Taking Charge

I read this book for a review in a preschool education class, and here are my thoughts on it.This book seems to be appropriate for preschoolers because it is told on their level, and relates to things that they would find interesting, such as providing a template for the doll that Amanda makes for her brother. There are many activities that could come out of this book, like making butter or biscuits and the dolls that baby Nathan gets. It shows that asking for help is not a bad thing, because sometimes you just can't do everything alone. This book does have some stereotypes in it, but they are appropriate in the setting of the nineteenth century. When her mother goes on a trip, Amanda gets to take over the so-called women's work of cooking, cleaning, sewing, washing, and childcare. But even that could be used in a classroom because of the comparisons that could be made between life today and life a hundred and fifty years ago. For example, questions about whom does the cooking in each child's house, the mother or the father? And so on, through out the entire list of chores. I think that this is a good book because it shows children of a different time struggling with the same problems that face children today, mainly the question of when one should ask for help, which is a concept that many preschoolers need help with.One should note that since this book is a continuation of a series of books about this particular family, it could become confusing to people if the previous books have not been read first. If you are using this book in a classroom, I would sugest that it might be best to read the books to the students in order, so that they understand what has gone on before with Amanda's family.