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July 01, 2008
SUMMER READING
Although many people believe that summer is for light reading and not necessarily the time to delve into the grimy and grim world of U.S. child labor history, the first book I have completed this summer is the wonderful Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop. The compelling picture (see full photo on right) on the book's cover draws you in immediately, and I kept referring back to it - to her - as I read each chapter. The portrait was taken by Lewis Hine, an important American photographer who photographed child laborers in the early 1900s. The picture is of a young girl who worked in a textile mill in New England instead of attending school, and the character of Grace was inspired by that photograph. Grace tells her story in a realistic and captivating voice - a story of wanting an education but feeling bound to the hard life of work in the mill along with the rest of her family. It's a terrific piece of historical fiction and there are links to child labor history and Lewis Hine's photographs at the back of the book. Highly recommended for grades 4th and up. The Library of Congress collections of Hine photographs are cataloged here: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/207-b.html
Posted by Lisa J