Mississippi Mud: Three Prairie Journals

by Ann Turner, Robert J. Blake (Illustrator)

Poems reflecting the points of view of three pioneer children describe their family's journey from Kentucky to Oregon

Genres: Historical Fiction, Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Ann Turner, also known and published as Ann Warren Turner, is a children's author and a poet.
Ann Turner wrote her first story when she was eight years old. It was about a dragon and a dwarf named Puckity. She still uses that story when she talks to students about writing, to show them that they too have stories worth telling.
Turner has always loved to write, but at first she was afraid she couldn't make a living doing it. So she trained to be a teacher instead. After a year of teaching, however, she decided she would rather write books than talk about them in school.
Turner's first children's book was about vultures and was illustrated by her mother. She has written more than 40 books since then, most of them historical picture books. She likes to think of a character in a specific time and place in American history and then tell a story about that character so that readers today can know what it was like to live long ago.
Ann Turner says that stories choose her, rather than the other way around: "I often feel as if I am walking along quietly, minding my own business, when a story creeps up behind me and taps me on the shoulder. 'Tell me, show me, write me!' it whispers in my ear. And if I don't tell that story, it wakes me up in the morning, shakes me out of my favorite afternoon nap, and insists upon being told."

(from: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/mtai...)

Reviews

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mississippi Mud is a collection of fictional free-verse poems by Ann Turner, told from the perspectives of three pioneer siblings traveling west with their family. The poems begin with Amanda, the second oldest, who sees the journey as an adventure, taking in the scenes and experiences with curiosity. From her words and the illustrations, we feel her excitement.

Next is Caleb, the youngest brother who appears to have the most difficulty with saying Goodbye to his old home. He finds comfort (and sorrow) in the animals he meets and loses along the way and through his words we feel the emotion of the travelers.

The collection concludes with poems by Lonnie, the eldest brother, who reminds us of the longing for a home-base so many of the settlers would not see. He keeps peach pits in his pocket to help him stay positive along the journey, helping him remain hopeful for the home and peach orchard that will someday be his.

Although this is a slightly older book and this illustrations don't "pop" like today's literature, the poems and pictures are captivating and gently draw the reader into the world of the covered wagon travelers. I am a fan of poetry anyway but there was just something about these poems that made me want to keep reading. The perspectives are interesting and well-researched and the subject matter just begs to be explored. Overall, this book is one that adults as children would enjoy. It is a great one for lessons related to the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, and pioneers.

[Hannah Dull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
Grade Level: 2-3

This was an interesting approach of poetry. I honestly don't know if the students would catch it at first. I liked how it talked about the journey from different perspectives. This would give different people for the students to relate to as they read it. It was a more difficult read, so giving some guidance would be helpful. I also liked that it had some history in it as well.

[Bix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three children, their family part of a wagon train heading west to Oregon, journal during the trip across the country from Kentucky. Turner's spare, unsentimental verses, set on double-page watercolor illustrations, are filled with vivid imagery that brings the world of this pioneer family to life. This historical fiction picture book will appeal to children from 7 to 13."

SPL Summary: "Poems reflecting the points of view of three pioneer children describe their family's journey from Kentucky to Oregon."

SLJ: "Gr 2-6. To describe this book simply as a collection of poetry would be an injustice. This is historical fiction in the form of verse. The poems portray the feelings, experiences, and observations of three pioneer children in a family leaving a barren farm in Kentucky for the hope of free, rich soil in Oregon. The images Turner creates are stunning... Blake's watercolor illustrations elegantly capture the scenery in warm earth tones with a delightful attention to detail... Some books are breathtaking in every respect. This is one of them."

Booklist: "Gr. 4-8. Turner personalizes the nineteenth-century movement west with plainspoken poems in the voices of ordinary people. This time, the focus is on one family's journey from Kentucky to Oregon, told through the journals kept by the three older children... The poems are printed on Blake's handsome double-page paintings that show the pioneer wagon moving across the prairie in sunlight and shadow, the strong, hopeful people looking out at grass and sky."

[Inger Yoder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how this book is a journal of a family of three traveling across America in their covered wagon. It gives a different perspective from each character about what they are going through. I think this book, or something similar would be a great writing prompt for the students to write as if they were traveling with the family.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:
more artsy feeling than historical but still nice
little house books are still the best on this era