Childtimes lessie jones little biography
Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir
4/20/ Background on why I picked up this book: apparently, it was one of the three selections available to my 10 year-old for an autobiography reading assignment he had for school. I'm not sure how he wound up with this book instead of the other two, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that he had a really tough time answering the questions about it, typing in bizarre tautologies instead of thoughtful responses when he could even come up with anything, and I was at my wit's end as to why until I despairingly picked up Childtimes to skim through for answers/page numbers and found that a large portion of the assignment questions were completely irrelevant to the book!
My best friend, on hearing me rant about generic questions that don't seem to understand the material they're examining, wryly noted that it seemed pretty early for class material to be teaching my kid how to bullshit his way through assignments: save that for college, no? But after I'd gotten poor Jms sorted with his homework -- we left the tautologies as is: if teacher is going to ask irrelevant questions, teacher should expect ludicrous answers -- I figured that since I'd already scanned through the book twice, I might as well sit down and read it through properly, my own crushing reading schedule be damned. And I'm so glad I got to read this, because it is a truly wonderful look at the lives of three generations of Black women growing up in late 19th to mid 20th century America.
Beautifully illustrated with black and white line drawings by Jerry Pinkney, as well as with old photographs of several of the people from its pages, the book describes scenes from the childhoods, or "childtimes" as they call it, of Pattie Ridley Jones, her eldest
Childtimes
book by Eloise Greenfield and Lessie Jones
Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir is a book about three women's remembrances of their childhoods from the late 19th century through the 20th century: children's author Eloise Greenfield, her mother, Lessie Jones Little, and her grandmother, Pattie Ridley Jones.
Reception
The Horn Book Magazine, in a discussion of school-age memoirs, wrote of Childtimes, "Readers experience the accumulated joys and sorrows of one family’s history Illustrations by Jerry Pinkney, along with period photographs, enhance the stories’ emotional and historical relevance for middle graders."The Washington Post recommended Childtimes "for all parents who wish to present to their children the very best in literature."
It has also been reviewed by Publishers Weekly,School Library Journal, and Hurricane Alice magazine.
Awards
References
- ^Ernie Cox (September 1, ). "What Makes a Good Middle-Grade Memoir?". Horn Book Magazine. Media Source. Retrieved January 27,
- ^Mathis, Sharon Bell (May 10, ). "Celebrating The Black Experience". Washington Post. Retrieved January 27,
- ^"Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. September 11, Retrieved January 20,
- ^"Childtimes (Book Review)". School Library Journal. 26 (4). Media Source: December Retrieved January 27,
- ^"Putting Their Business in the Street". Hurricane Alice. 4 (2). Women's Learning Institute, Hurricane Alice Foundation: 7. March Retrieved January 27,
- ^"Past Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winners: - Nonfiction". . May 30, Retrieved January 27,
- ^"Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, Present". . American Library Association. 5 April Retrieved January 27,
Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir by Eloise Greenfield &#; Lessie Jones Little
Background on why I picked up this book: apparently, it was one of the three selections available to my 10 year-old for an autobiography reading assignment he had for school. I&#;m not sure how he wound up with this book instead of the other two, but it doesn&#;t really matter. What matters is that he had a really tough time answering the questions about it, typing in bizarre tautologies instead of thoughtful responses when he could even come up with anything, and I was at my wit&#;s end as to why&#; until I despairingly picked up Childtimes to skim through for answers/page numbers and found that a large portion of the assignment questions were completely irrelevant to the book!
My best friend, on hearing me rant about generic questions that don&#;t seem to understand the material they&#;re examining, wryly noted that it seemed pretty early for class material to be teaching my kid how to bullshit his way through assignments: save that for college, no? But after I&#;d gotten poor Jms sorted with his homework &#; we left the tautologies as is: if teacher is going to ask irrelevant questions, teacher should expect ludicrous answers &#; I figured that since I&#;d already scanned through the book twice, I might as well sit down and read it through properly, my own crushing reading schedule be damned. And I&#;m so glad I got to read this, because it is a truly wonderful look at the lives of three generations of Black women growing up in late 19th to mid 20th century America.
Beautifully illustrated with black and white line drawings by Jerry Pinkney, as well as with old photographs of several of the people from its pages, the book describes scenes from the childhoods, or &#;childtimes&#; as they call it, of Pattie Ridley Jones, her eldest daughter Lessie Jones Little, and her granddaughter Eloise Greenfield. Ms Jones&#; section, while told in the first person, was lovingly put .