Curiosity: Amazon.ca: Gerald Allen Wunsch: Books

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10 Reviews

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4.5 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A History Lesson Disguised as a Wonderful, Engaging Story, Jun 29 2004

By	T. L. Cooper "T. L. Cooper, author of All She... (Albany, Oregon, United States) - See all my reviews

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

By	Carolyn Howard-Johnson "Author 'This is the P... (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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

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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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Dog Days of Summer
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. Read more

Published on Feb 25 2004 by Christine Louise Hohlbaum

5.0 out of 5 stars history & adventure!
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. Read more

Published on Dec 10 2003 by Rebecca Brown

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and fun!
Ginger Wanamaker and Irene Fong, best friends and soon-to-be fifth graders, spend a month with Ginger's grandparents in southern Indiana while both sets of parents are traveling... Read more

Published on Dec 5 2003 by Nina M. Osier

4.0 out of 5 stars CURIOSITY: A LEARNING ADVENTURE
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... Read more

Published on Nov 11 2003 by Juanita Reynolds, reviewer for...