroom
I will definitely book-talk this book for my 6th graders in March during women's history month. Another possibility would be to discuss this book during elections.

Appropriateness of Artwork
Photographs and historical documents are included throughout the text to add visual interest and appeal throughout. I especially appreciated the consistent placement of the illustrations which makes reading easier. The captions worked well, sometimes repeating, sometimes expanding on information presented in the text.