Leader by Destiny: George Washington, Man and Patriot, by Jeanette Eaton

Jeanette Eaton, I knew that name seemed familiar.  I did find, however, that I had more affection for this book about George Washington than about her previous biography of Madame Roland.  I have to admit that I don't know very much about Washington.  I'm sure he was covered somewhere over the course of my public school education, but in my mind he is a sort of eternal adult who was just dropped, fully formed, where he was needed in the American Revolution.

Because this book, like Daughter of the Seine, is nonfiction somewhat novelized, much of the historical circumstance is explained in (fictionalized) dialogue.  This also serves the purpose of introducing notable figures of the day and making known their perspective on the situation at hand.

As a modern reader, I suppose I'm somewhat accustomed to sensational headlines and stories, because I wanted to know a bit more about what the Washingtons were experiencing on a personal level.  For example, when Martha's daughter dies, the book scarcely addresses it and then it's over.  I quote:

One June morning, the sweet air floating through the stately house was stabbed by a terrible cry from Martha.  Reaching her side in an instant, George lifted in his strong arms the limp body of Patty, which had fallen to the floor.  Her mother, trying to chafe the small, dangling, hand, was sobbing, 'She is dead!  My Patty is dead!  Oh, my sweet innocent!' The moment he laid his hand on the girl's heart, George knew the end had come.

The book had previously mentioned that Patty suffered from epileptic seizures, but I had to look this event up on Wikipedia to even realize that that was the case here.  I wanted to know more about who Patty was once the book had dispatched with her!

It must be difficult to fill in the blanks where no written records exist, I understand, but that didn't stop the author from imagining all sorts of interesting subtext in the relationship between George Washington and (Mrs.) Sally Fairfax.  Although some of his letters suggest that he was in love with her, this book is loaded with meaningful glances and romantic tension between the two of them.  After a while it made me a little uncomfortable.  As did the dialect used by the slaves in the rare instances that they had any dialogue.  I always feel a bit icky reading it- I never know whether it's simply stereotyped, or if they really spoke that way.  Anyone else wonder this?

In any case, I'm being really really picky about just a few things here, but on the whole this is a very, very thorough volume (at nearly 400 pages it should be!) that impressed me a lot.  And, as Peter Sieruta points out, it doesn't even mention the fabled cherry tree!

Nino, by Valenti Angelo

Nino is the name of our book's protagonist.  He lives in a small village in Italy in the early 1900's with his mother and grandmother, his father having gone to America to make a home for them.  The book follows Nino through his childhood, marking festivals like Easter and Christmas, local fairs and church events, and everyday life.  We also get to know his friends and neighbors, and those who live in the village, such as the priest and the woodcarver.

Nino's home is supported through farming- his grandfather produces olives for oil, as well as corn.  Their closest friends and neighbors grow grapes and make their own wine.  Nino's childhood is a rich and happy one, full of simple pleasures and discoveries.  He slowly uncovers his own talents in the arts.  At the end of the book, the family finally receives a letter from his father, with money to buy their passage to California to join him.  Grandfather decides to go as well; he doesn't want to be left behind to live alone, missing his family!

The story was simple and charming, but I thought the element of the father in America was somewhat unnecessary, since it's brought up at the beginning of the book and then more or less forgotten until the end.  Since it was introduced, I was curious about why he chose to leave, and what his experiences were like, travelling to and learning to live in a new country.  That's a sequel I'd like to read!

Penn, by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Yet another older book I wasn't quite looking forward to.  I was hoping that Sue, living in the land of Penn, would be able to find a copy of it locally, but alas, it fell to me!  And it completely surprised me.

I didn't know anything at all about William Penn but found myself caring for him quite a bit.  I appreciated how the author showed him to be a man trying his hardest to obey his conscience and live out his convictions, but never made him out to be a perfect man, or holier-than-thou.  It showed his transformation from a member of the Church of England to Quaker, and how he used his skills and advantages to protect the religious rights of his newfound compatriots.  I'll admit that many wouldn't care for the details of this, but it was of interest to me.

The book also covers Penn's tense relationship with his father, how he won his wife, and how he acquired the land of Pennsylvania and forged peaceful relationships with its inhabitants.  It additionally covers his time in prison and the books that he published.  I really learned a lot!

Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright

Thimble Summer is, I think, a victim of poor book cover summarizing. It was billed as a story about a girl who finds a silver thimble, after which everything seems to be going her way - could it be a magic thimble?! While technically an accurate summary, it completely misses the nuance of the story, let alone the thimble. The summary would not have led me to pick it up as a kid, but I think I would have liked it if I'd given it a chance.
Garnet is 10, and lives on a family farm in depression-era Wisconsin. Her friend Citronella lives on a farm nearby, and this is the story of their adventures over the course of a summer. In the beginning of the book, there is a drought, and everyone is struggling. Realities of the depression are knocking at the door, but Garnet's world is still relatively stable. She has a loving family, neighbors who are basically part of the family too, and good friends.

There is a silver thimble at the beginning of the book - Garnet finds it in a dried up riverbed. But after that, you forget about the thimble, because the rain comes and ends the drought, she and Citronella have an adventure (locked in the library, Arthur-style!), an orphan boy turns up in the neighborhood and ends up living with her family, and her piglet wins a prize at the fair - among other small summer adventures. At the end, Garnet looks at the thimble, and thinks back over the summer, and declares that she will always remember it as the Thimble Summer - in a sort of treasure it in her heart kind of way.

One of the critics on the book jacket says that this is a book about a contemporary child going about everyday life, and I agree - while not contemporary anymore, it is a clear, honest look atan ordinary girl's life, a bit like a 1930s Ramona. Happily recommended, although you will need to talk to your kid about why hitch-hiking is NOT a good idea these days!

Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater

I'm not sure how I managed not to read Mr Popper's Penguins until now; it seems to be a book that everyone has read, and lots of people love. At the library checkout counter, the man checking my books held it up and said it was the first book he remembers reading, and that same afternoon when I mentioned the blog to a former schoolteacher I ran into at church, she loved the idea and asked if we'd read Mr Popper yet!

This book is a jolly little romp into the world of 1930s idealized penguin husbandry and Polar exploration. Mr. Popper is a housepainter/interior decorator who spends his winters reading travel books, especially about the poles. He even writes a fan letter to Admiral Drake, to tell him how much he likes the stories about the men on expeditions and the penguins. The response to this letter is a surprise to everyone - a friendly penguin is delivered to the Poppers' door, courtesy of Admiral Drake himself!

The penguin is soon named Captain Cook, and the Poppers and Captain Cook have a some relatively tame adventures (air holes in the refrigerator door, getting him to wear a leash, and inquiries to City Hall about licensing requirements for pet penguins, to name a few). But, Captain Cook is soon lonely and listless. A letter to the largest aquarium in the world, about what to do for penguin ennui, is answered with a surprising reply - a new penguin named Greta, who had also been lonely! Captain Cook and Greta get on famously, and there are soon eggs, and a large family of 12 penguins. There is only one problem: Mr Popper hasn't had a decorating job since the Fall, and the family is running out of money to feed themselves, let alone 12 penguins with a taste for fresh seafood.

An ice machine in the basement, a furnace in the living room, and several unpaid bills later, we find the Poppers and their penguins at the center of a nationally famous performing act! Their monetary worries over, the family enjoys train travel and hotel living. But when spring comes, Mr. Popper realizes that something is going to have to change.

Admiral Drake, meanwhile, hears about the show, and meets the family in New York with a proposal: the men on expeditions to the North Pole are lonely without penguins to play with, and he'd like to start a colony of penguins in the Arctic. Would Mr. Popper's penguins be interested?

They would indeed. And at the end of the book, Mr. Popper says a tearful goodbye to his penguins in the hold of the expedition ship, only to have Admiral Drake invite him along on the expedition! His dream come true! He says a quick goodbye to his wife and two children, and tells them he'll see them in two years or so. And they all live happily ever after, presumably.

This is not a good guide to Caring For Your Pet Penguin, and it's best if you don't think too much about the ecological effects of starting a colony of (inbred) penguins in the Arctic to amuse expeditioners, but it is a fun story. The lady at my church said she used to read it to her children and add scenes, because the story lends itself to it so well, and I can see that too. I can easily see 8- and 9-year-olds enjoying the penguins' antics, and those of Mr. Popper himself!