From: Jonathan Hunt <jhunt24>
Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 15:11:16 +0000

Nancy wrote, "It's important to convey to children what effect the large events of history have on all of us "little" people, and fiction can do that very well by showing the emotional and practical impact historical events have on ordinary folks."

What about the little events of history? What about the historical fiction that doesn't illuminate the large events of history? Is this second class historical fiction? Because it doesn't have the same "educational value" as first class historical fiction? What about books set in the recent past of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, books that often have a semi-autobiographical feel, such as the books of Ruth White or Kimberly Holt Willis? Or even titles like THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM-63 or Richard Peck's Grandma Dowdel books. We read these stories primarily for enjoyment; any education we might derive is secondary.

As I said, I usually use informational books to learn about history. What draws me to historical fiction is setting and voice. I would consider all the aforementioned books just as good as any large event historical fiction because of the evocative settings and strong narrative voices.

Jonathan

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Received on Wed 12 May 2004 10:11:16 AM CDT