5.0 out of 5 stars
A History Lesson Disguised as a Wonderful, Engaging Story, Jun 29 2004
This review is from: Curiosity (Paperback)
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.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
"Curiosity" is Aptly Named, April 19 2004
This review is from: Curiosity (Paperback)
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.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Delightful Children's Book, Mar 27 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Curiosity (Paperback)
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!
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