Skip to main content

Josefina's Story Collection by Valarie Tripp

By
Summary: Josefina is a 9 year old girl living on a Rancho in New Mexico in 1824. She, her three older sisters, and her father are learning how to cope after the death of their mother a year before the first story begins. Josefina has many adventures on the farm and with her family that help her grow into a responsible, nurturing young girl. 

Attention Span/reading level: 8-12, small chapter books (But my 3 year old listens to the stories in the car and enjoys them) 

Good uses for book in teaching: About different cultures/religious celebrations

Favorite part: 
     Mine: All the Religious ceremonies and celebrations, that Josefina is honest and hard working. 
     Child: The baby goat, Sombrita 

Least favorite part: None

Warnings/negative feedback: Josefina and her sister run into town alone and get stopped by a man who is drunk, but they run away before anything happens. 

Review: This has been my favorite of all the American Girl stories we have read so far. Some of the things that I really enjoyed were that it frequently mentioned the family gathering for family prayer at the family alter in the morning, the details of the celebration of Los Posadas (Christmas celebration), and many many instances of the family working together in harmony. Josefina and her sisters are working through the grief over the death of their mother a year before the first story begins. They author doesn't shy away from talking about how hard this is for them and some of the steps that help in the healing process. I also like at Christmas that the only gift that is mentioned whatsoever is the family tradition of passing down a doll made by their mother when the next youngest child turns 10. Each of the girls work hard on the Rancho and are always respectful of their elders.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

By
Summary: Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree asks you to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. (Amazon) Attention Span/reading level: Perfect for my three year old. I would say that ages 2-10 would really enjoy something like this. It really keeps kids engaged and makes them feel like part of the story. There is one word to one sentence per page. Good uses for book in teaching: Interaction, that the reader takes part in making the story, what a tree can do (leaves, blossoms, fruit) Favorite part:      Child: The fact that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Improbable Libraries Alex Johnson

By
Concept: " A visual journey to the world's most unusual libraries." Author : Alex Johnson, a journalist and consultant . Both parents were librarians.  Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining): 8 - Overall I found this book quite interesting. I loved seeing all the ways that people were working to bring books into the community and how many were trying to create a sense of community through books. The pictures did a great job of helping to visualize how these libraries are being used.  Difficulty level: 3- Not very hard. Each of the seven sections (Libraries on the Move, Animal Libraries,Tiny Libraries, Big Libraries, Home Libraries, Mobile Libraries, and Not Libraries) starts with a short introduction and then gives a picture (or three) of the library described.  What I Learned/Review:  I really found this to be an enlightening and uplifting book. Having been a librarian and having a love for books in general it warms my heart to see all the ways that ...
1 comment
Read more

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie Holmberg

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Maire has a talent for baking. She can imbue her creations with emotion or even simple abilities. Peace, love, memory, strength, alertness, etc. She is forcibly taken away from her home, and spends the rest of her time trying to get back to the only family she knew. She also has help from a mysterious, ghostly person, who appears to know her well. Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book I've loved every other book the author has written My personal opinion (the review) I love the stories by Mrs H, and have come to expect some pretty fantastical things- she has an incredible, unstoppable imagination. But this one really stretched me; it was almost too weird, too "out there". I don't care, though, I'll keep buying everything she publishes. Happy ending, good love story, gripping plot line. Weird or not, it was a great read. Warnings Language: None Violence: Some. Not frequent, not very graphic, but heart-wrenching "Ad...
Post a Comment
Read more