Summary
Caddie Woodlawn is a tomboy. She and two of her brothers have all sorts of adventures that take place during the Civil War. She is friends with the Indians, she likes to hunt, plow, and do boyish things that her mother doesn't understand. Her father insists to the mom that Caddie is growing up strong and one day she will be interested in womanly things. Before that happens, she learns to repair clocks, helps the Indians escape the wrath of uneasy townspeople, and survives a prairie fire. Caddie finally begins to see the value of womanly things after her cousin comes to visit. When Caddie begins to enjoy some of the things that Annabelle teaches her, her brothers don't want to be left out, so they join her. Caddie's father has a chance to return to England and be the heir to his family's estate. When the family takes a vote, they all decide that they love living in Wisconsin and do not want any other life.
Brink, C. (1990). Caddie Woodlawn. New York: Aladdin Books.
My Impression
Even though this book is historical fiction, it is more about a young girl's adventures being a tomboy. I think that this would be an excellent book to read while studying the Civil War or the American frontier. Students are drawn into the story and learn about the historical aspects almost as a side note. Even though this book was first published in 1935, I think that students today would still enjoy it.
Reviews
Caddie explored fields and forests with her brothers and learned to plough; her sisters helped with household tasks [in Caddie Woodlawn]. The vigorous outdoor life of pioneer Wisconsin in the 60s developed Caddie's courage and independence and a fine loyalty to American ideals.
Ferguson, D. (2010). Review of caddie woodlawn.Children's Literature Review, 149, Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
Brink, Carol Ryrie. Caddie Woodlawn (published in 1935 by MacMillan Publishing Company; republished in 2002 by Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, NY 10020). As this book opens in 1864, Caddie Woodlawn is eleven and a tomboy living with her parents, brothers Tom, Warren, and baby Joe, and sisters Clara, Hetty, and Minnie in the woods of western Wisconsin. She would rather hunt, plow, and play with her brothers in the forest than sew, bake, or learn to keep house. Caddie and her family have adventures involving the circuit riding preacher, pigeons, a battle in the schoolroom, Indians, a “massacree” scare, a scalp belt, and poor cousin Annabelle. Historically, they experience the end of the Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln. Caddie’s father, who had emigrated from England, even gets a letter telling him that he has inherited the family estate back in England. Will the Woodlawns go or stay in Wisconsin?
Based on the true stories which the author’s grandmother told her when Brink was little about her own childhood on the Wisconsin frontier, Caddie Woodlawnis great historical fiction which will help young people understand what life was like for children growing up in the wilderness during the middle 1860s. In fact, Caddie was still alive, at age 82, when the book was published in 1935. It won the Newbery Medal the following year. Brink says that she added a few incidents for the purposes of plot but kept the real background and the characters of the real story in mind. I guess the theme of the book can be summed up by Caddie’s thoughts at the end. “Folks keep growing from one person into another all their lives, and life is just a lot of everyday adventures.” The euphemism “golly” appears rather frequently. Most people will have no problem with that, but some parents might want to know. Otherwise, this is a thoroughly enjoyable chronicle about the simple joys of family and community in an earlier time. There is a sequel, originally named Magical Melons but now sold under the title Caddie Woodlawn’s Family.
Walker, W. (2011, January 08). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbookreview/786166/
Suggestions for Use in Library
- Have a daily read aloud time for a grade level or class.
- Discuss how Native Americans are portrayed in the book:
- Assign specific chapters to different groups of children.
- Ask each group to focus on passages about American Indians in their specific chapter. What words are used to describe them? What tone is conveyed?
- Repeat this exercise for the non-Native characters.
- Compare and contrast the two sets of data.
- Engage the children in conversations about differences in these representations.
- Talk about the period when the book was written.
- Talk about the period itself, and how people thought about American Indians at that time.
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