Davy Crockett, by Constance Rourke

I don't have too much to say about this book.  It covers what is known of Davy Crockett's life, from his birth through his death at the Alamo, and all of his journeys in between.  It is peppered throughout with a number of legends about his feats, and often gives probable explanations for their sources.

I found it a pretty dry read and a struggle to get through, but the detailed illustrations were very well done.

The Pageant of Chinese History, by Elizabeth Seeger

I'm going to come clean and admit that I didn't read this entire book- it's a monster volume at 407 pages (not including the index) and I frankly don't have the time. That said, what I skimmed, I liked! The author wrote this book as a result of being a teacher- she noticed while teaching world history that it was very Eurocentric (starting with Greece and Rome and heading westward). But she wanted to cover, at bare minimum, China, Japan, and India as well. So she wrote this volume, as well as The Pageant of Russian History and several other volumes.

This book begins with the earliest tales of how China was settled and governed, and then covers the major ruling dynasties. Throughout the chronological history, the book includes chapters on relevant arts and religious beliefs that developed within the time periods in question. It's very readable at a middle school level, which was exactly Seeger's intent. The edition I skimmed was reprinted in 1967 as a fourth edition, and had been updated several times to include the Revolution and Communism, as well as a chapter on "The New China" which is not at all the same as the new China we know today, but hey!

Although I didn't have time to devote to this entire book, it's one I'd certainly like to have around and hope I'd see kids reading for fun.

Dobry, by Monica Shannon

This book follows Dobry, our title character, as he grows from a boy into a young man in his village in rural Bulgaria. He lives a typical peasant's life with his mother and grandfather, his father having been killed "in the war". The book occasionally references the unhappy times of Turkish occupation, so one can only assume that that war was one against the invaders, although this was never explicitly stated. The book observes the regular village and household chores that occur throughout the year- baking bread, stringing peppers from the autumn harvest, the migration of the storks, the coming of the gypsies in the spring, caring for the farm and animals.

We also meet Dobry's neighbors- the mayor, the widowed shoemaker and his daughter, Nena (who, in time, becomes Dobry's love interest), the schoolteacher, the miller, etc. Of special importance is Dobry's grandfather, who is known far and wide as the best storyteller. Throughout the book he shares many tales with Dobry and the villagers. Dobry also has his own art- he has become skilled at drawing, an unheard of skill in a rural village where more practical skills are needed to earn a living. Over time he also teaches himself to sculpt and carve. At the end of the book it is decided that he will go to Sofia to study to become a professional artist.

While this book was reasonably simple and Dobry is a charming character, I have to admit that I found it overall pretty bland. I know that there are readers who will find this one simply enchanting; it just didn't speak to me.