Kate’s 2¢: “The Christmas Barn” by C. L. Davis

“The Christmas Barn” by C. L. Davis

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

A few take-aways from this wonderful and poignant Christmas story:

–Poor before the Depression is just as poor before the Depression.

–You gotta do what’s gotta be done and there’s nothin’ to be done but do it.

–The blue patch on my side of the quilt was from my favorite blue dress  that I out-grew

–I‘d try not to say anything about them, whether a tree was about to fall on them or not.

–Their ingenuity still inspire me today.

   Will the real C. L. Davis please acknowledge your true identity?

From NLS/BARD’LOC:

The Christmas Barn DBC16413

Davis, C. L. Reading time: 2 hours, 43 minutes.

Read by Lesley LePage. A production of Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library.

Family

Holidays

In 1930, when a snowstorm destroys their home in the Appalachian mountains, twelve-year-old Roxie and her family move into the barn and prepare for a very unusual Christmas celebration. For grades 4-7.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Cowboy Small” by Lois Lenski

“Cowboy Small” by Lois Lenski

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   While  raising our “A Team”, I was sighted and read many of Lenski’s books to them.

   While raising our “B Team”, I was blind and had a friend read a Lenski book onto a tape cassette, ringing a little bell at the end of each page, so we knew when to turn the page.

   While I don’t have plans for a “C Team”, I’m glad to know we’d be able to down-load the Lenski books to share.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lois Lenski (October 14, 1893 – September 11, 1974), American children’s book author and illustrator, was best known for realistic depictions of childhood in regional settings around the United States. A Newbery Medal-winner, she secured a respected place in children’s literature for both her writing and art.

   Lois Lenski Covey (October 14, 1893 – September 11, 1974) was a Newbery Medal-winning author and illustrator of picture books and children’s literature.[1] Beginning with the release in 1927 of her first books, Skipping Village and Jack Horner’s Pie: A Book of Nursery Rhymes, Lenski published 98 books, including several posthumous works. Her writings include children’s picture books and illustrated chapter books, songbooks, poetry, short stories, an autobiography, Journey into Childhood (1972), and a number of essays about books and children’s literature.[2][3][4] Her best-known bodies of work include the “Mr. Small” series of picture books (1934–62); her “Historical” series of novels, including the Newbery Honor-winning Phebe Fairchild: Her Book (1936) and Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison (1941); and her “Regional” series, including Newbery Medal-winning Strawberry Girl (1945) and Children’s Book Award-winning Judy’s Journey (1947).[2]

In addition to illustrating her own books, Lenski also provided illustrations for texts by other authors, including the first edition of The Little Engine that Could, by Watty Piper (1930), and the first four volumes of Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series (1940-1943).[5]

In 1967 Lenski established the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, which provides grants for book purchases to libraries and organizations serving children who are socially and economically at risk.[6]

   When they were published, Lenski’s books were considered innovative because of their realistic, multi-faceted depictions of the communities she presented. Comparing them to other children’s literature of the day, critics described Lenski’s Regional books as “grim” because of their focus on the experiences of members of socially and economically marginalized groups in the United States. By emphasizing accuracy and refusing to sanitize her stories, Lenski aligned herself with progressive librarians and educators who believed that children’s literature should take a realistic approach to everyday life and promote increased social awareness in young readers. Their opponents believed that childhood should be treated as an innocent time, and books for children should shield them from life’s problems rather than introducing problems to them.[37][38]

From NLS.BARD.LOC:

Cowboy Small DBC04232

Lenski, Lois. Reading time: 5 minutes.

Read by Joshua Seeger. A production of Massachusetts Braille and Talking Book Library, Perkins School for the Blind.

Western Stories

The author follows Cowboy Small through a typical day on an old-time ranch. For preschool-grade 2.

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