Pearl
Record details
- ISBN: 0395884160
-
Physical Description:
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 23 x 29 cm.
print - Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
Content descriptions
Summary, etc.: | Events in the history of the United States, from George Washington's presidency through the beginning of the space program, are related to the experiences of one family. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Family life Fiction United States History Fiction |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Bibliomation. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Bridgeport Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burroughs-Saden Main - Bridgeport | xjj ATWELL (Text) | 34000072936750 | Closed Stacks Juvenile Fiction | Available | - |
BookList Review
Pearl
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Ages 5^-8. Some of this country's most significant historical events are interwoven with one family's personal triumphs and tragedies to provide this thoroughly entertaining overview of American history. The remarkable narrator is nonagenarian Pearl, who begins her fascinating story by relating her grandfather's 15 minutes of fame when, as a young boy, he was scooped out of the crowd by George Washington to ride alongside him in the Inauguration Day parade. Dates and textbook-sounding language are fortunately absent from Pearl's conversational narrative. Instead, readers are treated to a highly personal account of the effects of historical events on the lives of Pearl and her family. Simple, direct statements and Atwell's distinctive folk art paintings document the devastation of three wars, the Great Depression, and a number of historic firsts, such as the Wright brothers flight at Kitty Hawk. The book's most moving moments come at the end: the first when Pearl is led to a church by "the sweetest singing" and stays to hear the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speak; the second when Pearl, holding her great-granddaughter and namesake, watches the first U.S. rocket shoot into space and feels sure that "one day the family would see little Pearl ride in a spaceship and walk on the moon." This is solid picture-book historical fiction. It humanizes American history in a beautifully written story and colorful art that recreates scenes from each time period; if only the typeface were not quite so cramped. --Lauren Peterson
The Horn Book Review
Pearl
The Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Born during the Civil War, Pearl has a first-hand view of many important moments in U.S. history, including the building of the transcontinental railroad, both World Wars, and the civil rights movement. Although Pearl's presence at some of the events is not quite believable, the story offers an interesting perspective on developments in technology and society. The primitive style of the artwork echoes Pearl's folksy narration. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly Review
Pearl
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Although the text is lengthy for the picture book format, Atwell's (River; Barn) folksy, leisurely approach works well here as she offers up key points in the country's chronology. Born at the beginning of the Civil War, narrator Pearl celebrates her 75th wedding anniversary just as the space age lifts off by volume's end. Her family stories stretch back to George Washington's inauguration, and she dreams of the day when her newborn great-granddaughter might "ride in a spaceship and walk on the moon." At times, the narrative seems constructed to accommodate the major events of a century, but Pearl's fictitious first-person reminiscences put a human face on this eclectic timeline of American history. She rides the new transcontinental railroad to Texas as a child, survives two world wars and the Great Depression, and recounts experiences both lofty (encounters with Susan B. Anthony, the Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King Jr.) and humble (buying her first television). Throughout the volume, Pearl's warm voice shines through ("Henry didn't come home," Pearl remarks after her grandson is killed in WWII. "I finally understood how my mother felt after the Civil War. My heart broke for my daughter"). Atwell's full-page folk-art paintingsDa sort of Currier & Ives meets Grandma MosesDstrike up a vibrant counterpoint as they highlight changes in fashion and architecture, and chart the parallel between Pearl's passage from babyhood to old age and the country's progress from a pastoral to a post-industrial society. Brimming with patriotism and hope, this is a gem. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal Review
Pearl
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 2-4-Pearl, who was born in 1862, tells her life story (including reminiscences of her forebears and descriptions of her descendants), and in so doing also tells the story of the United States from the inauguration of George Washington to the dawn of the space age. The first-person narration has an easy conversational style as it introduces readers to the Civil War, women's suffrage, the two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the civil rights movement. Each double-page spread tells one "chapter" in the story, text on the left and a white-framed, folk-art painting on the right. Rich, warm colors vividly illustrate Pearl's personalized account of our nation's history. They are highly detailed and charmingly evocative of the past. Small pen-and-ink line drawings on the left under the text illustrate a broader historical perspective in natural counterpoint to Pearl's point of view portrayed in the large paintings. An illustrated time line summarizes the events in relation to Pearl's life (and her age as each one occurs). Historically minded readers will enjoy poring over the visual details.-Dorian Chong, School of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.