Now the relatives have decided to move out of the state, and they have decided to turn Kate over to the county relief office. Kate has been an orphan as long as she can remember, and has been cared for by various “shiftless” relatives since babyhood.
The Kate of the novel is a likeable girl, flawed enough to be realistic, but with a solid core of goodness which makes her most appealing. Sensible Kate was Gates’ third novel, and it is a pleasant example of children’s literature of its era, with the young heroine facing her rather daunting challenges with good expectations of positive outcomes. Doris Gates gets a pass these are “real” novels no matter how they’re categorized. 189 pages.ĭoris Gates is perhaps best known for her Newbery Award runner-up children’s novel Blue Willow, as well as the widely read Little Vic, both viewed as important early examples of “realistic problem fiction” for young readers, not a genre I am particularly fond of as a rule, but which is perfectly acceptable when the characters and their story are over-emphasized over the “problem”.
My own pretty well grown children are sadly long past the stage of being read to, but I am keeping this one close by both for personal pleasure and perhaps to one day share with as yet theoretical grandchildren. Rumer Godden’s Afterword is a lovingly worded compliment to the author. The stories were selected by Eleanor Farjeon herself, and are deliciously and perfectly illustrated by the one and only Edward Ardizzone. Aimed at the younger crowd, but possibly more suited to real appreciation by adults. A few are slight, gentle and – in the very best sense of the word – childish, but others are rich in their imagery and complexity. 336 pages.Ī collection of twenty-seven delicately written fairy tales. This edition: New York Review Books, 2003. ***** The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon ~ 1955 And the last late reviews from February of 2013.
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