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The joy of service (El placer de Servir) Ron Mc Cann

ARREST THOSE PERPS EASILY!

Devotions With a Sense of Humor

Romance on the High Seas

My Comments

An enchanting look at Vermont life in years gone by

Helps men and women understand what each sex wants.

A Precious Book That Sparks An Interest in HistoryBoth of these books were beautifully descriptive of the land where the children lived, the Southern California rancho in "Rosalba" and the foggy, redwood forested Northern California coast in "Katya," and it was so clear why these children would love living where they do and would fear being made to leave. In both books, it was clear that times were changing, so both characters were aware of living in historical moments. For example, Katya was aware of the diminishment of the sea otters (which are now an endangered species), and Rosalba was seeing changes in the role of women (such as she was allowed to ride a horse, which her abuela thought was undignified for a woman), or the need to now legally prove ownership of their family land to the new government they were now under, that of the United States (instead of Spain and Mexico).
In "Rosalba," Spanish words were sprinkled throughout the story, the meaning of which were easily understood in context. This not only added to the presentation and appreciation of the cultural atmosphere, but this technique struck me as a good way to get a child interested in learning a foreign language. I wish the author had done the same thing in "Katya," but then, she may not know Russian! However, "Katya" presented some things I never knew or thought about, such as that a well-made basket could carry water and with the introduction of a hot stone, could be used as a cooking pot. I also thought the Indian idea of making a doll out of kelp was a marvelous idea, as the kelp bulb with its smooth, dusky brown "skin" would make an effective head and face for an Indian doll.
Both books were filled with extended family love, and although it was clear that all the adults in the books had lots of work to do, they also made time to spend with their children and attend to their emotional needs. I also enjoyed the thoughtful, loving friendship between Katya and her Indian friend, Miyacha, and, in fact, the whole cultural sharing, such as Miyacha's mother making acorn soup to give to Katya's mother (because she knows she is pregnant and the soup will be healthy for her).
Both books had a component of animal interest, which I think is a good way to get children into the stories. "Rosalba" begins with the birth of a colt from a mare whose life Rosalba had been involved in saving, and "Katya" begins with Katya's discovery of a sea otter and pup, which she keeps as a private discovery (but which she later discovers her observant friend Miyacha also shares). This idea of "secrets" gives "Katya" a special depth that I thought would be particularly appealing to girls. In many ways, "secrets" are a part of the depth psychology of the feminine, and in "Katya" this thematically runs through the concepts of reverence for the life of the sea otter, the chest that Katya's father makes for her where she can store her treasures, Katya's attempt at keeping secret her friendship with the Indian girl, and, ultimately, the secret of a new sibling for Katya, whose mysterious growth within the womb of women in general is the genesis of these feminine secrets.
This doesn't mean that a boy wouldn't like these books, although I have always felt that each gender is more apt to be drawn into a book more easily when they can identify with the sex of the protagonist (which is an advantage that Lucy Perkins had in her books, as her twins were fraternal, not identical, and always a boy and a girl, so each gender can equally relate to the story). But males are well-figured in both of these stories; they are kindly, competent, thoughtful, and responsible--Rosalba's father is a successful rancher and cares about animal life, Katya's father is a carpenter who also takes the time to make beautiful, artistic objects.
Essentially, I think these are both good books for immediately igniting a spark of interest in early California history and I am impressed at how quickly and deeply the author was able to do that, that although these books are prose directed to elementary school readers, the books were poetic in their impact. The field is open for Mrs. Stites to write other such historical stories in locations across the width of the continent, and I am sure that if she did so, those would be as worthwhile for young readers as these two are.


This is my very favorite book of All Times.

Excavations at Pokrovka (Russia)