This is one of the books I brought home from school to read since it's on one of our reading lists. I know this book has been around a while and has been on lots of lists since it was published back in 1972, but this was my first time to read it.
The book told from the point of view of a young, Shaker farm boy from Vermont, and Peck writes in the veracular of the family and the time period. The first chapter had me hooked and laughing out loud. Poor Robert finds himself the unwilling midwife to a runaway cow who is giving birth to twins. He saves her life and is rewarded by the cow's owner Mr. Tanner with a piglet. The irony is that Robert's father kills pigs for a living. The book is a wonderful coming of age story as Robert becomes responsible for Pinky and eventually for his family.
Many lessons are taught in this book that even our toughest kids need to learn. They'll learn about responsibility, honesty, making choices, and family. I'll be sure to recommend it to both students and teachers.
1 comment:
Isn't this a wonderful read? Our 8th grade Language Arts teachers have been assigning it for several years now, and the kids, especially the boys, really like it. The writing style is a bit more grown up than they are used to, which I think is part of the appeal. Peck doesn't talk down to his readers, he just presents life as it is...warts and all. Glad you liked it too.
Jerry
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