very good - Katrina

This is an easy early chapter book from the I CAN READ Books series focused on history. It tells a simple story about a boy wishing to send a letter to his Pa, during the California Gold Rush Days asking him to come home for Christmas. A winter snowstorm covering the Sierra Nevada Mountains is stopping all mail delivery, until John Thompson comes to the rescue. The book tells how he and Danny make skis to help John deliver the mail. A nice simple history story for an emerging reader. The author's note also gives informative historical information.

This is an easy chapter book. It is based on the true story of John Thompson. He would cross the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter on skis to deliver mail to the people on either side. He completed this dangerous journey many times and even saved some peoples lives. This book tells a fictional account of one of the times when he made the journey. ( )

The old expression about postal carriers "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" just might refer to the real historical figure, John Thompson. In "Snowshoe Thompson", author Nancy Smiler Levinson tells the story of Danny, a Placerville boy who is devastated because his letter to his father in Nevada will not make it before spring. The impassable snows of the Sierra Nevada have closed the route. Norwegian immigrant, Snowshoe Thompson comes to the rescue with his skis (previously unknown in the area). In the author's note, Levinson writes that the real John Thompson would sometimes brave storms, wild animals, and lack of shelter to deliver bags of mail that would sometimes weigh as much as 100 pounds. Joan Sandin's charming illustrations will probably be examined closely as students read this text about an early pioneer in California. ( )

Genre: realistic fiction
Critique of Genre: This is a cute example of realistic fiction because a little boy desperately wants to get a letter to his father in Nevada, but the snow is stopping the mail delivery until spring. Thankfully Mr. Thompson comes to the rescue by making his own skis with the help of the boy and delivers the mail himself.
Setting: The setting is pretty important for this story of a kind hearted man who wants to help a boy deliver a letter to his father. This wouldn't really be as big of a gesture, but in this particular story there is too much snow for the mail to be delivered. However, Mr. Thompson decidedes to help the little boy out by making skis and taking the long journey over the snowy mountain pass to hand deliver the letter.
Media: watercolor ( )