Calico and Tin Horns: Library Edition

Christiansen, Candace

ISBN 10: 0803711808 ISBN 13: 9780803711808

Publisher: Dial Books, 1992

Synopsis

When the farmers of the Hudson River Valley band together to force their tyrannical landlords to give them the chance to buy the land they have been farming, Hannah joins in to help save her own family's farm.

About this title

Review

Based on a true story of America's early days as a nation, Calico and Tin Horns celebrates the victory of a group of farmers who band together to fight for land that has been promised to them for generations. Told in the voice of Hannah, the young daughter of one of the struggling farm families, this poignant story is not only a triumph of the working man over greedy landowners, but the victory of a brave young girl who saves her family and the land that will eventually become theirs. Beautiful oil paintings lend a sense of reality to this lovely retelling of a slice of American history.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-- A picture book based on Hudson Valley history. A preface explains that after the Revolutionary War, wealthy landowners failed to honor a promise to sell land to the farmers who worked it. After generations of such abuse, the farmers rebelled, and stopped turning over ``harvest rent'' to landowners. Dressed as local Indians in calico with leather masks, they banded together to fight evictions. The daughter of one such farmer, Hannah, who narrates, is curious about but excluded from the secret goings-on at home. Then, while berry-picking one day, she sees the sheriff and his men approaching her farm and manages to warn her family and others. The resulting confrontation is less of a surprise, the farmers finally force the sheriff into meeting their terms, and Hannah is praised by her father. Unfortunately, there are elements here that will puzzle readers. The pacing is erratic, and particularly abrupt at the big fight scene. Although it's easy to speculate, there is no explanation given for why the farmers chose the calico Indian disguise, and references to Native Americans are confusing. The preface doesn't help enough, yet without it, there's insufficient information to make sense out of the story. With supplementary material, the book might be useful for older children. Locker's panoramas don't particularly enliven the text, but do convey the summer beauty of the valley. --Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0803711808
• ISBN 13: 9780803711808
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320
• Illustrator: Locker Thomas