Evolution and the Pelican

I have delayed posting reviews of Katherine Paterson's, The Day of the Pelican, and Jacqueline Kelly's, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, because I have mixed feelings about them both. I think they are well-written, thought-provoking books; however, I do question their "suggested reader" age ranges and their general appeal to children.

Paterson, Katherine. 2009. The Day of the Pelican. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

The Day of the Pelican (so named for an incident involving a drawing of a pelican that occurred on the day that Meli's life took a turn for the worse) is a historical fiction account of the flight of 11-year old Meli Lleshi's Kosovar Albanian family from the Serbian ethnic cleansing campaign of terror.  Meli comes from a large, tight-knit extended family, however the focus of the book is primarily on Meli, her older brother Mehmet, and her parents.  After Mehmet is arrested, jailed, beaten and left for dead by the local police force, the Lleshis are forced to admit and react to the fact that they are no longer welcomed in their homeland.

This book is suggested by the publisher for grades 5-9.  I disagree.  The underlying reason for the Lleshi family's flight is the ethnic cleansing of Albanian Kosovars.  Additionally, there is veiled reference (explained more fully in the author's notes following the story) to war crimes against women - both very heavy topics for 10-year old readers. Additionally, Meli's brother, Mehmet, who becomes, understandably, radicalized by his treatment at the hand of the Serbs, is a difficult character for young readers to embrace.  It is easy to dislike Mehmet for his headstrong and moody demeanor; and it will take an older, more experienced reader to comprehend the reality that makes Mehmet's character not only believable, but sadly commonplace.

Congratulations to Katherine Paterson on her appointment as the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She follows in the esteemed footsteps of the first National Ambassador, Jon Scieszka.  "Read for Your Life" is the theme for Ms. Paterson's platform. She has her own website and a fan page on FB.

Kelly, Jacqueline. 2009. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. New York: MacMillan.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate takes place in rural Texas at the turn of the 20th century.  Eleven-year-old, Calpurnia is the only daughter in a family consisting of six brothers, Calpurnia, her parents, and Granddaddy.  The Tate's successful farm was established by Granddaddy, but he has since retired after serving in the Civil War, and has turned his attention to scientific endeavors - not the least of which is an attempt to create liquor from distilled pecans.  Calpurnia and Granddaddy develop a very close relationship based on Calpurnia's interest in the new and controversial book, On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Each chapter begins with a passage from Darwin's book. The "evolution" in Kelly's novel refers not only to the evolutionary adaptations of Texas' native plants and insects, but also to Calpurnia herself, who evolves into a budding feminist, ready to challenge the societal expectations for women at the dawn of a new century.

Kelly's story is a mix of science, Darwinian Theory, family life, and a large helping of humor.  There is no crisis in the story, no action-packed turning point - just a warm, familial march to an unknown future.  Calpurnia is a delightfully funny and intelligent protagonist.

MacMillan's discussion guide for The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate offers discussion questions and a list of words that may send young readers (hopefully) scurrying for a dictionary (ignominy, dragooned, desiccated, to name a few).  These words, however, weren't the ones that sent me to my online nook dictionary. I had to hunt up several archaic words, most of which did not appear in the nook dictionary. (Note to Barnes and Noble: Merriam-Webster would be nice.) This book's suggested age range is grades 4-7.  Although I am a proponent of challenging vocabulary for children, I think that the level of vocabulary difficulty combined with the scientific premise of the book may be off-putting for young readers.

Bottom line - recommend these books to thoughtful, older readers who enjoy history, science, and/or world cultures.  Readers who stick with these two titles will end up enlightened.

Charles Darwin's 200th

Abraham Lincoln and Edgar Allen Poe are not the only people with 200th birthday anniversaries this year. This month marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin on February 12, 1809.

Just in time for the celebration are two new Darwin biographies: Animals Charles Darwin Saw: An Around the World-Adventure by Sandra Markle and illustrated by Zina Saunders (2009 Chronicle Books, San Francisco) and What Darwin Saw: The Journey that Changed the World by Rosalyn Schanzer (2009 National Geographic, DC)

Both books are well-researched, illustrated biographies containing bibliographies, resources, maps and indexes. (I was going to type indices, but WikiAnswers assures me that indices is only to be used when dealing with an over-50 "fuddy duddy." Who knew?) Animals Charles Darwin Saw, also includes a glossary.

Both are suitable for middle school students and contain enough information to equal a larger-print, small chapter book. The two books tell the same story employing different strategies. Markle's book relates Darwin's finding of prehistoric bones in this way,

"Before Darwin, people did not believe that animals changed over time. But after Darwin stumbled on some strange bones, he started thinking. He thought about the many different kinds of wildlife he had observed and how the animals seemed well suited to the environments in which they lived. He began to wonder whether animals did change over time, developing the characteristics they needed to survive and prosper."

In comic book style panels, Schanzer's book relates the same information using many of Darwin's own words,

"Darwin finds: 'a large piece of covering like that of the Armadillo, but of gigantic size,'... 'an immense Mastodon, which must have abounded over the whole country,' ... 'It is impossible to reflect on the changed state of the American continent without the deepest astonishment. Formerly it must have swarmed with great monsters: now we find mere pigmies.'"

Both books are generously illustrated. Animals Charles Darwin Saw contains naturally-colored, double-spread watercolor and ink illustrations with small text printed over the paintings. What Darwin Saw is more brightly colored and comic, employing panels of varying sizes and using thought bubbles and brown print to designate Darwin's actual comments.

Bottom line: both books do a fine job of relaying a difficult concept in a manner that is both engaging and understandable to young readers. I hope more teachers will embrace the concept of "picture book" nonfiction.