Linda Walvoord Girard

This is a good book for children whose parents are going through a divorce. I liked this book because it showed all of the things a child may be feeling but not sure how to communicated; scared, anxious, sad. Katie is scared that when her parents get divorced, her dad will never come back or that he will eventually forget about her. After Katie starts seeing her dad on Saturday's she realizes that the things her parents told her were true; her dad will always be there for her, the divorce show more was not her fault, and things will get better. I would deficiently recommend this book for a child who is dealing with divorce in their family. show less

For very young readers, this short biography of Frederick Douglas explains in a succinct and understandable way the plight of the illiterate slave. It also details how the idea of writing his own passes drove Douglas to teach himself to read and write. This is an age appropriate relation of the horrors of slavery, but also the inspiring story of a man who overcame the insurmountable. I would recommend it for elementary to middle school students.

Katie’s parents are getting a divorce, and her dad is moving out. Katie is afraid she will not see her dad because her friend Mary's parents got a divorce and she never sees her dad. Katie’s dad calls her every day and promises they will see each other Saturday. When she goes over there they talk, and he promises her he will never leave her. I was in tears reading this, my parents got a divorce when I was only in kindergarten. I can relate to how Katie is feeling. She thought maybe if show more she cleaned her room more, her parents would still be together. I remember feeling the same way, you think well what if I had done this or that. I think this would be a great book to read to kids because divorce rate it high. I would have loved to have read a book like this when I was going through this hard time in my life. Kids can relate and then they don’t feel so alone. I think this was a very good book! show less

Young Frederick Douglass: The Slave Who Learned to Read, written Linda Walvoord Girard, tells the amazing story of how a slave boy learned to read. As a young child, Frederick worked as a slave boy in the Auld household. He longed to learn how to read and write, as the white children his age knew how. Frederick also wanted to learn how to read and write so he could forge his “papers”, which were written documents that all slaves were required to carry in order to walk freely around town. show more Unfortunately for Frederick, it was illegal for free individuals to teach slaves how to read or write. Frederick did not let such laws stop him; he worked tirelessly until he could proficiently read and write.
Frederick dreamed for years of becoming a free man. He successfully escaped from slavery in 1838. Frederick Douglass, unlike the majority of escaped slaves, could read, write, and gives speeches to large audiences. This made him a prominent leader in the African American community at that time.
Young Frederick Douglass: The Slave Who Learned to Read is a well written and inspirational biography about a remarkable man that, against all odds, taught himself how to read and write in the early 1800’s. show less