Butter in the Well: A Scandinavian Woman’s Tale of Life on the Prairie

Written by Linda K. Hubalek

Dedicated to Maja Kajsa Svensson Runneberg, the homesteader who settled the Kansas farm on which the author grew up, this work of historical fiction is written in first person as if the journal of Kajsa, the protagonist. The author carefully researched her life in the late 1800’s in the Smoky Valley of Kansas. Many Swedes emigrated because famine, crop failure and social structure prevented Sweden’s farmers from earning a living. Large numbers of families sold their possessions to buy passage to America; many wound up in Kansas after the Homestead Act of 1862 offered free land to those willing to settle there.

Kajsa and her husband Carl arrived with their infant daughter in 1868. They did not know the language, brought little money, and had no roof over their heads. Brutal winters, hot summers, crop failures, insect plagues, windstorms, and disease claimed many of the settlers’ lives. Kajsa’s story traces her journey, living underground in a sod house, making friends with neighboring Swedes, the arrival and death of family members. As they alternately take steps forward and face calamities, Kajsa enjoys the heights of joy and falls to the depths of despair when Carl is struck and killed by lightning. Time passes slowly, but within the next twenty years, the Smoky Valley will see the rise of churches, schools, towns, and even railroads.

The reader wants to cheer and cry while following Kajsa’s journey. Hubalek says the book is appropriate for ages nine through ninety-nine. Those who have an interest in history, memoirs, or psychology will enjoy the book. Though the plethora of details provided sometimes become tedious, the photographs, maps, and recipes are a pleasant addition. Teachers interested in giving students a unique perspective on Westward expansion will find this book useful.

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Van Gogh Today: Short Stories: How Van Gogh still touches our Daily Lives (Secrets of Van Gogh Book 3)

Written by Kelly Cole Rappleye

I really enjoyed the marriage of a discussion of one of my favorite artists intertwined with stories explaining the influence of this man’s work on the lives of six very different individuals.

For example, Lily Evans is a young girl of twenty who is passionate about both art and her writing, but she cannot find the correct path to channel her passions. A chance visit to Van Gogh’s art show at The Hermitage Museum allows her to view his painting, “The Pink Orchard.” She realizes that Van Gogh never gave up on finding enjoyment in life. Her depression is lifted and her writer’s block removed. Another character named Brett Smith is a wealthy businessman in New York City. Behind the scenes, Brett has just returned from one year of rehabilitation from cocaine and alcohol addiction and is attempting to readjust to his former lifestyle. He is inspired by a friend’s prized possession, Van Gogh’s painting, “The Little Stream,” painted just one year before the artist’s death. Reverend Dan is a minister who works at Juvenile Hall and attempts to give the troubled youth something positive to keep them on the right track. The minister showed them Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” to display an example of the beauty of this world that can be found anywhere, even if one grows up in the ghetto.

Van Gogh is one of the world’s most talented artists, but he never received recognition during his life and spent a large part of it living in poverty and depression. At the same time he was driven to share a positive image of the world around us. Rappleye, in my opinion, has written a unique and inspiring work that shares photographs and insights from Van Gogh’s life and work, while at the same time creating interesting characters who change their lives as a result of his influence.

I recommend this book to tweens, teens and adults who are interested in learning about a gifted artist, and who are also willing to open their minds to exploring the influence of art on our thinking and everyday lives.

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Dinosaurs! A Kids Book About Dinosaurs Fun Facts & Amazing Pictures…..

Written by Alexander G. Michaels

This e book of approximately seventy-five pages is thorough and well organized. Despite a few minor editing and program errors, it provides a treasure trove of information for the young scientist who is a dinosaur enthusiast. The table of contents provides an easy reference guide to access quick facts. I would recommend the book especially for children ages nine and older. Younger children will enjoy the pictures, but may find independent reading a bit difficult.

Michaels explains terminology and moves through the three parts of the Dinosaur Age, Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. He covers the fossils, eggs, food, habits, intelligence, speed and size of sixteen different types of dinosaurs. Michaels devotes a few pages to each type, some commonly known species like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and lesser known species such as Spinosaurus. Each section contains the dinosaur’s name, origin, description, photograph, place of habitat, food sources, size, method of locomotion, and level of intelligence.

The last section of the book discusses the possibilities that caused the extinction of a life group that inhabited the planet Earth for 150 million years. Scientists believe a giant meteor or volcanic eruption are most likely. Either of these would have filled the skies with debris that blotted out the sun and destroyed dinosaur food sources. Highly recommended for anyone who is eager to know more about dinosaurs. It deserves a place on classroom and library reference shelves as a good starting point for research on the topic.

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