Caroline and Her Kettle Named Maud

by Miriam E. Mason, Kathleen Voute (Illustrator)

When Caroline Gray's family moved to Michigan with the pioneers, everyone received farewell presents. Caroline received only a shiny copper kettle. Here is the story of how the kettle brought her an exciting adventure and even saved her life.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Historical, Young Adult

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[Cindy aka "The Book Fairy" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another older sentimental childhood book I enjoyed :)

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had two favorite books that my mom read to me as a child. This was one of them. They also happened to be childhood favorites of hers. Is it a bit dated? Yes, it's an old book. A little lacking in PC by today's standards? Sure. It doesn't take away from the excitement I felt hearing and reading this story as a child. I love it (and my other favorite) so much that I found and bought copies of them both. They have a place of honor in my nightstand bookshelf, where only my most treasured stories are kept.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My children and I loved this book! It was just the right amount of excitement combined with historical elements. The book is reminiscent of the Little House books, but in a simpler writing style. The book opened up great discussions about gender roles through history, hard work, and family unity. I was pleased to find this lesser known gem of a book.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many times when I was a kid, and loved it, but I never knew until I got onto GoodReads that there was a sequel. The two books are about a girl living on the frontier, and the adventures she has and the dangers she faces. Great books!

[Eva-Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my word! So much nostalgia. :)

[kendall₊ ⊹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caroline and Her Kettle Named Maud reminded me of The Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski. It was a cute book that was all about Caroline a little girl who just wants a gun like the boys. It was a fun read.

[Melle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin. As a girl, I loved this book. Loved. And I have no effing idea why, because it's about a girl who wants a gun more than anything else in the world; I am staunchly anti-gun and have been since I can remember. This story deals a lot with disappointment, which any child can relate to, but it has so much sexism (girls have to take care of house stuff) and racism (playing "Soldiers and Indians") that I can't wrap my brain around how it came to be such a staple of my girlhood. The protagonist, Caroline, is told if she wears a sunbonnet "to keep away the freckles," she may be beautiful someday. Caroline is given a copper kettle (which she names Maud, Mighty in Battle, as she would name a gun), while all the boys are given guns, and Caroline is admonished to learn to be "a good cook and a fine house keeper." Caroline's arch-nemesis is not any of her family members who tell her these awful things but a cow named the Old Witch. Anyway, part of the family including Caroline and enemy-cow move to the wilds of Michigan, where Caroline is still upset about her lack of gun and ends up in showdowns with both a wolverine and a wolf. Long story short, there is a happy ending involving two guns, no animals being killed, and Caroline getting a beautiful girly picture taken of her with her kettle, her cow, and a black lamb that, as a girl, I remembered being one of my favorite details of the story.

I enjoyed this far more than I ought to have.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten about this book until today when I saw it on the "Nostalgia for the Scholastic Book Club, circa '60's & '70's" Flickr page

See the main page here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jl-incro...

See this book's page here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jl-incro...

I don't remember much about the plot of this story, but I do remember the kick-ass Caroline of the title, a feisty little pioneer girl who names her kettle like the boys name their guns. How cool is that! Damn cool, I say. I'm giving it four stars (even though I don't remember all that much about the book) because it's so damn cool.

[Kim (magicsandwiches) Lawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Caroline's birthday approaches, she fully expects to receive a gun as a present. All the male members of her family receive one, why should she expect otherwise? When she receives a fancy gold-colored kettle instead, Caroline is bitterly disappointed. When her family moves to a rather unsettled and wild part of the country, she is even more disappointed because she cannot hunt wolves like her uncles do. What good is a kettle against wolves?

A cute story about a young girl on the frontier who surprises everyone, even herself, by her pluck and fortitude. A classic story for reading aloud.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's a girl who wants a gun. All her brothers get a gun, but she gets a kettle. In the end...something happens!

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

First chapter book I remember reading as a child. I was mesmerized and loved the spunky heroine Caroline. This is a wonderful children's book. I need to find a copy on eBay and purchase it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book from my childhood that my mother was getting rid of; so I grabbed it and absorbed it into my own library. :D

Caroline fights off a wolverine with a kettle and an angry cow.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found in my stash from 1965 scholastic/ so had to re read/ always remembered loving it and it wa worthy!!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book in a box of discarded library books collected and handed down by my mom. It seemed like the right type and length for my 8-year old, but I pre-read it just to check. As an adult, I enjoyed reading this book! It was very interesting.

Set in the Michigan woods during pioneer times, this fun adventure book has great historical information baked it. It was very similar to Little House on the Prairie in style. I wondered if it was based on a real family. Old-fashioned but fun and interesting for kids.

I assumed this was part of a series like Little House on the Prairie. I was saddened to discover it is a stand-alone book. I did reserve more books by this author from the library.

Initially, I was a little nervous about the direction of the book (written in the 1950s, set in pioneer times) which frequently referenced gender roles. Caroline wants to do the things that the boys do rather than the girl's roles assigned to her. She is frequently being corrected and told that a woman's role is this or that. Also, it struck my modern ears as off-key that Caroline pines for a gun the entire book. But it makes sense in the context of the time period. And it might be good exposure for modern kids to see that guns can be positive. I realized when reading this how much negativity surrounds guns in the modern culture and how much I had unconsciously accepted that view.

In the end, Caroline gets two guns due to her brave actions. She faces a big wolf and defends herself with Maud, the kettle. She traps the wolf and then trades it for two guns. She also is given the freedom to dress as she pleases for a photograph to commemorate the brave act. She chooses her girl-iest dress with ribbons as well as Maud the kettle - instead of the guns. Perhaps symbolizing that she coming to value her feminine side. While still maintaining her prized guns.

One question: Why did the baby uncles (Caroline's uncles who were younger than Caroline) come with her family into the wilderness of Michigan? I understand the uncles old enough to help. They probably wanted adventure and to stake their claims as young men. But wouldn't Caroline's grandparents (the parents of the baby uncles) want to keep their own youngest children at home? Wouldn't Caroline's mother have her own children?

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful--if a bit absurd--little book. A friend recommended it for K, and I wanted to preread it first. There's a brave little girl, a grumpy cow, and a kettle--what more do you need for an adventure? The writing itself is very simple, making it less enjoyable for an adult, but perfect for beginning readers.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute- quick read

[Jazli Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it teaches a girl you don't to have gun to be brave.