This book is a story about an imaginary woman named Queen Vernita who is going to the South for a visit. The Queen is going to be gone for twelve months visiting different areas, and the book is divided into twelve sections. This is an over-sized paperback volume with illustrations that are geared toward children.
The author should be applauded for her effort to educate children about the horrors of slavery. It is also wonderful to highlight different areas of the country and the world that children are not familiar with.
It was a bit baffling that the phrase “the South” was used to describe the Queen’s destination. Normally that term is used in association with a large area, but in this case, it was really just referring to the state of Louisiana.
Only a week’s worth of activities are given for the Queen each month. Since a big part of the book is the one month segments the Queen is spending in each area, only listing one week each time is perplexing. Some of the activities listed appear to be almost the same thing, only using different words for the descriptions.
The book mentions that alligators are almost extinct, yet goes on to say there are over a million of them. Those two statements contradict each other. After doing some research, I discovered that alligators were on the endangered list a few decades ago, but their numbers have come back, and have been for a number of years. This discrepancy makes one wonder about the other statements made in the book.
The picture in the alligator section shows people standing in the water where alligators live, and feeding some by hand. I am concerned that children will draw the conclusion that it is okay to wade in water that is part of an alligator habitat, or to hold out food to one.
Louisiana is a great part of the country for the author to highlight. However, this book seems to be at cross purposes. Some of it reads like a book for leisure reading while other parts read like a textbook. The book’s objective needs to be clarified. The two plantation sections need to be combined, or more facts–that are really different from each other–need to be included in each section. It would be more interesting if areas with facts were less dry, and the Queen’s character had more depth. I have not read other books in this series, so perhaps there is more about the Queen in other volumes. There are lots of interesting things to discover in this area of the country, and some of them can be read about in this 3-star book.
The author for provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest review. I have not been compensated in any other manner.
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