Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters is a 1994 children's book by Patricia McKissack and Frederick McKissack. It is about the preparations and workings around the Christmas season on a slave plantation in 1850s Virginia.
 | |
| Author | Patricia McKissack, Frederick McKissack |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | John Thompson |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's book, Christmas |
| Published | 1994 (Scholastic) |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 68 |
| Awards | 1995 Coretta Scott King Author Award |
| ISBN | 978-0-590-43027-2 |
| OCLC | 26858298 |
Reception edit
Publishers Weekly, reviewing Christmas in the Big House, wrote "This is a book of significant dimension and importance, and could be read at any time of year. The authors also add riddles, rhymes, recipes and copious notes. Rendered in acrylic on board, Thompson's remarkably realistic paintings are charged with emotion and masterfully tie together the book's diverse contents."[1] Kirkus Reviews, on the other hand, wrote "The McKissacks .. have written a strangely romantic view of a pre-emancipation Christmas." and concluded "The line between glorifying aspects of slave culture and seeming to ignore the brute evil of slavery is thin. Unfortunately, the McKissacks have stepped over."[2]
Christmas in the Big House has also been reviewed by Booklist,[3] The Horn Book Magazine,[4] and Library Talk.[5]
Awards edit
- 1994 CCBC Choice[6]
- 1995 Coretta Scott King Book Author Award - winner[7]
- 1995 Orbis Pictus Award - honor[8]
References edit
- ^ "Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters". PWxyz LLC. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ "Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. November 15, 1994. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ "Christmas in the big house, Christmas in the quarters". Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
Some may find this a romanticized picture of slavery, but appended notes provide background information and show the authors' research on the period.
- ^ "Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters". Horn Book Magazine. 71 (1): 68. January 1995. Retrieved February 28, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ "Multicultural". Library Talk. 7 (5): 29. November 1994. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ Kathleen T. Horning; Ginny Moore Kruse; Megan Schliesman (1997). CCBC Choices 1994: Folklore, Mythology and Traditional Literature (PDF). Friends of the CCBC. p. 20. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". ala.org. American Library Association. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ "NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Outstanding Nonfiction for Children 1990-2000 Past Winner" (PDF). ncte.org. National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved February 28, 2017.