Friday, May 2, 2014

PICTURE BOOK - Clara and Davie - Patricia Polacco

Illustrated by the author
2014, Scholastic Press
HC/ Cover is a duplicate of the jacket
32 pages
Goodreads rating: 4.03
My rating: 4 - A really good book
Endpapers: Both are different; the front is a lovely painting of the Barton farmhouse in the wintertime, the back is acolorful closeup of the hands, joining...
Title Pages (two-page spread:  Font only on the right, a huge nosegay of flowers on the left - something that Clara was famous for)
Illustrations:  I wont' go into any detail - it's Patricia Polacco!
1st line: "On a cold, blustery morning in North Oxford, Massachusetts, a blizzard was threatening and bearing down hard.  It was Christmas Day 1821.  Mama was expecting her fifth child.  Ten years had passed since her last baby.  Mama's health was fragile."

My comments:  It's always fun to curl up with a new Patricia Polacco.  This one is a biography!  It's an insightful look at Clara Barton as a child, based on first hand knowledge from Polacco as she is related to the Bartons and is retelling a story that she knows.  I'm looking forward to pairing this with the Barnes & Noble/History Maker series biography of Clara Barton that I use in my 4th grade classroom.  A great addition to the genre!

Goodreads:  From bestselling author Patricia Polacco's family tree -- the true story of young Clara Barton.
          Animals and flowers were Clara's best friends. She had a special way with critters and found joy in the beauty that sprang from the soil. But whenever Clara talked, her words didn't come out right. As hard as she tried, she could not get over her lisp.
          Clara's older brother Davie understood that his sister was gifted. When folks made fun of Clara's stilted words, Davie was always at her side reminding her that she had a talent for healing creatures. 
          Davie told his sister, "Some day you are going to be a very great lady." And that's exactly what happened. Clara Barton became one of the most famous medical practitioners of all time, and founded the American Red Cross. 

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