School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-These titles inform readers about two movements to improve the lives of young people in the late 19th and early 20th century. Settlement Houses offers a fascinating look at how poor immigrants in urban settings were helped through community centers that offered classes, sports activities, libraries, and, at some locations, medical services. In Working Children, readers learn that by 1900, over two million American youngsters worked instead of attending school. They could expect poor pay, few rights, and little hope for a better life. Due to pressure from reformers, the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed in 1938, outlawing most work for children under age 14. The books are clearly written and chapters are short. Black-and-white photographs (many found elsewhere) on every page enhance the texts. Each title has an appended "Note to Teachers and Adults," with ideas for further activities and study. Resource lists include Web sites as well as books.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Brief but informative texts explain children's roles in the Civil War and in factory and agricultural work during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and describe the benefits they gained from the settlement house movement. An oversized duotone photograph featuring children of the period is shown on each page. Time lines and notes to teachers and parents are appended. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3^-6. Drawing on the many recent YA accounts of children at work--including David Parker's Stolen Dreams (1998), Russell Freedman's Kids at Work (1994), and Susan Kuklin's Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders against Child Slavery (1998)--this presents the subject for a younger audience, focusing on a brief history of child labor and the fight to end it. Part of the Picture the American Past series, the story is told mainly through commentary about stirring sepia-tone pictures on every page, many of them by famous photographers, such as Lewis Hine. Saller's focus is on the past, but a final chapter discusses the harsh conditions of child workers today, in the U.S. and abroad, and a special section, "Be a Child Labor Detective," calls on readers to get actively involved and help change things. The annotated resource list, including books and Web sites, is a good place to start. --Hazel Rochman