THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE- A Book Review For Children's Literature Class

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kelly, Jacqueline. 2009.  THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE. New York, NY:  Henry Holt & Company.  ISBN 0805088415

PLOT SUMMARY

In the heat of a Texas summer, well before the time of air conditioning, Calpurnia tries to spend as much time floating in the water away from her SIX brothers as possible.  When her older brother gives her a journal to record her observations of nature in, she sets to work.  In the process, her reclusive grandfather notices Calpurnia is a budding scientist and takes her under his wing to tutor her in the art of observation and inquiry. Calpurnia throws herself, body and soul, into this endeavor and is by her grandfather’s side every step of the way as they discover a new species of plant.  Throughout this process, Calpurnia is constantly forced into domestic servitude by her mother to manage such tasks as cooking meals, baking pies, and sewing socks.  Calpurnia undergoes an evolution as the novel progresses.  While she is trapped in the times- 1899 to be exact- her mind is evolving to see that she is odd, and she is able to see the different possibilities for herself- a possibility of a future that is beyond her times.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this unique novel about a young girl growing up in middle Texas at the turn of the century, Kelly creates a believable setting (especially for those of us familiar with the stagnant, heavy weight of a Texas summer), and an endearing character.  Kelly is able to weave history throughout both the daily activities and the special events of the novel.  The entire town is exhilarated when Mr. Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone comes to town, and Kelly explains how the phone worked in the early days.  She also shows the novelty of the automobile and what a breakthrough it was through grandfather’s reaction to it.  Kelly faces the evolution versus creation controversy when Calpurnia tries to check out the book (and she is censored by the librarian- eek!), and deals with the race issues of the time through the character of the family’s quadroon cook, Viola. The entire novel is full of history without ever seeming to try.  Every page teaches something about our history.

The reader is swept up in the discovery Calpurnia makes that she is a scientist- and then horrified with her when she realizes that instead of following her dreams to study at the university, she must get married and raise a family and keep a house.  The modern reader is absolutely horrified by these strict gender roles.   

Kelly tells a beautiful story with such an intriguing plot that you don’t even realize that you are learning history as you read.  It is a beautiful story of hope and growing up in a time that, although not so long ago, is hard to imagine in today’s world.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

·        Newbery Honor Book

·        Bank Street-Josette Frank Award

CONNECTIONS

·        Science cross-curricular activities about adaptation and other evolutionary traits in animals and insects.

·        Censorship lesson

·        Social studies connection to the teaching of Evolution versus Creation in the schools

·        Read further books about Calpurnia Tate in the sequels:  THE CURIOUS WORLD OF CALPURNIA TATE and SKUNKED! CALPURNIA TATE, GIRL VET.

Images taken from www.amazon.com