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Friday, January 20, 2017

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Jamie's Turn by Jamie DeWitt, a book review

Winner of the Raintree 'Publish a Book Contest' in 1984, Jamie DeWitt (with the help of his teacher Lonnie Miller, wrote Jamie's Turn. The winner got his story published and won some money. Jamie used some of his winnings to buy some heifers for his family dairy.

I love this book! It's a story of a boy becoming a man sooner than most by way of a courageous act and then daily doing what needed to be done. Isn't that one of the most important characteristics of a good man? Doing what needs to be done for the good of family and sometimes more. This is especially valiant when that doing takes them away from things they might rather do.

Honestly, it's a character trait important for any and all adults to cultivate and seems all too often lacking among many.

One aspect of this story that I really love is how the community came together to help Jamie's family in their time of need. I believe most people want to help others. They just don't know how. So it's wonderful to read a children's picture book in which this is a part!

Julie Brinckloe illustrated this book. Her illustrations are good. My younger children didn't necessarily love the pictures, though, because the colors are muted and very homogeneous. However, I enjoyed them a great deal. They definitely support and expand the text, which is a primary function of illustrations in children's picture books. I especially like the illustration showing how the community helped when Jamie's family needed it!

I definitely recommend this book. Good lessons for all herein.

Have you read Jamie's Turn? What did you think of it?

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