Doris GatesRecensioni

Somewhat dry but clear retellings of several myths that involve Athena in the Greek classical tradition. Appears to be middle-grade. Includes the story of Aglauros, which I had never come across, as well as the tales of Perseus and Medea, Bellerophon and Pegasus, the Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece, and Arachne. Stories are presented in a way that minimizes the problematic nature of Greek myth as well as romanticizing men's relations with women.
Not good for pagans, feminism or modern discussions of Greek Mythology.

Ten-year-old Janey Larkin, the daughter of migrant farm workers in Great Depression-era California, clings to the beautiful blue willow plate that once belonged to her mother in this poignant children's novel. As the Larkins settle into a shack in the San Joaquin Valley, while Mr. Larkin goes to work in the cotton fields, Janey befriends Lupe Romero, who lives in the shack opposite the Larkins, and goes to the field school run by Miss Peterson. Slowly, Janey begins to feel that this is a place she could call home and put down roots. But when her step-mother becomes ill and work dries up, it looks like the Larkins will have to move on once more. Can the willow plate, a symbol of Janey's deepest desire for a home and a sense of belonging, save her and her family...?

Published in 1940, Blue Willow was chosen as one of four Newbery Honor books in 1941—other Honor Books that year included Young Mac of Fort Vancouver by Mary Jane Carr, The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nansen by Anna Gertrude Hall, while the Medal Winner was Armstrong Perry's Call it Courage—and it is not difficult to see why. Doris Gates, who worked for many years as a children's librarian in the San Joaquin Valley, spins an immensely engaging and moving story, beautifully capturing Janey's rich inner life, from her changing perception of her wonderful step-mother, Mom, to her puzzling over her father's words on courage, and her discovery of the joys of true friendship with Lupe. This latter is quite interesting, in that it is the earliest example I have encountered, in the pages of popular children's literature, of a genuine friendship across racial and ethnic divides. There were one or two moments that I found dated—Janey wondering why Lupe would prefer a dress that made her look darker, for instance—but on the whole I thought this aspect of the story was very progressive for its time, treating the two friends as equals, delving into Lupe's perspective, and highlighting her many good qualities without making her a saint. The happy ending of the story, while perhaps a tad unrealistic, is nevertheless deeply satisfying.

All in all, I found Blue Willow a wonderful book, and would recommend it to upper primary and lower middle-grade readers who enjoy historical stories, or who are looking for heartwarming tales of children finding a home and happiness. Thematically, it is very similar to Zilpha Keatley Snyder's The Velvet Room, which I have also read and loved, and could be read in tandem with that book.

Janey Larkin and her parents have moved around a lot over the last few years as her father follows the harvest. Most recently, they've found a shack in the San Joaquin valley and a job picking cotton. The only thing Janey owns of value is a blue willow plate that was in the family for generations. As Janey makes friends with Lupe Romero, she starts to wish that they could settle here for good.

This Newbery Honor book from 1940 was a mixed bag for me. It's praised for being one of the first children's literature of its kind, focusing on migrant workers, having a problem the child addresses, and including Mexican Americans one of whom is Janey's best friend. However, for today's sensibilities it's also very much of its time: a little slow to start, moralizing, having a happy ending that stretches credulity, and including some casual racism (a dress Lupe wears makes her look "darker" but Janey chooses not to mention it) and sexism.½

Charming. And the illustrations by [[Marjorie Torrey]] are exceptionally lovely.½

"Blue Willow" feels like an historical novel about a migrant farming family during the Great Depression, but since it was published in 1940, it was actually written as a contemporary tale.
10-year-old Janey travels with her Dad and step-mother looking for farming work after Dad lost his own farm in the Dust Bowl. At the beginning of the book, they settle into an abandoned shack to live there while Dad harvests cotton. Janey meanwhile, just wants to belong somewhere instead of moving every few weeks. The only possession the family has that she cares about is the Blue Willow Plate - a blue China plate with a Chinese design. The plate is mentioned in the beginning of the book, then seemingly forgotten, but becomes significant again towards the last quarter of the story.
"Blue Willow" is about Janey finding a friend - Lupe Lopez; and a place she wants to stay; a sense of belonging somewhere. It's a slow quiet story, with an unrealistically happy ending (perhaps appropriate, since it's more of an upper elementary book than a middle grades story).½

Unusual, in that it describes the events leading up to the war and little about the war itself. Events leading up to the war are:

* Theseus's abduction of Helen
* The oath of Helen's suitors
* The wedding of Peleus
* The birth, youth, and judgement of Paris
* The flight of Helen and Paris to Troy
* The madness of Odysseus
* The discovery of Achilles
* The sacrifice of Iphigenia

Ensues an epilogue which narrates the events of the Trojan War and the aftermath. More a young adult book than for children, even though it is quite short. The illustrations are few but remarkable. Paris is absolutely naked, and Achilles dresses for battle in a remarkably diaphanous kilt and very little else.

The cover illustration of my edition, also by Charles Mikolaycak, shows Menelaus and Paris.

The illustrations are beautiful. The cover has color but the inside illustrations are pencil sketches. I am in awe of Trina SchartHyman's skill.

I enjoyed the 9 short stories. My favorite was The Good Goddess.
I really only got for the illustrator but I do like Greek mythology so I read it also.
-----------------

APHRODITE
- From the Sea Foam - Her birth from the sea.

- The Story of Adonis- Anchises and Aphrodite - .33 time w/ Persephone, .33 w/ Aphrodite, .33 free but he spent it with Aphrodite. Killed by boar, anemone flower symbol of her grief

- Pygmalion - beautiful woman sculpture came to life

- The Story of Atalanta - she would marry the fastest runner. Hippomenes threw golden apples to distract.

- Cupid and Psyche - He tries to hide ID from her. Passed tests, became immortal.

- Hero and Leander - Leander died in violent seas, Hero killed himself.

- Pyramus and Thisbe - Pyramus thought lion killed Thisbe so he killed himself, she saw him dead, killed herself.

DEMETER
- The Good Goddess - Demeter serious grief. Persephone ate 4 pomegranate seeds, spend 4 months of the year with Hades.

NA

00009207

00009208

00009209

Janey Larkin lives a nomadic life, under the care of her father and stepmother. Her greatest and only treasure is a blue willow ceramic plate that once belonged to a mother she can no longer remember. As her family sets-down near her father’s current job of picking cotton, Janey begins long for a change to “stay as long as they want” but achieving that dream might cost her greatest treasure.

Janey’s journey is brilliantly displayed. She matures through her friendship with Lupe, and through her education, gaining an understanding of courage and what’s important. Watching her struggle with the difficult things around her is part of the “realistic” nature of the story. While the ending is a bit – Shiny – where everything works out perfectly, the journey of how she gets there has danger and difficulty, and her start in life is not rosy-pink and happy.

It should be noted that Lupe, Janey’s friend, is clearly of Mexican origin. Surprising for the era, Lupe and her family are written with respect and accuracy to their culture but without any of the stereotypes so prevalent during the era (or even today). Lupe is a well-rounded side-character, an excellent part of the story and a refreshing take on non-European cultures that make up America.

The prose is simple, with easy-to-read words and both writing and subject are suitable for children ages 6+.

Note: Doris Gates received both praise and criticism for this book. One of the first “realistic” children’s books, Blue Willow entered the scene during a debate between teachers, librarians, and authors regarding realism vs. imaginative in Children’s Literature. In dealing with poverty, intenerate workers, illness, and even death, Blue Willow helped pave the way for books for children that accurately reflected the world they already knew. Gates is considered a major influence and pioneer in this area.

Renowned children's author Doris Gates presents Greek myths about Aphrodite and Demeter along with a few other tales in this collection suitable for children. The illustrations are sketched, demonstrating what can be done with pencil (or pen). Gates' stories should captivate early readers.

Janey Larkin can't remember when she's lived in the same place for more than a year. Her family has to keep moving so that her father can find work. But Janey longs for a real home and the chance to make friends.

Ten-year-old Janey Larkin, her father, and her stepmother are among the migrants who made their way to California in the wake of the Dust Bowl. The family moves frequently as Janey's father follows the harvests. Janey carries her ideal of home with her in the treasured blue willow plate that belonged to her mother. This move is different, and Janey finds herself longing to stay in this corner of the San Joaquin Valley near the river that looks so much like the scene in the blue willow plate.

I'm sorry that I missed this book during my childhood. I would have loved it if only for the connection to my grandmother's blue willow dishes. Those dishes are one of the strongest memories I have of meals in my grandmother's kitchen. This story could be used as supplemental reading for a unit on the Great Depression and/or the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. However, the book does contain some mild stereotyping of Janey's Mexican American neighbors, the Romeros. Janey also acts out occasionally in a way that would be considered inappropriate by today's standards.

This is a sweet story of a young migrant girl living in California during the 1930s. The author has done a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life, and presenting a believable narrative in a style similar but not exactly like Lois Lenski or Laura Ingalls Wilder. Appropriate for grammar school children or adults, a nice read. Recommended.

A sweet little dust bowl story with nice characters, but not a lot of substance. A happy, fluffy Grapes of Wrath for Kids, if you will.

A 1931 Newbery Honor book, it is quite refreshing to read this tale of a young girl tired and weary of moving with her father and mother from job to job, place to place, with no roots. Janey has one prized possession, a blue willow plate given to her a long time ago.

When I think of all the possessions most American children of today own, I wonder if they an relate to an impoverished girl who is so very proud of just one object.

When the dust bowl hit Texas, Janey's family had to leave. Living in a migrant worker life style, they come upon a shack located in the cotton groves of California. From her travels and loneliness, Janey has a chip on her shoulder. Thus, when a girl whose father also works in the fields befriends Janey, it is difficult for Janey to trust.

Soon the Romero family bonds with Janey and she grows confident, while always knowing the back of her mind that she and her family will be moving along as soon as the cotton crop is finished.

When Janey's mother becomes ill and there is no money for a doctor, Janey seeks a local doctor to help, offering him the willow plate.

This is a tale of poverty, and of making the best of life, a tale of trust and friendship, and a tale of forsaking all when love is involved.

Edit | More

Reminded me of nothing so much as a boy's version of [b:A Little Princess|1253990|A Little Princess|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348607697s/1253990.jpg|1313599]. Of course, there's a pup not a doll, and a tramp rather than a noble, but that's what boys would prefer. The illustrator, previously known to me for his work doing horses for [a:Marguerite Henry|10652|Marguerite Henry|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200683797p2/10652.jpg], captured our young hero's spunk perfectly. An absolutely delightful 'lost classic,' found at a thrift store in Mono County, California - which is probably quite near to the setting of the story.

I highly recommend! I remember reading this as a child. I can see where some of my values were influenced by this book. The illustration by Marjorie Torrey is truly wonderful, which is appropriate since one of the characters is an artist. With these lovely pictures I could easily imagine his work. I would suggest for my Vintage Book Circle except that there is only one copy in our library system. It is really charming.

This is the engaging story of Pony Rivers, a young man who wants to spend his life with horses, and the misunderstood racehorse that he follows from one owner to the next, across the country.

I loved this when I first read it, at age 10 or so, and enjoyed it again on a reread yesterday. This story of love, redemption, and acceptance is suitable for all ages. Recommended.½

One I read as a child. I love happy endings. Vintage Book Circle selection.

This is the story of a girl whose family has been moved to California after the Great Depression. She has one treasured item, a plate belonging to her great grandmother. This plate has a picture of a home on it, one that she has been dreaming of more than anything else. This plate it her hope that gets her through this challenging time.

Why Doris Gates hasn't listservs devoted to her lovely work is beyond me. This tale of Kate, who is an orphan easily as delightful as Anne Shirley, is one I treasure and re-read often. In fact, I'm about due for a re-read of this, my favorite of all the orphan books in the world. The illustrations are simply lovely, the story glows. Kate beats Anne all hollow.

This has the feel of a book written on spec, but still Gates' prowess shines though. It's a formulaic book that somehow never descends into the rote. Becky is a tomboy who learns through experience that sometimes being a girl is an advantage. And she saves the family gold in so gaining this experience. No surprises, but some genuinely warm and sweet moments.