Mary Smartt, 8/02/09

TOP TEN

Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming and Stacey Dressen-McQueen. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

ISBN: 978-0-37430-922-0

Annotation: Katje lives in post-WWII Europe, where people are freezing and starving to death. But a box from America, and the ones that follow,

change her lives and those of her family and friends.

Age range: 5-6 grades

Media used by illustrator: pastels, pencil, acrylics

Personal Rating: 5Q/4P

Curriculum Usage: useful in an upper elementary European history class

ateater/07-20-09

Fleming, C. (2003). Boxes for Katje, Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen, Melanie Kroupa Books, New York. ISBN: 0-374-30922-1.

Rosie Johnson from Indiana sends Katje Van Stegeran from Olst, Holland a package containing socks, soap, chocolate and a letter from Rosie. An exchange of letters and boxes from America to Holland begins and with each delivery the boxes get bigger and bigger.

 Curriculum Use 

American History:  World War II

European History:  World War II 

The illustrator used “colored pencil, oil pastel and acrylic and was inspired not only by the story itself, but by the fabrics and styles of the period and by research she did through the library in Olst, Holland. The pages in the book duplicate the hand printed letters the girls would have exchanged and add a personal touch to the story.  

Rating:  5Q/3P

MWood

Fleming, C. and Dressen-McQueen, S. (Ills.). (2003). Boxes for Katje. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 0-399-22503-X

Annotation – After World War II the people of a small town in the Netherlands benefit from boxes sent from another town in Indiana, USA.

Media – pencil, oil pastels and acrylics

Rating – 3 Text and 2 Illustrations and 2 Popularity

Comments – The story is based on an actual experience of the author’s mother. She sent a box randomly to Europe as many people did in the United States after World War II. It did end up in Netherlands and to a family with a girl named Katje. Katje’s father wrote back and asked for a few items, since the winter of 1945-1946 was so cold. Soon, the church congregation and other organizations contributed to the effort to send needed supplies to the families of Olst, Netherlands.

Nancy

Boxes for Katje, by Candace Fleming and Stacey Dressen-McQueen, ill. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

ISBN: 978-0374309220.

Annotation: A sweet and uplifting story of generosity and the links forged between countries as the world recovered from the devastation caused by WWII.  

Illustrations: colored pencil, oil pastel, acrylic

4Q/4P

DM 6/13/09