Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters #5
Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack
Illustrated by John Thompson
McKissack, Patricia C., and Fredrick L. ( ). Christmas in the big house, Christmas in the quarters.
Grade Level: 4-6
Awards: Coretta Scott King and Orbic Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
Author’s Credibility: The McKissacks have written over twenty books that have won several awards. In the acknowledgment, the McKissacks give thanks to the plantations’ site administrators, owners, curators, event managers, and Giles County Historical Society for all their help and support for this book. They also give a lot of details in the Author’s note about the research during their visits to the many plantations in Virginia.
Summary: The McKissacks used vivid descriptions, historical events, customs, and traditions to compare and contrast how the slaves’ owners celebrated Christmas in the Big House from the slaves in the Quarters in 1859. Each harvest before Christmas both families (slave owners and slaves) would prepare their homes or quarters, for the happy times that the Christmas season would bring. Christmas was the only time that the slaves had enough food and time off to enjoy the food.
Illustrations: This was Thompson’s first full-color children’s picture book. He used acrylic pictures that showed the characters playing, working, singing, and dancing. Thompson visited the James River Plantation as part of his research.
Standards: Social Studies: Integrate, connect, and apply social studies into other subject areas and everyday life (cultures, customs, U.S. history, Civil War, geography)
Access Features: Table of Contents, chapters that were about the titles, acknowledgment, author’s note, looking back feature (author talked about events that would happen in the future), and notes. In the back where the notes session, McKissacks gave many details about unfamiliar vocabulary words and other important events that happened during that time.
Response: I know my students will enjoy the beautiful illustrated pictures because they are big, have lots of details, and are easy to see. This book will work well as a read-aloud with my class. I will use it to compare and contrast the customs and traditions living conditions of the 19th century with our present-day times. I liked how the author used foreshadowing to lead you in the future thinking of both families. The slave owner still believes slavery will be around when he tells his daughter that in ten years she could have her own slave. But, the slave mother knows things are about to change when she tells her son not to runaway, just wait for freedom.
Related Books: Daily Life in a Southern Plantation, Paul Erickson. Life on a Plantation, Bobbie Kalman. Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South, Elizabeth Fox.
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