Children’s Book Rec: How One Woman Made a Difference
Hello everyone!
I am so excited for today’s post. You may have noticed that I have mainly reviewed books for middle grade through YA. Today I’m expanding on this age range with a review of a beautiful picture book titled Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin.
Perhaps one of the most celebrated writers of all time is the legendary storyteller, Charles Dickens. He wrote some of the world’s most famous novels including Oliver Twist and Great Expectations. These books are read all over the world. They line bookshelves in personal libraries, are displayed in stores, and are loved by millions.
Dear Mr. Dickens touches a more sensitive subject, one that many people might not know about.
A young Jewish woman named Eliza Davis adored Charles Dickens novels. She read each one as they were released and anxiously anticipated each upcoming release. However, when she read Oliver Twist, she was saddened by the realization that the portrayal of Jewish people in his book was not realistic. If you are familiar with the novel, you might recognize the name Fagin. In it, Fagin was Jewish. There were many harsh adjectives describing him, and his actions were not good ones.
Perhaps one of the things that hit Eliza the most was that the author never actually really called Fagin by his name. All he called him was ‘the jew.’ Sickened by this, Eliza sat down and decided to try to change the way he thought of her people.
This woman sat down to write one of the most famous authors a letter.
When she finally received a letter back, she opened it with bated breath, only to find that Charles Dickens had attempted to justify his wrongdoings.
The rest of the book follows the rest of Eliza and Dickens’ exchange. Eliza is a strong-willed and determined woman and she refuses to back down, continuing to write him letters.
I don’t want to spoil this story’s ending, so I’m going to stop here!
But what amazed me the most was that all this was put into a short children’s picture book. This little book sends a powerful message to readers of all ages and would be an incredible addition to any personal library!
Another thing I wanted to mention is that the illustrations are gorgeous. Illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe, each page contains colorful, full-page pictures that are sure to delight any young reader in your life!
The Bookish Queen’s one month anniversary!
Today the Bookish Queen is celebrating its one-month anniversary! When the Bookish Queen first went launched August 3rd, I had no idea what to expect. The fact that it has done so well amazes me and I am so grateful for all my readers!
What’s next?
For those of you wondering what’s coming next to the Bookish Queen, I am continuing with book reviews, recommendations, and more!
Next month is Halloween. Through October I will be contributing book reviews that I think are great Halloween reads! These will not necessarily be in the horror genre, but some might have a creepy setting to them.
Previous posts to check out!
Ella Enchanted: A Story of Magic and Inspiration
Calling All Fans of Historical Fiction!
“Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?”
Add an Amish Romance novel to your TBR pile!
Back to school reads for Middle Schoolers
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