The Golly Sisters Go West is written by Betsy Byars and illustrated by Sue Truesdell. The wagon is ready. The songs and dances are ready. The horse will not go. As soon as the horse goes, then the adventures begin. The Golly sisters, May-May and Rose, encounter some pretty hilarious adventures as they make their way west. Their story is told in six short stories that will leave you laughing as you turn each page.
The Golly Sisters Go West is one of three books written by Betsy Byars about the hilarious tails of May-May and Rose, two sisters who travel west and have some very hilarious adventures. According to the textbook, Literature and the Child, on page 17, it explains that historical fiction tells a story set in the past; it portrays events that did or could definitely occur. It is made up of stories that take place in a certain time or place in the past. Real historical figures and events can be included in the story. The illustrations throughout this book are line drawings. They were drawn to look very cartoonish which goes along with the funny stories.
The book is recommended for ages 4-8. It is an I Can Read level 3 book so it is written with larger text and fewer, simple words on each page. I would agree with this age. The stories are very easy to read and understand. They are written in a way that children will realize that the sisters are having some very fun adventures. The book would be a good book to include on a unit study about settlers in the old west.
When including this book in a classroom unit, I would recommend the following activities:
1. Have children brainstorm a list of resources they could consult to learn what life was like during this time period. Examples include old newspapers, the Internet, etc. Record responses on chart paper. Use these resources to find
images from this period. Have students pick out on of the pictures and write a fictional story based on the example they find. Make sure the students understand to keep the historical setting accurate.
2. Have students write a seventh adventure to go along with this book. What new adventure would May-May and Rose encounter had their been a seventh chapter to the book.
READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
1. When and where does the story take place?
2. How do you know it takes place then?
3. How do you think the writer knew what life was like during that time period?
4. How do you think the illustrator knew what life was like during that time period? Make this answer differ from question #3.
REFERENCES:
Byars, B. (1985). The golly sisters go west. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2011). Literature and the child. (7th ed. ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth Pub Co.
I Can Read books classroom activity guide. Retrieved from http://www.icanread.com/educators/downloadables/icanreadclassroomguide.pdf
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