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In Times Past
an eBook on CD
by Carol Hurst and Rebecca Otis

Integrating US History with Literature in Grades 3-8.

Enliven your US History curriculum!

Teach US History using great kids books.

More Info

Prairie Songs

by Pam Conrad. (HarperCollins,1985 ISBN 0-06-021337-X) Novel. Grades 5+.
Parts of this book review by Carol Otis Hurst first appeared in Teaching K-8 Magazine.

Review

I like Pam Conrad's Prairie Songs because it shows that, while many settlers adapted to the hardships and beauty of the prairie, some did not. Louisa, like the more familiar Laura Ingalls loves Nebraska and so does her family. But the situation is different for a young doctor who builds a sod house and brings his Philadelphia bride, Emmeline to live there. Emmeline is overwhelmed by the hardships of prairie life. Eventually, it is too much and the woman is driven to madness.

The setting is the Nebraska prairie and the characters are extremely well done as is the portrayal of the time and place. Emmeline is one of the few characters I've found in children's fiction who just couldn't survive in that vast and harsh venue.

Related Areas of Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site

• Grasshopper Summer by Ann Turner
• Dandelions by Eve Bunting
• Araminta's Paint Box by Karen Ackerman

Related Web Sites

• Discovery Channel's Activies and Resources on Prairies:
  http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/prairie/