Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters written by Patricia C McKissack & Fredrick L. McKissack and illustrated by John Thompson
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Pages: 80
Genre: Picture Book - Historical Fiction
Rating: Thumbs Up and Down
The book is set in the year 1859 at Christmas time and how life was lived on a Virginia plantation, in both the big house and the quarters. The information given in the book is based on researched historical data from the real Tidewater plantations along the James River in Virginia.
The stories given compare and contrast the life styles, living environments, social actions, and traditions from the plantation owners and their families to the slaves and families. This book shows through picture, song, cooking, and poems the hardships and happiness of the individuals of this time. Many of the slave writings are about pushing through the hard times and better days ahead, and it truely speaks to the undying human spirit within them.
I personally like the book and found it very informative, so I wanted to give it a "Thumbs Up". But as you can see above, I gave it also a "Thumbs Down" because I found the book to be missleading. From the cover and size of the book, it appears to be a childrens picture book. After opening and within the first few pages of reading, it is apparent that this book really is only appropriate for children of the intermediate reading and age level or greater.
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