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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Hathaway's debut book takes its inspiration from the experiences of the author's grandmother, who worked as a midwife in the rural south during the 1930s. Written in the ingenuous voice of an 11-year-old African-American girl, the novel chronicles her summer apprenticeship to Missy Violet, a charismatic midwife who was born into slavery. Though excited about the prospect of helping the woman with her "baby catchin'," Viney has a lot to learn. For instance, she assumes that the woman transports babies to various houses in her big black bag after finding them "inside tree stumps or cabbage patches." Hathaway's anecdotal narrative includes tangential tales about other local personalities, but readers may find these less involving than the episodes focusing on the narrator's adventures with Missy Violet—including her lessons on healing herbs and other remedies ("Missy Violet's kitchen always smelled like a holiday" from the baked goods she delivered to shut-ins)—and with Viney's rambunctious cousin Charles. The author includes some intriguing historical nuggets, such as Missy Violet's description of witnessing, at age seven, a Yankee soldier presenting to the newly freed captives a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation ("Never heard such shoutin' and singin' and ringin' of the cow bells in all my born days as I heard on that day"). Unspooled as leisurely as a summer afternoon spent on the front porch, this appealingly nostalgic tale conveys the tenor of the time as well as the affable narrator's growth during one momentous summer. Ages 7-10.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-A Southern town in the early 1900s provides the backdrop for this warm story of personal growth and finding one's value in the community. Episodic chapters tell the story of 11-year-old Viney, focusing on her informal apprenticeship to the local midwife. She learns about medicinal herbs, delivering babies, and life in general, eventually applying her knowledge to assist in a crisis. Hathaway uses ample dialogue and captures folksy speech patterns that give believable voices to her African-American characters, who refer to one another as "colored," as was true to the era. The chapters are readable vignettes, and while they succeed at capturing people and place, they are at times disconnected, detracting from the pacing and plot progression. The cover has the appealing look of a period photo album, and the length could be perfect for that book report due tomorrow. Harmonious interracial relationships are another plus. While not a first purchase, this title is a pleasant extra.
Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
Hathaway's debut book takes its inspiration from the experiences of the author's grandmother, who worked as a midwife in the rural south during the 1930s. Written in the ingenuous voice of an 11-year-old African-American girl, the novel chronicles her summer apprenticeship to Missy Violet, a charismatic midwife who was born into slavery. Though excited about the prospect of helping the woman with her "baby catchin'," Viney has a lot to learn. For instance, she assumes that the woman transports babies to various houses in her big black bag after finding them "inside tree stumps or cabbage patches." Hathaway's anecdotal narrative includes tangential tales about other local personalities, but readers may find these less involving than the episodes focusing on the narrator's adventures with Missy Violet—including her lessons on healing herbs and other remedies ("Missy Violet's kitchen always smelled like a holiday" from the baked goods she delivered to shut-ins)—and with Viney's rambunctious cousin Charles. The author includes some intriguing historical nuggets, such as Missy Violet's description of witnessing, at age seven, a Yankee soldier presenting to the newly freed captives a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation ("Never heard such shoutin' and singin' and ringin' of the cow bells in all my born days as I heard on that day"). Unspooled as leisurely as a summer afternoon spent on the front porch, this appealingly nostalgic tale conveys the tenor of the time as well as the affable narrator's growth during one momentous summer. Ages 7-10.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-A Southern town in the early 1900s provides the backdrop for this warm story of personal growth and finding one's value in the community. Episodic chapters tell the story of 11-year-old Viney, focusing on her informal apprenticeship to the local midwife. She learns about medicinal herbs, delivering babies, and life in general, eventually applying her knowledge to assist in a crisis. Hathaway uses ample dialogue and captures folksy speech patterns that give believable voices to her African-American characters, who refer to one another as "colored," as was true to the era. The chapters are readable vignettes, and while they succeed at capturing people and place, they are at times disconnected, detracting from the pacing and plot progression. The cover has the appealing look of a period photo album, and the length could be perfect for that book report due tomorrow. Harmonious interracial relationships are another plus. While not a first purchase, this title is a pleasant extra.
Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
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