Summer of the Tree Army: A Civilian Conservation Corps Story

by Gloria Whelan, Kirbi Fagan (Illustrator)

Overview

When young Charlie Brightelot first spies the mysterious barracks in the woods near his home, he's not sure what to think. His father explains that the barracks will soon house young men serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the work relief program to help employ millions of young men during the Great Depression. Not everyone is happy to see these young men and Charlie's father questions their value. But when a fire threatens the forest, Roosevelt's "Tree Army" springs into action.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534179240
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	04/15/2021
Series:	Tales of Young Americans Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	80 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

04/05/2021

A nostalgic storybook feel permeates this meandering historical narrative, which follows white Charlie Brightelot, nine, of northern Michigan, and his summer encounters with the Civilian Conservation Corps, who move into nearby woodland barracks during the Great Depression. Charlie’s bespectacled, sandy blond father doubts the usefulness of President Roosevelt “shipping fellows with no jobs up here from the city.” But after Charlie befriends a white, high school–age CCC member named Luke, the men prove their mettle when a forest fire endangers the woods. Fagan firmly grounds readers in the 1930s, with stylized digital art evoking painted advertisements from the time period. National Book Award winner Whelan utilizes dense prose paragraphs and substantial dialogue, which may put off some readers, but those interested in history will appreciate this gentle, richly contextualized tale. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 7–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-01-13
A fictional look at the Civilian Conservation Corps.

One summer day in the early 1930s, Charlie discovers a set of mysterious buildings in the woods near his family’s northern Michigan home. Charlie’s father informs his son that these are barracks for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, then quickly disparages the group as lazy, stating that they only “eat three meals a day, sleep, and sit around.” Charlie seems unaffected by his father’s opinion and befriends Luke, a teen with the CCC, when he becomes lost in the woods. Charlie’s father changes his opinion when the men battle a forest fire, saving the woods. Stories about the CCC and their work are vanishingly few for this audience, but this effort is so superficial that readers won’t take much away from it. Although some of the CCC’s work is illustrated, more is only referenced by the text in passing. Charlie, Luke, and Charlie’s father—all White, but some Black CCC men are depicted—are but thinly developed and do little to explain the role of the Corps at the time or the impact of their work. Charlie’s father’s suspicion of the program, however, does echo uneasily in our times. A closing author’s note briefly expands on the importance of the Corps and discloses Whelan’s personal connection to it. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Disappointing. (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews