England Week - The Plague

Finding Nell of Branford Hall was like finding a little jewel. First and foremost, with no draggy parts nor dull characters, it was a pleasure to read. Then I was impressed with how it sprinkled in just a snippet of the Glorious Revolution, the Royal Society and other English history. But of course, the main course here is the plague...

It started with rumors that the dreaded disease was in Amsterdam and would get to England eventually. By the time Nell makes her first visit to London the plague has arrived. While there she has a major transportation problem. Her carriage wheel breaks and when she and an escort go in search of a hackney coach to hire they discover they are in the most disease ridden area of the city. Oh, the sites she sees! Ghastly. With great relief she finally returns to Branford Hall. But alas, the plague arrives in her beloved Branford Village. The villagers concoct a plan to deal with the plague. But will Nell’s dearest friend, Kate, survive?

The one oddity to me is that Nell’s uncle, a doctor, knows with certainty that the disease is spread by fleas. I believe this wasn't figured out until after the fact. But I'll say this, young readers will never again think of the plague without thinking of fleas.

Ages 10 and up
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Activity: Play medieval doctor. Try to diagnose and cure three patients. Read about their symptoms and then decide what treatment to prescribe.

Great Heights Week - Tallest Man

And I thought I stood out like a sore thumb in high school! (I’m 5'10"ish)

My children and I were captivated when we recently read about the tallest man ever in Jennifer Phillips’ book, Robert Wadlow: The Unique Life of the Boy Who Became the World’s Tallest Man. He was the size of an adult by age five and eventually grew to the incredible height of 8'11.1"! You’ll learn of the accommodations he had to make, that an overactive pituitary gland caused his condition and to see Robert, not as an oddity, but as a person—and a likable one at that. A discussion about fitting in with one’s peers would complement this story nicely.

Besides fascinating photographs, the author also includes a fact page, a timeline and thoughtful questions to explore as well as suggested activities.

Ages 9-12
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A review of Stand Straight Ella Kate caught my eye over at the Palnetsme Plan blog recently. This looks like a great choice for all of us tall girls.

Activity: Print out Robert Wadlow’s shoe print and compare it to your own foot size.

SNOW WEEK - 5,000 Year Old Ice Man

TITLE: Frozen Man

AUTHOR: David Getz

WHO WAS WHERE IN THE SNOW? A man, nicknamed Ötzi the Iceman, died in the Italian Alps about 3,300 B.C. His mummified body was discovered by hikers in 1991.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THIS EVENT: This book describes the discovery, recovery and scientific study of a man who met his demise during the copper age, some 5,000 years ago. Many of his personal belongings were recovered as well, including clothes and shoes sewn with amazing skill, a copper ax, a flint knife, a bow and arrows, birch bark baskets, berries, mushrooms, and a fire-starting kit. It is also interesting to note that he bore tattoos.

This book was published in 1996 and at that time it was surmised that Ötzi got caught in an unexpected snow storm and froze to death. In 2001 x-rays and a CT scan were performed on Ötzi and showed that an arrowhead was lodged in his shoulder. It is now believed that this killed him. For children with an interest in the work of medical examiners, I would encourage them to do further research on Ötzi. It is AMAZING the knowledge obtained from these scans as well as from tests on his DNA, his hair, his one existing nail, his teeth and so on. Scientists have pinned down the time of year he died, the contents of his last two meals, where he lived as a child and as an adult, how he spent his time, the fact that he was infertile, that he had intestinal parasites, and that he was sick for about two weeks a couple of months before he died.

Ages 9 to 12
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I have not had the opportunity to read Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past, but see it was published in 2008 and am sure it contains more updated information on Ötzi. It also discusses discoveries of Incan children sacrificed to the gods and the recovered body of George Mallory, who died trying to climb Mt. Everest.

Activity: The Museum in Italy where Ötzi is now on display offers interactive internet activities for children where they can do things like Take a Walk with Ötzi.

SNOW WEEK - Balto to the Rescue

TITLE: The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto

AUTHOR: Natalie Standiford

WHO WAS WHERE IN THE SNOW? Gunnar and his team of dogs led by Balto were living in Nome, Alaska in January of 1925 when two children came down with diphtheria.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THIS EVENT: Diphtheria would surely kill the two sick children and spread to others if the serum could not be brought to Nome from Anchorage, 800 miles away. A train attempted to make the journey with the serum but became stuck in deep snow after traveling 100 miles. It was decided to set up a dog-sled relay. Balto's team was to be the second to last team. They nearly lost the medicine in a snow bank, nearly lost the team in cracking ice, and nearly lost the trail in a blowing snow storm. Then, when there was no sign of the next relay driver, Gunnar drove his exhausted team on to Nome. After being on the trail for 20 hours straight and traveling 53 miles they successfully delivered the serum.

Your child will feel the sense of urgency as he or she reads this Step Into Reading Level 3 book. It’s an inspirational story delightfully told.

Ages 4 to 8
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Activity: Try this Balto word search.

An American Plague

Over at the World Health Organization website there is an article about N1H1. Last year 209 countries reported cases of the disease resulting in 14,142 deaths worldwide. 216 years ago in just one city a third of that number died from another scourge, as chronicled in An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. At that time, the plagued city was the capital of a brand new country. Philadelphia was filled with important people like oh, President George Washington for instance. It was also filled with refugees from Saint-Domingue fleeing the slave uprisings, mounds of rotting coffee, stagnant water and open sewers.

Jim Murphy tells what the streets were like, how the disease began and then spread, how it affected those who succumbed to it and how doctors, government officials and everyday citizens reacted. But perhaps most interesting of all was the significant part played by The Free African Society. Thinking they were immune to the diesease because they were black, they kept the city going when so many deserted it.

This attractive and interesting book is filled with etchings and newspaper articles from those terrible weeks.

Awards: Newbery Honor Book

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Yellow Fever has not been the only killer spread by mosquitoes. Malaria and West Nile Virus and others are too. For $5 an insecticide treated bed net can be supplied to protect a person living in a high risk area. You can make a donation here.

Midwife Crisis

When you wake up homeless, penniless, nameless, cold, hungry and alone in a dung heap I guess it's safe to say there is no where to go but up. That's the situation in which the main character in The Midwife's Apprentice found herself. She eventually names herself Alyce and eventually makes her way in the world, but not before being discovered by the unpleasant village midwife who bestows on her the name Beetle (as in dung beetle), and eeks all the assistance out of her she can. On top of that Alyce is subjected to much belittling and bullying by all manner of villagers.

I really enjoyed two things about this book. One was the metamorphosis of Alyce from a weakling into a confident young woman. And the other was Karen Cushman's portrayal of medieval life. For an older child (heed my warning below) studying the middle ages this will provide interesting reading.

Awards: 1996 Newbery Award Winner

Warning: Contains references to adultery and an unmarried young couple's tryst.

Ages 12 and up
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Activity: Here's your chance to play Medieval Midwife. Can you match the herb to the correct labor symptom and pick the best pre-delivery position for the baby?