Kitchen

Historic Communities

by Bobbie Kalman

In the old days the kitchen was the center of family activity. Here the settlers ate their meals, played games, and told stories with only the fireplace and a few candles for warmth and light. In The Kitchen, young readers will take a close look at the early fireplace and the tools and utensils surrounding it. Domestic chores carried out in the kitchen are described including: - baking bread - making butter - preserving food - washing clothes

Genres: History, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1990

About the author

Bobbie Kalman (1947 - ) is the award-winning Canadian author of more than 400 non-fiction books.

She established herself as a leading author in children’s non-fiction in the 1980’s and 90’s with two acclaimed series about pioneer life, The Early Settler Life Series (15 titles) and The Historic Communities Series (31 titles), both published by Crabtree Publishing.
She has created many of Crabtree’s most popular series, which also include The Native Nations of North America Series (19 titles), The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series (93 titles), and The Science of Living Things Series (32 titles), among others.

Born in Hungary in 1947, Bobbie and her family escaped to Austria during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. The family spent several weeks there as refugees before immigrating to North America. A former teacher, Bobbie Kalman taught at both the elementary and secondary levels. She also spent several years working as an educational consultant for several publishing companies. Bobbie holds degrees in English, Psychology, and Education. She is married and has four children and three grandchildren.

Although best known for her non-fiction, Bobbie’s newest book is autobiographical. Released in September, 2006, Refugee Child is the account of Bobbie and her family’s escape from Hungary when she was just nine years old. Written to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution in October of 2006, the book is told from the perspective of a young girl.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, detailed look at how busy and dangerous and hard the colonial kitchen was.

[Duane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the subject of this book but I feel that the author left a lot of information missing. Although there are illustrations and photos, I feel that the author just doesn't go far enough into discussing all the equipment and techniques that went into creating the foods that the early settlers did. For the beginner reader this book is fine, but for someone who wants more advanced knowledge, look somewhere else.