Callie

by Dave Sargent

A biography of the author's grandmother, which follows her hard life as she raised fourteen children mostly on her own while her husband was away working for the Texas Rangers or fighting in several wars.

140 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

Dave Sargent is a published author of children's books. Dave and his wife Pat are from Prairie Grove, Arkansas and have written over 400 books. Some of their book series include: Saddle Up, stories about horses, Animal Pride, a series about a variety of animals, Feather Tales, stories about birds, and Learn To Read, books containing sight words.

Reviews

[Miranda Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 9 years old, and was in awe of the story I read. I just reread it today, in 2 hours, at the age of 22, still in awe of what I read. This is a beautiful story of the strength of a mother.
The only downside to this book, is that it must be longer. You will crave more depth to the stories and to her life.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating true story. Callie was an amazing woman and had quite the life. I read this book aloud with my 11 year old son. We talked a lot about how many struggles they had and how hard it was for people to survive in a time that was so different from today. I could not have done many of the things that she did. I do wish there were more details and additional information. I had many unanswered questions.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Level One: What did George trade the indian to get Little Dove? George traded Little Dove's father two horses, three bottles of whiskey, four blankets, and a mirror for her.

How many days did they travel before reaching George's small one room cabin? They traveled three days, taking turns riding the only horse before they reached in.

What did George do when he didnt know how to say something in Little Dove's native tounge? He used sign language to make sure his words were lucid.

Level Two: Why would it be the last time Little Dove saw her family? Since George and Little Dove moved to Texas you could assume thats the reason she won't see them again but you could also assume that the government made her family's tribe leave that area.

What happened to Edward when he and Callie left the doctor's house?
The book says that Callie never saw him after she moved to the plantation in Louisiana.

Level Three: Is it ever ok to abandon your morals? In order to save her family Callie has to abandon her morals and sleep with a guy for food and supplies. She only did it for one winter just to get enough food for her family to survive. I believe she did the right this but think that the guy did a terrible thing in making her sleep with him for food.

[Emily Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in my library and Andersonville. It is a simple read. The AR level is 4.9, but it is also deep. I would not be comfortable with a fourth grader checking this book out. It alludes to the main character using her body to feed her family. I would put it at a middle school read for that content. I think that middle school students would have interesting conversations about the life they lived.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love biographies. And this was a good one about a woman married to a Texas Ranger in the late 1800's. It is a quick read.