Kelly Jo - that is really interesting! My husband's grandmother is also alive and kicking (in her late 80s). She is also sharp as a tack and has some amazing stories - growing up on a Texas farm, no electricity, etc. She remembers when they got electricity and a radio! She remembers listening to a Joe Lewis fight. And like your grandmother she was expected to work on the farm and had little time for leisure. No one knows for sure, but some of us suspect her of being illiterate or at a very low reading level. She's always had someone to take care of her, pay the bills, etc. It's a bit off topic, but she also learned how to cook from a former slave and let me tell you that her fried chicken is the most heavenly/sinful thing I've ever put in my mouth!

Wow, that's so great you have a fabulously vibrant 97-year-old grandma, Kelly Jo! :-) I appreciate her insights, though it is sad to think of having little time to read (and nothing enjoyable when it came to it).

I was wondering that also, Kathryn. There is a big difference today in the way children are viewed, no longer tiny adults, for one. I asked my Grandma (still kicking and sharp as ever at 97 years old) if she remembers reading anything as a kid. She said she didn't have much time to read, with farm work and family care, but she didn't rememember reading anything that she enjoyed.

Absolutely! I would be curious to know if children back in the '20s found these stories absorbing or if it was rather a case of that they were *supposed* to enjoy them?

My thoughts exactly Kathryn. I think these early winners really demonstrate how differently we view children and children's literature these days.

I finally sampled this book. Zzzz... I read the title piece and it was, well, just okay. There's nothing really "wrong" with the style of writing or anything, it's just kind of uninteresting and I don't know why we should CARE about anything that is happening. And, if I'm bored, I imagine kids would be pretty bored, too :-(

That's very cool Sandy! I always go there and read the reviews after I've read the books. I've been keeping my own blog recording my progress with this project and it's been a lot of fun to read all the other viewpoints!

That's me. :-)

Let me know if any of you ever want to write a review there.

Sandy - I just noticed that you're the same Sandy who writes reviews on the Newbery blog I read!

There's a link to the ACPL ranking (which they admit is totally just their group's ideas, but for many books I found it right on target) in my review of Shen here: http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2009...

I gave Shen one star; it's right there with "Daniel Boone", "Amos Fortune", and the "The White Stag" as my least favorite Newbery winners so far.

I've been wondering the same thing Emily. I do think that in the 1920s this was really 'diverse'! So, I guess we have to give the committee some credit there. But then my next thought is wondering what else was out there in terms of children's lit. I'd love to do a comparison. Does anyone know if there is a way to see what else was being published at this time?

I don't think you're being too sensitive, Chandra. That has been really bugging me since the last book. It makes me wonder why the Newbery committee selected these two books. Were they just so excited about a "multicultural" children's book (I use that term loosely, of course) that they didn't think about authenticity or the quality of the writing? And how many more books like this are we going to have to slog through???

And lol Emily - Your name is forgotten too buddy! Funny cuz it's true! ;-)

I'm also REALLY shocked that this made the 48/88 ranking! I'm surprised namely because it reminds me a great deal of the previous winner (Tales from Silver Lands) which seems so unpopular and is out of print. Admittedly, I am finding the writing/story telling flow to be a bit more palatable, but overall it's just not striking me as something super special. And something that I've noticed about both books is that they are both basically by white dudes who visited these countries and supposedly collected these stories. Something about this doesn't sit right with me. And I guess it bothers me that there is little discussion about the origins/cultural context of these stories. What about you guys? Am I being overly sensitive?

Anyway, I'm going to have to look at that list because I'd love to see what books 49 through 88 are!

Glad someone else has noticed the sexism. It shows up right off the bat, too, in the first story, when Chrisman basically dismisses the main character's mother with the line "her name is forgotten." I admit I got a little snotty at that point, and muttered something like, "Well, your name is forgotten too, buddy." I was actually amazed that we got a lead female character at all! It took her 98 pages to finally show up, but still! I'm impressed ;)

I'm not liking it as much as "Tales from Silver Lands", and that's really saying something. At least it's shorter than Finger's collection, but the cutesy names and sexism are more annoying. And I think it's a lot less authentic than Finger's book, which again is pretty bad.

I don't get why other people like it so much - that Allen Co. Public Lib ranking puts it at 48/88. I think that's crazy.

Okay, I started it and so far, so good! It isn't giving me quite the crazy head that Silver Lands was giving me.

I'm dreading this one, too. It took me two months to get through "Smoky the Cowhorse" (the last Newbery I read).

My catch-up plan seems to have hit a bit of a snag, but I do hope to be current with all of you by early October. Soon! :) In the meantime, enjoy!

I got my copy from the library today - it's my first time to check out one of the Newbery books for this challenge. So far, I've either purchased or read online. Funny enough, the copy I checked out is BRAND SPANKIN' NEW - hasn't ever been cracked open! I feel so special! I hope it's better than Silver Lands ;-)

Our selection for this month is the 1926 Award winner Shen of the Sea. It is a collection of Chinese folk tales. I have to admit I was a little disheartened when I discovered that this month's selection was yet another short story collection since I'm still slogging through 1925's short story collection Tales from Silver Lands! But I am *almost* finished with Tales and will move on to Shen very soon.

Anyway, anyone who has already started or plans on reading this is the space to discuss! Can't wait to hear from you all!