Anne Pellowski

I definitely would have appreciated this when I was a young girl growing up in Wisconsin, rereading the Little House books because I couldn't find anything else with the same charm. I liked then, and still do, learning about practices, customs, foods, etc., from a time not too remote... my father was born when his father was still using horses to farm.

But we were more German & Swedish; these Polish people are very different and learning their specific customs is interesting. Cows & crops show more weren't enough for them; they had sheep, too. "Firing the anvils" is a festival ritual that I hope isn't practiced anymore, but may be, given some of the nonsense I see on my husband's video feed. The gvvjozdki for Christmas are just, imo, bizarre, and are surely a connection to Polish 'pagans.'

But the characters, well, they don't come alive the way the Ingalls do. I don't know why, but at this point I'm just finding the book "ok" and so am rounding up to three stars. show less

Similar to Wilder's "Little House" series, this tells of the early settlers of Wisconsin from the point of view of a young girl. This is worth reading in addition to Wilder's more popular books because it presents another ethnic view.
Anna is often teased (her father loves to have fun, when it doesn't interfere with work). When her brother tells her that you can hear seeds growing, she has to test it out--and she can! She learns to herd sheep (even thru a surprise hailstorm), knits mittens show more for the family cat who is keeping the mice out of their icehouse, celebrates Christmases and Independence Day, and shares the neighbors' sorrows when diphtheria strikes their community.
This ethnic group were strongly Catholic, and some of those practices are mentioned, which may put off some readers who don't like religion. show less

I appreciated this book because wholesome children’s reading material is hard to find nowadays. Betsy is the member of a large Polish family, 9 girls, and 1 boy to be exact! Their livelihood is farming; therefore the children have lots of chores and responsibilities from the oldest to the youngest. While they may not always like the work, the children do their chores well and as expected. The reader experiences daily farm life, family mealtimes, family traditions, and the special show more challenges of a big family. I thought the parent’s consistent guidelines and expectations of their children’s conduct was wonderful. There is real structure and security within the family, something sorely lacking in homes today.
The story is kept exciting with the disappearance of their 4 ½ year old sister, Christmastime, drunken pigs and a cooking fiasco that ends up with flying donuts! Visits from relatives bring home the blessedness of close family ties. There is always lots of fun and humor. Children will experience a simpler way of life where family is first and love abounds. This book is one of a series tracing a family’s roots for 5 generations back to 1867 which begins with “The First Farm In the Valley.” I highly recommend this book.
I received this book free from Bethlehem books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. show less

The Storytelling Handbook was an interesting read, but not as functional for secondary classroom instruction as I'd hoped. There is certainly a place for storytelling in the ELA classroom; however, the chapter on storytelling techniques was relatively limited. If a younger student were interested in the culture and craft of storytelling, this would be a nice place for to start. In regards to teaching, with the exception of integrating one of the included stories into a lesson, I had a show more difficult time finding practical use for the book. That being said, reading this book did prompt a desire to seek out other works of nonfiction that focus on oral language development. This is an area where I lack confidence, and I would like to read more on the topic in order to improve my own skills and better instruct my students. show less