The following review was written for the Mark Twain Forum by Connie Ann
Kirk.

~~~~~

BOOK REVIEW

_Mark Twain for Kids: His Life and Times, 21 Activities_. By R. Kent
Rasmussen. Chicago Review Press. Pp. 160. $14.95. ISBN 1-55652-527-3.

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Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by:
Connie Ann Kirk
Author/Independent Scholar

Copyright © 2004 Mark Twain Forum. This review may not be published or
redistributed in any medium without permission.

As the author of _Mark Twain A to Z_ (Facts on File, 1995) and editor of
_Mark Twain's Book for Bad Boys and Girls_ (Contemporary Books, 1995), _The
Quotable Mark Twain_ (Contemporary Books, 1998), and other notable
reference books, R. Kent Rasmussen continues his good work of making facts
and quotes about Mark Twain accessible for a wider audience with the
publication of his latest book, _Mark Twain For Kids: His Life and Times,
21 Activities_.  In this most recent book, the author uses a hands-on
approach to the biography, works, and times of Twain that both educators
and young people will appreciate. The horizontal 8-1/2 by 11-inch paperback
design with colorful cover illustrations invites young people (the book is
recommended for ages nine and up) in to a book that they will find both
informative and entertaining. As the latest of Chicago Review Press's
series of "For Kids" books that include _Shakespeare For Kids_ and _The
Wright Brothers For Kids_, this book will bring a younger audience into
active engagement with one of America's best-loved authors.

The volume is made up of six chapters that follow the course of Twain's
life from his Missouri boyhood to his death and burial at Woodlawn Cemetery
in Elmira, New York. Children are invited to pour over such features as a
time line, family tree, and profusion of photographs, quotations, and many
sidebars that contain information such as mini-biographies of people close
to Twain, a description and photo of his birthplace, and an especially
timely comparison of Harry Potter with Tom Sawyer. A highlight of the book
is the inclusion of 21 arts and crafts, writing and observation activities
spread across the chapters that bring the text alive for visual and tactile
learners. The book concludes with a list of resources that include a
listing of selected books by Twain, websites for further exploration,
places to visit that are important to learning more about Twain's life and
work, as well as an age-appropriate bibliography and index.

Rasmussen's lively text is engaging reading that will capture and keep
young people's attentions. Chapter 1, "Missouri Boyhood," describes
biographical elements such as Twain's birth, family, move to Hannibal,
school days, printing apprenticeship, and the budding author's desire for
travel. Interspersed throughout the chapter are literary echoes of Twain's
boyhood from _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_ and _Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn_. In addition, historical topics such as slavery in Missouri,
nineteenth century health care techniques, and childhood recreation in the
period are also addressed. Activities in this chapter include "Market Your
Own Patent Medicine," "Make a Slate," and "Make Printer's Type."  This
pattern of weaving the biography with literary and historical information
as well as instructions for relevant activities continues throughout the
remaining five chapters: "Life on the Mississippi," "Roughing It in the
West," "Becoming an Author," "Connecticut Yankee," and "At Home and Abroad."

Activities throughout the book include plans to make a paddlewheel boat and
miniature lead line as well as a recipe to bake "Missouri-Fried Corn Pone."
One activity asks young field researchers to chart results of a quick
gender study in "Take the Needle-and-Thread Test" that replicates Judith
Loftus's test of Huck's female disguise in _Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn_. It is a testament to Rasmussen's sound and detailed knowledge of
Twain's work and his sensitivity to passing this knowledge along to younger
readers that he points out the contradictory action of Miles Hendon
performing the same task in _The Prince and the Pauper_. The author
respects the intelligence of his young readers at the same time that his
writing is appropriate to their preference for information acquired through
stories in language they can understand. Writing and observation activities
in the book that teachers and librarians may find useful include: "Capture
Real Human Speech," "Write a Travel Letter," "Invent New Words," "Plan a
Newspaper," "Write Maxims," and others. This attention to Twain's power of
observation, word play, and different kinds of writing works to awaken in
children their own possibilities with language.

The many photographs and illustrations are appropriate and useful for
children and engage them with the text. However, these are all either black
and white archival photographs and pen-and-ink sketches or brown-colored
illustrations from Twain's books or other sources. While these colors
suggest the time period by mimicking nineteenth-century newspapers and
broadsides, a more colorful design to the book might have drawn in more of
the younger children in the targeted age bracket as well as those more
reluctant to read biography, history, and literature. One wonders, for
example, why activity sidebars could not be more colorful or contain
photographs rather than simple drawings. Presumably, printing cost is one
factor along with the choice of period design. This design detail is not
overly significant, however, since the pages are well laid out with
eye-easing white space and a good variety of photographs and drawings.

Another small matter, but perhaps worth mentioning here is that the
publisher may want to consider placing credits with more detailed captions
beneath graphics in this series in the future. For example, on page 72,
True Williams's 1872 pen-and-ink drawing of Twain's first lecture from
_Roughing It_ is simply labeled, similarly to the way it is in the first
edition, "Stage fright."  The sources for all illustrations are mentioned
in the summary of credits on the copyright page of the book. Citing the
sources of artwork and documents directly beneath their captions raises
credibility in non-fiction books for students and enhances their experience
with primary and historical material. Attribution of photographs, artwork,
maps, and so forth as part of captions is becoming more common and useful
in non-fiction books for young people, who are still reluctant to seek out
the information in a long listing of credits elsewhere in the book.
Students are increasingly being asked at earlier grades to use and evaluate
primary source material. Even those in middle school are being asked to
write essay responses to what are commonly called "document-based
questions."  For example, a nineteenth-century American political cartoon
may be presented to the student and the student may be asked to write a
short essay that interprets and evaluates the cartoon in relation to what
she or he has learned about that period of history. This type of essay is
being required in varying degrees in younger grades than ever before in
some schools, and students are taught to look for citation information that
accompanies the document to help them do their work. Though this book is
not intended as a textbook, many of the photos and sketches depicted within
it are more historical, important, and relevant to the story of Mark Twain
than the simple captions beneath them suggest. All of this explanation
aside, this is a small matter that does not take away significantly from
the overall quality of the book as a good resource for young people.

The book is appropriate for a child who is already interested in Mark
Twain, nineteenth-century American history, literature, and/or writing or
who may be enticed to become more interested through a multi-faceted
approach. It is also an excellent educational tool for a school library or
classroom as well where it will be useful for a variety of library
activities and classroom units in language arts, social studies, history,
and art. In _Mark Twain for Kids_, the author has provided a resource for
young people to extend their reading of their favorite Twain novels and
stories into an enjoyable, informative, and age-appropriate consideration
of the author and his times.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:  Connie Ann Kirk is the author of several books for
young people and adults, including the young adult volume recently reviewed
for the Mark Twain Forum, _Mark Twain:  A Biography_ (Greenwood, 2004). She
is a Mark Twain Quarry Farm Research Fellow and a reviewer for the
children's literature review journal, _The Horn Book Guide_. Her new book,
_Companion to American Children's Picture Books_, is forthcoming from
Greenwood Press in 2005.