Alma Coon

1. “Amy, Ben and Catalpa the Cat: A Fanciful Story of This and That” ( Copyright 1990 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation) by Alma S. Coon Illustrated by Gail Owens is a Historical Fiction poetry story of two children that meet George Washington in colonial America. I personally love this book. The rhyming rhythm of the story mixed with the brilliant pictures really brings the story to life. What I like the most is that the story pushes the reader to think about a child’s life in colonial America. The story starts with Ben and Amy doing heavy chores around the house. Every child does chores today like doing the dishes but this story highlights how chores back then were more difficult. In the beginning we see Ben tending to the pumpkin garden. We see the tremendous work he puts in harvesting the crop from cutting it from the garden, putting it in a cart, and wheeling it into the house. In the house we see Amy cleaning the kitchen with an old broom and also cleaning the floor on her hands and knees. The story really highlights how chores are different without the use of modern day technology. The story is set in rhyme and that kept me entertained while reading the story. What l like about this is that the story got me into a rhythm which helped me to keep a good reading pace in the story. “Amy and Ben were exited and Knew there wasn’t much time to get there too.” This rhythm kept the peat of the story going and kept me entertained. The illustration in this book is the most beautiful I have ever seen. The illustration is drawn beautifully using warm tones to invite the reader further into the story. The illustration is also very appropriate to the mood of the story. You can see the happiness of be and Amy’s face as they talk with George Washington. Yet the pictures are not so distracting that they take away or distract the reader from the story. The illustrations are just enough to pull the reader into the story and further their interest in the time period. The big idea of this story is about being resourceful and cunning. Amy times we see Amy helping Ben by being resourceful. The main example of this is when Amy fixes the hat Washington gave to Ben so that the hat fits Ben. Another theme is family relationship. It is clear through this story that Ben and Amy have a strong relationship through helping each other out.… (meer)