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Reviewed by Suzanne Lieurance

What was it like to be a pioneer? Author Pat McCarthy answers this question by giving young readers a detailed look at the daily life of pioneer children and adults in her new book Heading West: Life with the Pioneers.

This rich and compelling resource includes dozens of firsthand accounts from journals and autobiographies with several illustrations and photos on almost every page. The book is easy for children to read because it provides helpful sidebars and clear captions for all the photos and illustrations. Kids will love the 21 activities that include several easy recipes for foods the pioneers used to make; staples like cornbread and applebutter, as well as special treats like maple snow candy.

The book begins with a timeline of important events during this period and follows with clear explanations of these events and how they each contributed to the westward movement.

Kids will learn that although the life of a pioneer was often isolated and filled with many hardships, in many ways it was not so different from life today. There were regular routines, like school, chores, and church, and fun social events the whole family looked forward to.

This book is the perfect resource for the classroom, the school library, or for homeschooling parents.

Title: Heading West: Life with the Pioneers, 21 Activities
Author: Pat McCarthy
Publisher: Chicago Review Press (August 1, 2009)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
ISBN-10: 1556528094
ISBN-13: 978-1556528095

Just a few more photos from the big game on Tuesday night.

I read on my bed when I could find some quiet. I had three younger siblings so that wasn't always easy. I also loved to sit in my swing hanging from a Redwood tree and read while listening to the chatter of Stellar's Jays...Shari

Katie Hines writes...My favorite place to read was under the covers at night after all the lights in the house were out. I’d always manage to have a flashlight and batteries, and I began then to do what I do now – read until I’m exhausted!

Katie Hines
Children’s author
blog: http://katiehines.blogspot.com/
Coming May 2009 – “Guardian” – middle grade urban fantasy
Summary: Imagine you have made a secret promise that can lead you to the discovery of an incredible treasure and an ancient power. But in order to fulfill that promise, you must defeat an age-old sect that is determined to claim the treasure and power themselves.

From Brenda Pauls Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canada. (just above North Dakota)

The dining room of 27 Havelock Street, Toronto, had a bay window, framed by musty burgundy drapes. Even now, when my nose picks up a musty scent, I am transported to that early time of trembling good stories, in the window seat. Dark wood and glass framed me there, hidden on one side, by the smelly curtains, like a puppet show waiting to begin. Even the smell was part of the mystery. I lounged, propped up with bed pillows, borrowed from upstairs. I gobbled up words on a page with the vigour of white tailed deer, loaping across a hilly field. My mind an impish spider monkey, trapeezing high above winding forrest trails. Sometimes the people walking by, surprised to see me there, would nod and smile. I think they knew about places like my window seat. As I write, I can smell those musty drapes and feel the shiney dark wood under my curious, naked toes, inching along the window frame; the rest of me lost in worlds away. I feel the chill of the window glass against my cheek, cooling the fire of adventure, burning in every cell.

Pat McCarthy adds....When I was a child, my favorite place to read was sitting in an apple tree. I wedged a little board where several branches came together for a seat. I'd sit up there and read for hours and no one knew where I was!
Pat's latest book is Heading West: Life with Pioneers, coming out from Chicago Review Press in August.

Do any of my readers recall an unusual place where you loved to read as a child??

by Pat McCarthy

Have you thought about writing an article for a children’s magazine? Maybe you have an idea, but you’re not sure how to go about it. Here are some tips.

Step One. Choose a topic. It should be something that many children will be interested in. But it should also be something you know about or are interested in learning more about. Animals, sports, famous people, science and how-to articles are all popular choices.

Step Two. Narrow your topic. Concentrate on just one aspect of it. I wanted to write an article about birds. I’d just returned from Florida, so I decided to concentrate on the birds I saw in one place, Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. This was still too broad a topic, so I honed in on how different birds there eat. The article, “Dinner at Ding Darling,” was published by Children’s Digest.

Step Three. Research your article. Use both online resources and books and articles. Editors like a mix of print and Internet sources in a bibliography. Look for interesting little tidbits that will appeal to kids. Find facts with wow appeal and yuck appeal. Kids like the amazing as well as the gross.

Step Four. Organize your research. Jot down the main points you want to make, then go through your notes and plug them into your outline. It doesn’t have to be a formal outline. It just needs to get your thoughts in order. I love outlines. Once my outline is done, the article seems to almost write itself.

Step Five. Write the article. Decide what age you are writing for, then try to keep your writing on that level. Don’t talk down to kids but try to use words that age child would know and understand. Keep your sentences simple and fairly short. Use short paragraphs. Children are intimidated by large blocks of type.

Step Six. Revise and edit your article. To make sure it flows smoothly, read it aloud to yourself. That will enable you to notice the rhythm and to find repeated words. Be very sure there are no errors in spelling or grammar.

Step Seven. Research the markets. Get a copy of Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market or research children’s publishers online. Make sure your article is the right length, for the right age, and on a topic the magazine uses.

Step Eight. Submit your article. Then get busy writing another one.

Sound simple? Try it! With a little work and practice, you can be successful at writing articles for children.

*****************

About the Author: Pat McCarthy is an instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature and the author of over a dozen books for children.

Learn more about her books at her blog. If you have a question about writing for children, e-mail Pat at [email protected]. More resources for children’s writers will soon be up on her blog.

My mother is 90. I can't borrow her car until after 2 PM each day because she is busy gadding about from one social engagement to another. She's got so much energy that, besides all the stuff she does, she walks 3 times each week, jogging suit and all. And she's just waiting for my visit to end so she can plan her next long-distance trip--probably to the Bahamas or something.

Here's the latest British version of her generation of geriatric people with energy to burn.



Wow! These guys make me laugh. And with geriatric1927 getting a quarter million hits on his You Tube videos, you've got to be amazed.