Mother Jones and Her Army of Mill Children by Jonah Winter - ESSENTIAL

Mother Jones and Her Army of Mill Children by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. NON-FICTION/PICTURE BOOK Schwartz and Wade (Random House), 2020. $18.  9780449812914  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL – ESSENTIAL; MS, HS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Mother Jones was an agitator who spoke up against big business.  When Mother Jones saw children laborers who were being treated poorly, worked long hours and starving, she decided to bring it to the world’s attention.  Because newspapers were owned by the rich, they weren’t publishing her stories, so Mother Jones took a group of children and tried to march to see President Theodore Roosevelt.  The march lost steam and President Roosevelt wasn’t there when they arrived, but Mother Jones helped bring laws into place that protected child laborers.  

I read this book with my 10-year-old son and he was completely engaged the entire time. The narrative has phrases such as “diddly squat” and “riled up” that help describe Mother Jones’ emotions and make for a fun read aloud.  I think kids today can’t conceive of the situations these children laborers endured and this book is done so well.  I think it also encourages readers to speak up against injustices.  Fantastic message for all ages.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson