The Silent Witness [Paperback]

Robin Friedman (Author), Claire A. Nivola (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2008 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

At the beginning of the Civil War, Lula McLean’s family home in Manassas, Virginia, is taken over by the Confederate army and used as its headquarters. Forced to flee by the oncoming Union army, Lula and her family and her favorite rag doll move south to a small village called Appomattox Court House. Then one day in 1865, Lula left her doll behind, and what happened next made history.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–Lula McLean lived on a plantation in Virginia, near Bull Run Creek, with her family and her beloved rag doll. When she was four years old, the Civil War began. General Beauregard moved into her house, using it as his headquarters, and the peaceful fields were turned into a military camp. That summer, when the fighting drew too close, Lula's father relocated the family to the town of Appomattox Court House. On April 9, 1865, General Lee and General Grant met in the McLean home to negotiate the surrender of the Confederacy. Lula was playing in the parlor when the men arrived, and she "fled the room, leaving her rag doll on the horsehair sofa." Soldiers called it "the silent witness." Although Lula never saw her doll again, it still exists and is now on display at the Appomattox Court House National Historic Park. Friedman's economical text clearly shows how the Civil War touched the life of a young child. The watercolor-and-gauche illustrations and folk-art style add a sense of comfort to the turmoil and destruction of the war. An author's note provides historical details about the story.– Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Lula's experiences are the basis for this thoughtful tale. The delicate, detailed illustrations convey the experience of living in a civil war with haunting power." --The New York Times Book Review

"Battles on her front lawn and meetings in her parlor makes Lula's house seem anything but homey during this difficult time. With her rag doll by her side, Lula and her family have the unique experience of witnessing one of the most monumental events in American history." --National Educational Association Today

"A book that reminds us that history is about stories.... This is a story that shows how war can totally change ordinary people's ordinary lives." --The University of Iowa College of Education Curriculum Resources Laboratory

"This picture book set during the Civil War emphasizes the ways in which warfare can touch an individual... The small, telling details show a personal side of the war often lost in the epic of history books." --The Horn Book

"Friedman expertly weaves the major facts of the Civil War into her narrative, always returning to Lula's experiences as a touchstone... By focusing on Lula and her doll -- the 'silent witness' of the title -- the grand sweep of history is placed very firmly and humanely within the grasp of young readers." --Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; Reprint edition (June 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547014368
• ISBN-13: 978-0547014364
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #833,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I feel so privileged to be a writer. Writing has brought me great joy since I was five years old, and I will always feel profoundly grateful for the honor of sharing my love of words with others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent civil war story for children., August 8, 2006

By 

Gramma J. (Coralville, IA. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Silent Witness (Hardcover)

This book takes one story of the Civil War and puts it into a child's perspective. If you are a civil war buff, this book is perfect to share with your child or grandchild. The story is very well written, from a child's viewpoint, and the pictures are delightful. I bought this for my friend to share with his young granddaughter and they both thoroughly enjoyed the book. It prompted her to ask Grandpa more questions about a subject he loves to talk about! The book arrived in excellent condition. I highly recommend this book for folks who enjoy stories of this era to share with a special child.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to the Deleterious Effects of Warfare On Family Life, June 5, 2010

By 

J. Malin "Freelance Doll Writer" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silent Witness (Hardcover)

As an educator, I highly recommend this book because it is an age appropriate depiction of the effects of war on a very young child. It does not pretend to give an accurate description of the causes of the Civil War, nor is it meant to present picture perfect images of the players, events or artifacts - most children's book illustrations are not even close to accurate. This is the story of a family who tried unsuccessfully to flee warfare - the war broke out on their doorstep not once, but twice. First Wilmer McLean fled the Battle of Bull Run, finding safe haven many miles away in Appomattox Court House, only to have a battle break out there, 1/2 mile from his house, on the morning of the surrender. Historians have written extensively about the event..Wilmer McLean generously offered the family parlor to General Lee's aides as an appropriate place for General Grant to accept Lee's surrender, since the actual court house was closed for Palm Sunday. Little Lulu paid for that offer with her doll..which the soldiers cleverly dubbed "The Silent Witness." General Sheridan's aide, who "borrowed" the doll, brought it here to New York, and carefully preserved it until it was returned to the Appomattox in the early 1990s by the widow of the last surviving male Moore. I am also a free lance writer who writes extensively on antique and vintage dolls - and this is the story of a barely anthropomorphic rag doll that miraculously survived over 150 years BECAUSE it was a spoil of war. This is such a fascinating story that it is well worth the telling. We don't need to tell very young children that war, its causes and effects, are hell - they will have plenty of time in their lives to learn this, and about the horrors of slavery. This book is a gentle, age appropriate nudge toward those truths.

5.0 out of 5 stars Set the record straight, September 1, 2011

By 

Reading with my kids - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silent Witness (Paperback)

This book is beautiful, and a fantastic means of imparting history to our children. Most of my review, however is to counter Evil Kumquat's review.

The Silent Witness is not a book about slavery, it is a book about a doll, through which we learn the starting and ending land battles of The Civil War. It is not intended to be the only source of information concerning American History. Frankly, I was relieved to read something set in this period that didn't remind my elementary age kids about the horrors of slavery; they know plenty from every other book we've read. That's how history is learned well, piecing together information from "living books".

I'm not sure how the descriptions of General Lee and General Grant could be so offensive, except that EK was clearly looking for things to complain about, after being so offended by slavery not being the subject of the book. The descriptions were informative, and a great way for kids to envision the two very different men. I thought Grant's late arrival and dirty boots just showed he wasn't in a hurry, and he was a man who didn't mind getting dirty along with his soldiers. It seemed to me that Lee would have wanted to surrender with dignity, so he made sure he was clean and polished. If nothing else, it makes Lee look worse than Grant, with Lee looking so sharp and clean, while his soldiers are starving and without the proper clothes, boots, and equipment.

The rest of EK's comments don't relate to actually reviewing a book. EK has classified, "parent groups who crusade to get certain television shows cancelled because they are too stupid to simply turn off the offensive material when it airs." That's quite a blanket statement that shows EK is more than angry at a book about a doll. I will counter by saying that many people don't screen what their kids watch. Those children will certainly have to interact with the rest of society, and it would be a great thing if the unsupervised kids weren't exposed to pornography, violence, et al through programing that has crippling affects on our entire nation. At least, much more than a book about a doll that describes one man as possibly taller than he was in real life. Catching the irony?