Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Salem Main Library | J 921 Barton, Clara 2014 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J 361.7 BARTON | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
Patricia Polacco was born in Lansing, Michigan on July 11, 1944. She attended Oakland Tech High School in Oakland, California before heading off to the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, then Laney Community College in Oakland. She then set off for Monash University, Mulgrave, Australia and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia where she received a Ph.D in Art History, Emphasis on Iconography.
After college, she restored ancient pieces of art for museums. She didn't start writing children's books until she was 41 years old. She began writing down the stories that were in her head, and was then encouraged to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. There she learned how to put together a dummy and get a story into the form of a children's picture book. Her mother paid for a trip to New York, where the two visited 16 publishers in one week. She submitted everything she had to more than one house. By the time she returned home the following week, she had sold just about everything.
Polacco has won the 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Keeping Quilt, and the 1989 International Reading Association Award for Rechenka's Eggs. She was inducted into the Author's Hall of Fame by the Santa Clara Reading Council in 1990, and received the Commonwealth Club of California's Recognition of Excellence that same year for Babushka's Doll, and again in 1992 for Chicken Sunday. She also won the Golden Kite Award for Illustration from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for Chicken Sunday in 1992, as well as the Boston Area Educators for Social Responsibility Children's Literature and Social Responsibility Award. In 1993, she won the Jane Adams Peace Assoc. and Women's Intl. League for Peace and Freedom Honor award for Mrs. Katz and Tush for its effective contribution to peace and social justice. She has won Parent's Choice Honors for Some Birthday in 1991, the video Dream Keeper in 1997 and Thank You Mr. Falker in 1998. In 1996, she won the Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children's Literature. Her titles The Art of Miss. Chew and The Blessing Cup made The New York Times Best Seller List.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Drawing once again on her family history, Polacco shares the story of a distant relative. The very shy Clara was especially close to her brother, Davie. While their older sister thought that Clara was too lazy to speak correctly, Davie understood that she had a severe lisp. The siblings became inseparable, Clara a willing student to Davie's lessons in horseback riding and other outdoor endeavors. Clara spent time with the barn animals, studying their habits and needs. She seemed "to have healing in her hands." After classmates teased her about her speech, Clara, an excellent student, was taught at home. She and Davie visited the library and borrowed books about nature. Soon, Clara was borrowing medical books as well. Word of her ability spread and she began treating the neighbors' livestock. When Davie was severely injured in an accident, she immediately took over his care. After his long recovery, Davie proclaimed, "You do have the gift of healing, Clara..Thank you for my life." The author's endnote details Barton's adult accomplishments in the medical field and her founding of the American Red Cross. Polacco's characteristic mixed-media illustrations are lively and evocative, and the winter scenes are especially appealing. This heartwarming story of sibling devotion and overcoming obstacles will whet readers' interest and lead them to further study.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Writing with unguarded emotion, Polacco offers a porthole into Clara Barton's early childhood. Plagued by a speech impediment, Barton sought refuge outdoors, caring for animals, and relied on her nurturing older brother Davie. Polacco's mixed-media artwork portrays an upbringing filled with insecurity, with moments of both darkness (Clara is sent to the basement by her older sister: "She doesn't want to talk right. She's lazy! She refuses to pronounce words properly!") and joy, as Clara discovers her talent for healing. The author focuses on Barton's formative experiences, ending the story before Barton enters adulthood, as if to suggest that children of unusual sensitivity can blossom into adults of profound influence. An author's note explains Barton's later contributions to society, as well as Polacco's family connection to the founder of the American Red Cross. Ages 3-5. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
American Red Cross founder (and Polacco's ancestor) Clara Barton's childhood is chronicled. Davie protects and teaches his little sister, especially when she's ridiculed for her lisp. But gentle Clara loves and understands nature and becomes recognized as a healer early on. Polacco's sunny illustrations underscore the sibling affection and Clara's compassion; invented dialogue and lack of concrete resources bring into question the sentimental story's validity. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
From her apparently inexhaustible font of family stories, Polacco chooses one about Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross and a distant relative by marriage. Clara is born on Christmas Day 1821 and mostly raised by her siblings, though aside from mentioning that her mother was ill, no real reason is given for this. Her intense shyness is attributed to a severe lisp, which leads to her education at home. Young Clara loves to study and to work with animals and flowers, displaying a gift for healing early on. When her brother Davie, who took her everywhere and taught her everything, falls from a barn beam and breaks both legs, Clara sets the bones and cares for him for two years. It is that care and healing that Polacco centers this story on. The pictures are done in Polacco's vivid, vibrant pencil, marker and acrylics, with exaggerated gestures and abundant details. The dialogue is occasionally a bit over-the-top: "Davie, I know you can walk. You have always told me that I have a gift of healing. Unless you try to walk, I'll never believe that again." An author's note outlines Barton's founding of the American Red Cross and her work with soldiers during the Civil War. The abundance of dialogue and absence of specific sources makes this book problematic for use as nonfiction. Not up to Polacco's usual standard. (Picture book. 7-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Polacco introduces readers to one of her ancestors, Clara Barton, the famous Civil War battlefield nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. These adventures are alluded to only in the author's note at the book's end; Polacco instead focuses on Barton's childhood on a farm in early nineteenth-century Massachusetts. Clara had a lisp, which isolated her, but she also had a brother the Davie of the title who championed her. The narrative traces the development of Clara's healing touch with animals and humans alike. Polacco's illustrations, done in pencil, marker, and acrylics, are sometimes a bit flat when it comes to human depictions, but that doesn't stop this from being a smart choice for curriculum use. Although the book is directed at preschoolers, its text-heavy nature brings it into an older child category, an audience that might better appreciate the worthy details.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist