she began to pen little plays
and stories
to make her family laugh out loud.
And when her older brothers
went away
to college and the sea,
Jane sent witty letters
to keep them smiling far
from home."
Happy birthday to this book about the much admired Jane Austen. It is being released today!
It deals mainly with Jane's early life, and offers a look at a young girl not noticed by many. She was rather shy, and often avoided visitors to the family home by hiding. It proved a boon for an aspiring writer. Jane didn't speak with the guests; rather, she listened to their conversations and garnered a great deal of information from her eavesdropping. Her family also provided gist for her writing.
"Jane and her sister, Cassandra, were the only girls in a house
bursting with six boisterous brothers,
plus packs of boys who came to live
and study at her father's boarding school.
It was like growing up inside a story
full of fascinating (and noisy) characters."
Deborah Hopkinson's chatty telling allows her listeners to see clearly how the Austen family lived, and the many joys that inspired Jane's artistic expression. She acted in plays, created costumes and sets, and read, read, read from her father's library. Schooling outside the home was not meant for young ladies of the time. Jane did her own learning. Her father admired her writing and provided notebooks and a writing box, her prized possessions.
Jane wanted her books to be different from what was popular. She wanted readers to see themselves in her writing, and wrote stories about real people ... like herself and her family. When her father sent just one manuscript of three to a publisher, it was rejected. She did not give up. Her persistence paid off and she became a published author, although the books did not carry her name. 200 years later, people are still reading those books ... it is quite a triumph!
Qin Leng fully matches the easy tone of the story with wonderful ink and watercolor artwork. With changing perspectives, readers see realistic depictions of the Austen family, their home, Jane's joy in writing, and her love of learning. Children listening to her story may not recognize her name; but this is a rewarding glimpse into the early life of a writer they may come to know in later life.
Backmatter, includes a timeline, summaries of Austen’s major works, and additional resources. Those who read it to the target audience may just find themselves wanting to know more. That is one of the reasons we share books like this, isn't it?
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