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Plot edit
Set in the Florida in the early 20th century, Strawberry Girl tells the story of Birdie Boyer,
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Background edit
(Has been moved out) Strawberry Girl is the second and best known of Lenski's series of regional books. She wrote them specifically to "present vivid, sympathetic pictures of the real life of different kinds of Americans".[1]: x Lenski approached each book seriously; moving into the communities; sketching the plants, animals, homes and especially the children. She lived with the people she wrote about and listened to their stories, bringing a realism that makes her books unique.[2]: 457 The sketches she made become the basis for her illustrations for the books.
The term Cracker refers to the descendents of Anglo-Saxonk pioneer settlers in early Florida. Lenski said of Strawberry Girl, "My material has been gathered personally from the Crackers themselves... I have visited in Cracker homes." She goes on to say that most of the incidents used in the book come from stories she was told by the people she met, though she may have altered them to fit the plot.[1]
Critical reception edit
Since its publication Strawberry Girl received mixed reviews. In the 1940s the series brought new realism to children's literature. Scenes like ??????? led some reviewers to criticize as "it and the other books in the series as being too grimly realistic."[3]: 248 There were also parents and educators who objected to the slangy dialect Lenski preserved in the book, as well.[3]: 248
Children's literature expert May Hill Arbuthnot said Strawberry Girl contained "grimmer realism than anything since Tom Sawyer".[2]: 457 However, she praises the series' "objective realism and compassion."[2]: 458 The Saturday Review pointed out that "Every incident, every attitude, every word of the dialogue helps to create a picture of the Cracker country and its people, of the pine woods and swamps, of the snakes and alligators".[4]
Strawberry Girl received the 1946 Newbery Medal for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" from the American Library Association.[5] It was also named a Horn Book Fanfare Best Book for 1946.[6]
Editions edit
- First Edition, J. B. Lippincott, 1945;
- Dell Yearling, 1956;
- 60th Anniversary Edition, Harper Trophy, 2005, (revised).
Strawberry Girl is available in braille, large print, and on eBook, as well as CD and MP3.[7]
References edit
- ^ a b Lenski, Lois (1973). Strawberry Girl. Foreward: HarperCollins.
- ^ a b c Arbuthnot, May Hill (1957). Children and Books, Third Edition. Scott, Foresman.
- ^ a b Cech, John (editor) (1983). Dictionary of Literary Biographies: American Writers for Children, 1900-1960 vol. 22. Gale Research.
{{cite book}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ Davis, Mary Gould (October 1945). "Looking for Positive Values". The Saturday Review: 44. Retrieved 012/6/10.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Newbery Awards". Retrieved 5/15/2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Book awards: A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book". LibraryThing. Retrieved 2012/6/10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "All editions for 'Strawberry girl'". WorldCat2. Retrieved 012/6/10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)