Charley Parkhurst in Children's Books

Rough, Tough Charley by Verla Kay


This 2007 picture book by Verla Kay (illustrated by Adam Gustavson) tells, in verse, the story of stage coach driver, Charley Parkhurst. Only at her death do people discover that Charley was actually a woman. In the mid 1800's, she had to disguise herself in order to do the work that she loved. A time line of facts is included at the end of the book.

  Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan

Of course, astute readers of Riding Freedom (1999) by Pam Munoz Ryan (illustrated by Brian Selznick), a chapter book for children, will know from the cover illustration of Charley with her eye patch, that the two books are about the same person. My favorite illustration is the one of Charley looking at herself in the water barrel. Selznick conveys reality, yearning, and sorrow in that one evocative illustration.

The two would make a great pairing to share with students in grades 4-6 as they are based on the same real person and focus on an interesting time in America's history. Anyone can appreciate the hard work and dedication in Charley's life.

Louisa May Alcott, A Personal Biography by Susan Cheever

Visit the local library for a copy of this interesting work on the author of Little Women. Cheever has obviously done her homework and even points out errors in previous works. She has visited the locales and read the books. This biography of Louisa May Alcott may become a new favorite as it so often breathes life into the traditional timeline, historical chronicle, born-wrote-died type of biography. It's 813.4, not 921, for purists.

You have to love a book that asks the questions that readers really wonder about...like on page 173 where Cheever asks, "Are we doing our subjects a favor when we transpose them into the modern world? Do we really understand them better by imposing our own patterns of knowledge onto them?" This comes in a section about Alcott's physical and/or mental tribulations and whether modern readers can really diagnose past ailments based on what we know now by reading an author's work and personal documents. On page 47, Cheever notes that looking at both art and life is now thought to important in studying fiction. But, is it important? Is what we surmise true? Great questions for a book group discussion!

Cheever also looks at different times in Alcott's life and discusses what we know. For instance, she talks about Berry Brazelton work analyzing modern expectations of girl's behavior and describes the expectations in 1845. (page 81) This is a fascinating way to think about a person and the times in which she lived and the times in which we live ourselves.

On page 32, Cheever has described the life of the Alcott family and mentions that Louisa, in her journals, was entirely loyal to her father. Apparently, Louisa never spoke ill of him either. But, as Cheever summarizes, "As a writer, she expressed her feelings in a far more effective and literary way. She left him out of her masterpiece."

I loved the paragraph about writing as a craft on page 181, too. Good writers write all the time. They can't pick the day that will showcase their best work and only write then. Great advice!

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan

An English girl in 1918 India, Rosalind, seeks to find her own adventure. Billed as a YA novel, readers will not be disappointed as this plucky teen explores the bazaar and saves an Indian baby and learns about Gandhi and English/Indian patriotism and what it means to be free. When she is sent "home" to England, her time with two aunts changes both her life and theirs. Small acts of courage indeed change the whole world in this well written historical fiction.