Customer Reviews

Rachel and Obadiah

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Rachel and Obadiah is one of the best of Brinton TurkleÕs Obadiah Starbuck stories (the others in the series are Thy Friend Obadiah, The Adventures of Obadiah and Obadiah the Bold), all of which deal with a little Quaker boy in colonial-era Nantucket. The plot of Rachel and Obadiah is basically a variation on the story of the tortoise and the hare. Little Rachel canÕt run as fast as her big brother Obadiah, so when they race to see who will get to bring to town the news of a ship returning to the harbor, her chances of winning do not look good. But Obadiah gets distracted by some blackberry bushes (and the belief that he is so fast that he can always catch up later) and so, by sheer determination, by never giving up for a second, Rachel wins.

I have a six-year-old daughter who has an older brother, so you probably wonÕt be surprised to learn that she thinks this is the very best of the Obadiah books.

Besides being a wonderful story, the book also has superb illustrations. The clothing, the clapboard houses with their widowsÕ walks, the windmills, and the old sailing ships coming into port are all great introductory history lessons for young children. But even better is the variety and expressiveness of all the charactersÕ faces. The joy and expectation on the faces of the crowd waiting for the ship to come in. The pride on RachelÕs tiny face when she wins the race. Especially good is the final picture of Obadiah slumping home while Rachel looks at him with a mixture of new-found pride in herself and compassion for her brother. Brinton Turkle is a master at capturing the complexity of human emotions, and this book is one of the best examples of his work.

All of Turkle's Obadiah books are great for 6-10 year olds. Rachel and Obadiah, in particular is entertaining because it draws the reader into a historical time and place which might otherwise be boring to kids of that age. The story of the competition between Rachel and Obadiah to bring the news of the approaching ships is a theme that kids and adults alike will understand and enjoy. Turkle's Obadiah books bring life and fun to the streets of colonial Nantucket and to its seafaring and Puritan cultures. I loved it as a child and I still do.

The story and illustrations are wonderful. It is a family favorite! Obediah is a very human boy who makes his share of mistakes, making this book great fun to read to children.