Five Pennies: A Prairie Boy's Story

by Irene Morck

From the trips to the general store to battles with bedbugs and falling cows, Five Pennies brings to life the experiences of a boy growing up in the early west. Filled with details about pioneer life, each story gives insight into the difficulties, challenges, and joys faced by families building a new home on a rugged, new land. Young Archie's observations offer a different perspective on that life, one tinged by a child's wonder and sense of adventure. These heartwarming stories about Christmas pageants, starting school, summer jobs, and the exciting potential of owning five pennies were told to author Irene Morck by her father. She has captured the spirit and humour of his memories and brought them together in this entertaining collection.

Genres: Nonfiction

164 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 1999

About the author

Irene Morck was born in St. John, New Brunswick. She has lived in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the Caribbean. Her B.Sc. (Honours in Biochemistry) is from the University of Alberta; her teaching certificate from the University of Calgary. Irene taught science at boys' schools in Barbados and Jamaica. She did two years of biochemistry research at the University of the West Indies.

Irene now lives with her husband, Mogens Nielsen, on their farm near Spruce View, Alberta, where they raise hay and grain. Irene is also involved in substitute teaching and freelance photography--she has sold photos for travel posters, magazines, and calendars. Irene and Mogens love trail riding their mules in the mountains, traveling, learning Spanish, snorkeling, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Minutes later:

A great perspective on life growing up in the early 1900's on the Canadian prairies starting in the middle of WW1 and ending just after the Great Depression.

And like many of the books from my Grandmother. Perspective is absolutely the key word here and is probably the most valuable part of the story told here.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read of how it was back in the 1920's !!

[Jenna Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book! It's told from the point of view of Irene Morck's father, Archie, and what it was like to be a young boy growing up on the prairies. I've met Irene a few times, and she's just a wonderful lady. The book opens with an extremely memorable story of "falling cows" - cows that were falling through the roof of the family's barn as they were looking for straw. It continues on from there, detailing the Morck's move from Saskatchewan to Alberta, how they had to clear acres and acres of land of trees, roots and rocks on their new farm. It covers the births and deaths, the tragedies and triumphs of a pioneer family. Dickson, Alberta is close to where my family lives, and the general store, now immortalized as the Dickson Store Museum, is a place that I've been to many, many times. I highly recommend this book!

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

While some of the stories were compelling or had potential to really speak to the human condition, this wasn't the right format. The snippets were brief, often disjointed, and this ruined any sort of flow or growth. I think I would have absolutely loved the book if it were written in a different style.

[ML · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories. I felt I was truly there.

[Inger]

It is an interesting and enjoyable read, that gives an idea of how pioneer families lived in Canada.