- brief retelling of true letters between Charles Dickens and a woman named Eliza Davis
- main theme: prejudice against Jewish people
- Author’s Note in back describes some mistreatment of Jews (mostly segregation) while subtly misrepresenting Christianity
- attractive illustrations help bring the situation to light
Type: picture book
Ages: 4-8
Author: Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Bethany Stancliffe
There are ever so many tangents we could go down, on a very deep level, in discussing the topic of this brief picture book–from rightly calling out prejudices against people groups to the cultural context of the Victorian era to what true Christianity actually is. However, on the surface, keeping this as light as the author did, parents should just be aware of what I’ve noted.
I have yet to read Dickens’ letters, though I have every intent to as he is one of my favorite authors…but this was a unique angle to pull out of them. It will be fascinating to read these exchanges entirely one day (by the way, they are all in the public domain at gutenberg.org). If I find anything pertinent to support or contradict Churnin’s report of their conversations, I’ll update this review!
The main Dickens works referenced in this book are Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. Another picture book biography–on Dickens himself–can be found here.
Happy reading!