Foto do autor

Geoffrey Scott (2) (1952–)

Autor(a) de Memorial Day

Para outros autores com o nome Geoffrey Scott, veja a página de desambiguação.

3+ Works 84 Membros 3 Reviews

Obras de Geoffrey Scott

Memorial Day (1983) 40 cópias
Labor Day (1982) 30 cópias
Egyptian Boats (1981) 14 cópias

Associated Works

Cricket Magazine, Vol. 5, No. 9, May 1978 (1978) — Contribuinte — 5 cópias

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1952-07-27
Sexo
male

Membros

Resenhas

Celebrated on the last Monday of May, the American holiday of Memorial Day is intended to honor those who have fallen in the nations' wars. This brief and informative children's book traces the history of this holiday, which originated after the Civil War as an occasion known as Decoration Day. The narrative here describes the carnage and loss of human life that occurred during the Civil War, before turning to the aftermath, in the northern states. Here, in the town of Waterloo, New York, a man named Henry C. Welles came up with the idea of a day to honor the fallen by decorating their graves. A similar idea was put forward by General John A. Logan, the head of the Civil War veteran's group, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.R.A.). Eventually the two days were merged, and Decoration Day was observed throughout the northern United States on May 30th. In 1882 the name was changed to Memorial Day, and became a holiday to remember the dead of all of America's wars. Almost a century later, in 1971, President Nixon made it a national holiday...

Having enjoyed author Geoffrey Scott's Labor Day recently - it is the first children's book I have read about that holiday - I was quite interested to see that he had written a similar title about Memorial Day, and I decided to read it as well, even though the day in question is long past for this year. Like Labor Day, Memorial Day is another holiday that doesn't seem to feature in that many children's books, so I am glad to have found this title. The narrative here is informative, and does not shy away from some of the horror of the Civil War - horror that made Decoration Day (and eventually, Memorial Day) particularly meaningful. It's interesting to note that there were originally two different Decoration Days, and that the southern states had a diverse range of similar observances after the Civil War. This last is only briefly touched upon in Scott's narrative, and if I had a criticism to make of the book, it would be that there should have been more information about those observances which, for the South at least, were the precursor to Memorial Day.

Leaving that aside, I found this book both informative and engaging, and appreciated the fact that a portion of it was dedicated to describing how Decoration Day would have been observed, in a small town in 1878. More generally, I appreciated the way in which it highlighted how entwined this holiday is with our national history, something of which many young people today might be unaware. Recommended to anyone looking for children's books - ages six through eight - about Memorial Day.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
AbigailAdams26 | Aug 29, 2020 |
A brief and informative work of non-fiction for young people, this slim volume explains the history of the American holiday of Labor Day, held on the first Monday of September every year, and meant to honor the working people of this country. The holiday originated in New York City, where immigrant laborers from various European nations, unhappy with their working conditions, and missing the various craftsmen's holidays held in their old countries, decided to hold a massive "labor day" for all of the different kinds of workers. The aim was to air labor's grievances, but also to demonstrate pride in their work, and to share that pride with the wider community. That first celebration in 1882 was so successful that soon other cities were copying it, and by 1889 four hundred cities had labor days of their own. By the 1930s, every state in the country celebrated Labor Day...

I enjoyed Labor Day more than I expected to, finding Geoffrey Scott's simple text and Cherie R. Wyman's illustrations, which look to be done in pencil, quite engaging. I sought it out because Labor Day is coming up, and I realized that although I read a great many children's books about various other holidays, I had never picked one up about this holiday. I'm certainly glad that I did, although reading it was somewhat melancholy for me, as an adult, as I was conscious of the ways in which we have backtracked as a society, when it comes to having respect for and pride in our own labor, and respect for other laborers. Union membership has been steadily declining in the states, and I think some (although by no means all) of our recent political bitterness has centered around a growing contempt for blue-collar workers in some sectors. Leaving aside these issues, this is a lovely book to use with young people - ages six through eight, I'd say - in educating them as to the history and meaning of Labor Day.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
AbigailAdams26 | 1 outra resenha | Aug 27, 2020 |
This book is simply an informational tale on Labor day and why is it celebrated. I would use it in my classroom to teach about labor day, to the tune of ages 4-7.
 
Marcado
Christopher_279 | 1 outra resenha | Mar 18, 2017 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
3
Also by
1
Membros
84
Popularidade
#216,911
Avaliação
½ 3.6
Resenhas
3
ISBNs
19
Idiomas
1

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