Customer Reviews

Curiosity

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A familiar element of many children's books involves placing children into a new environment, showing they aren't exactly thrilled to be there, and then watching them find the value of their new surroundings. In Curiosity, Ginger and Irene are sent to Ginger's grandparents, George and Abby, for a month in southern Indiana while Ginger's parents are away on an extended vacation. George and Abby live out in the country along with Laird, their wire fox terrier. The young girls are looking for adventure in a place where there seems to be nothing much to do, but adventure is exactly what they find during their month in the country.

George takes the girls to visit the home of his friends, the Browns. Their house holds many hidden surprises. Mrs. Brown talks to the girls about the Civil War and the history of the Underground Railroad. She then shows them the secret hiding places in the house which were used by the slaves on their quest for freedom via the Underground Railroad. The girls imagine how the slaves must have felt when they were hiding, awaiting their journey to the North and to freedom.

Several days after this visit, the girls are bored, trying to find something interesting to do. When Laird disappears, they find that he has fallen into a hole. After Laird is rescued, it is discovered that the hole leads to an underground storage cellar. The girls are curious about what they might find in the cellar. What they find leads to their own adventure, which ties in, once again, to the Underground Railroad. Their exciting discovery lands the girls on the front page of the local newspaper.

This is a book that teaches children about an important part of our history in an interesting way. After each chapter are questions which are answered in the Learning More section at the end of the book. This section provides information, photographs and drawings which expand upon the story. I felt this was a nice touch since the author provides answers to questions that might be cropping up as inquiring young minds read this book . The illustrations throughout the book are well done and add to the story.

THIS BOOK GIVES INFORMATION ON NEW SUBJECTS IN A FUN STORY FOR CHILDREN. THE STORY INVOLVES A MYSTERY WHICH TWO INQUISITIVE GIRLS INVESTIGATE WITH THE HELP OF A LIVELY WIRE FOX TERRIER. THE AUTHOR GIVES US GLIMPSES OF HIS LIFE & PASSIONS WHILE TELLING A STORY CHILDREN WILL LOVE. I BELIEVE MY FOUR GRANDSONS WILL ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS I DID!

Don't you just love to read? I do, especially when wire fox terriers are involved. I am filled with anticipation, wondering what is going to happen. Wires can be so unpredictable! I, myself, possess one of a wire's greatest traits: curiosity. So when I was offered the opportunity to read and review Curiosity, by Gerald Allen Wunsch (you may recognize that last name - Martha's husband!), I could hardly wait to dig into this charming children's book. My qualifications for being a reviewer stem largely from the fact that I, too, am a published children's author. I heard early on that Jerry was writing this book, and am excited to see it in print at last.

Curiosity is a children's novel about a summertime adventure. Abby and George Wanamaker live in rural southern Indiana with their wire fox terrier, Laird. Their granddaughter, Ginger, and her friend, Irene Fong, are spending a month with them while the girls' parents are traveling in Europe. But the parents aren't the only ones who are having exciting adventures. With the help of the curious Laird, some late-night escapades, and the discovery of an unusual old coin, the girls discover that the Wanamaker's 150 year-old house is an important part of American history.

Curiosity is full of delightful illustrations by Irene Joslin. She captures the attitude and expressiveness of a wire fox terrier well. Jerry has a special section at the end of his book that gives more information on wire fox terriers, complete with pictures of his real-life inspiration, Laird. It gives a well-rounded picture of the breed, including history, temperament, and grooming information.

I do hope you'll pick up a copy of Curiosity. You will smile with recognition at Laird's antics and the fun he contributes to the story. I wouldn't at all be surprised to read more of his adventures sometime in the future. After all, where there is curiosity, there is bound to be adventure!

With their parents traveling in Europe, fifth-graders Ginger Wanamaker and Irene Fong spend a month with Ginger's grandparents. In their search for interesting things to do, they discover that the house was part of the Underground Railroad. The story not only sets out historical events, but is designed to generate kids' interest in doing more research, too. This well-edited book is a wonderful read, full of adventure with an educational twist to which many young readers can relate. After just a few pages, the reader notices the educational value of Curiosity. While the questions at the base of each chapter may be somewhat intrusive for the average adult reader, the book is ideal for readers age 9-12. This is a fast read, with a great story built around historical events, places and things. Everyone in the house--not just the target audience--will enjoy the book and want to learn more.

Curiosity is aptly named. Talented author Gerald Allen Wunsch whets children's appetite for learning through the adventures of Ginger and Irene on their visit to Ginger's grandparents. Looking at the month long visit as a chance to just enjoy themselves, the girls are pleasantly surprised when they don't have much time for being bored in the country when Grandpa George takes them for rides in his sports car to places of interest they'd never thought of and they get a chance to learn some history. The author also uses the girls' natural curiosity when the og falls into a hole that turns out to be lined with stone like a cellar. They just have to know what it is. So that night they sneak outside for some private exploration. A different kind of adventure for the young reader that will open their eyes to the history around them and encourage an interest in reading a wide variety of books. A book to be used as a stepping stone to a wider field of interest, a story to interest both boys and girls.

Gerald Allen Wunsch's delightful tale of Ginger and Irene's summer adventure while visiting Ginger's grandparents is a fun read for both young and old. A history lesson regarding slavery and The Underground Railroad is cleverly immersed in the contemporary tale of the curiosity of two modern young girls. The relationship between the girls, Ginger's grandparents, and their dog, Laird, creates a fun backdrop to the girl's exploration into a cellar that turns out to have played an important role in the history of The United States. Curiosity is an excellent book to use as a starting point for a conversation about the history of slavery in the United States.

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of This is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered

Curiosity is not only about a young girl's curiosity, the author has made sure that his young readers' curiosity it satisfied. But more about that later.

Near and dear to my heart is that the protagonist and narrator, Ginger Wannamaker, has grandparents who are anything but the kind of stereotypes that should have disappeared from literature(but didn't) in the 70s. Her grandfather whizzes around southern Indiana in his carefully groomed MG and her grandmother-though she is frequently seen preparing delicious breakfast-- does so to the beat of rock `n' roll.

It also approaches fiction with the curiosity-no pun intended-of a child. Once a youngster has been introduced to a subject-wire haired terriers, as an example, or buffalo nickles-she wants to know more about them. This book provides a fascinating nonfiction element about those things in a kind of index that entertains called "Learning More." It even includes adorable pictures of the author's real life and oh-so-perky dog, Laird.

Mostly, however, this story is an adventure complete with spooky old homes, secret passages and part of America's history come alive. If a grade school child has lots of "Curiosity," she'll enjoy reading this book herself. Younger children will learn from it, too, if their older siblings will only read it to them.

Curiosity is not just a story for kids, it is a learning experience. Ginger and Irene are best friends, and when Ginger discovers her grandparent's house in southern Indiana played a role in the Underground Railroad, an adventure of learning and fun are uncovered. Laird, the energetic wire fox terrier is with the girls through the book. He is actually the author's dog in real life, and his pictures are adorable. Kids will learn about the Underground Railroad and wire fox terriers all in the same book. I thought it was great!

At first glance, Gerald Allen Wunsch's book, Curiosity, is a story about a fifth grader's summer visit to her grandparents' house in Southern Indiana. Ginger Wanamaker narrates the story from her eleven-year-old perspective. Her best friend, Irene Fong, and she have many adventures during their month-long stay with Grandma Abby and Grandpa George. The wire fox terrier, Laird, also plays an integral role in the story.

After just a few pages, however, the reader notices the educational value of Curiosity. Wunsch offers helpful questions at the end of most chapters such as "Want to know more about the study of genealogy?" or "Want to know more about the country of Suriname?" As a former career diplomat, Wunsch interweaves his rich background in an informative index which covers a variety of topics: The Wire Fox Terrier, The Country of Suriname, MG-T Series Sports Cars, Genealogy, Slavery in America and the Underground Railroad, Buffalo Nickels, and Underground Railroad web sites.

While the questions at the base of each chapter may be somewhat intrusive for the average adult reader, the book is ideal for readers age 9-12.

This well-edited book is a wonderful read, full of adventure with an educational twist to which many young readers can relate.

On a visit to her grandparents home in Indiana, Ginger Wanamaker's fox terrior discovers an artifact from the Underground Railroad that American slaves followed.

To Irene Fong, Ginger's best friend, the history of slavery has much meaning as her parents came from Suriname in South America, where their ancestors had been slaves. Thus the two girls learn as they explore & satisfy their curiosity.

RebeccasReads recommends CURIOSITY as a truly interesting modern story for children, about history, culture & friendship.