Is Jesus in the Old Testament?

Duguid, Iain M. Is Jesus in the Old Testament? (Basics of the Faith) Louisville: P & R Publishing, 2013.

Duguid offers a short introduction to the topic of Christ in the Old Testament. Instead of focusing on specific Old Testament passages which are about Christ or show His presence in the Old Testament, he approaches it from a more overview approach and cites numerous New Testament Scriptures to make his points. Our pastor is currently in the midst of a series which is an overview of every book in the Bible. In each Old Testament book we have covered, he has had a section to show Christ in that particular book and points us to specific passages. I think I prefer our pastor's approach to the topic. This is a good introduction, but a book of 40 pages is just not going to be able to adequately address the topic. This review is based on an electronic galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Civil War Cooking

Today we will look at a pair of books on foods of Civil War soldiers.

Dosier, Susan. Civil War Cooking: The Confederacy. Mankato, Minn.: Blue Earth Books, 2000.

A look at the Civil War and foods that Confederate soldiers might have eaten. All recipes have been modernized for today's readers, using appliances such as microwaves.  Still, I think that having children try their hands at making dishes such as hardtack, peanut brittle, and hoppin' john could be a good experience for budding genealogists as they try to understand what the Civil War might have been like for their Confederate ancestor.

Dosier, Susan. Civil War Cooking: The Union. Mankato, Minn.: Blue Earth Books, 2000.

A look at the Civil War and foods that Union soldiers might have eaten. All recipes have been modernized for today's readers, using appliances such as microwaves.  Having children try their hands at making dishes such as johnnycakes, Navy bean soup, and gingerbread cookies will enable them to understand the types of foods that their Union soldier may have encountered during his service. The author probably painted too rosy of a picture of the Union soldiers as she seemed to lead her readers to believe that the Union soldiers never took food (plant or animal) from farms without purchasing it.

This is part of the Friday series on children's literature and genealogy.

Sod Houses on the Great Plains

Rounds, Glen. Sod Houses on the Great Plains. New York: Holiday House, 1995.

A very brief look at the sod house that was often the first home for many pioneer families on the frontier of the Great Plains. The author has included some useful information, but the illustrations are not captivating and the ending seemed a bit abrupt.  Still, this book has some value in showing a child whose ancestor may have lived in such a house what the home would have been like.

This is part of the Friday series on children's literature and genealogy.

Apples to Oregon

Hopkinson, Deborah; ill. by Nancy Carpenter. Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (And Children) Across the Plains. New York: Atheneum, 2004.

This well-illustrated story of a girl named Delicious whose family travels from Iowa to Oregon taking along their beloved fruit trees. While the story does mention some of the hardships faced on the trail such as river crossings and mountains, the main focus of the book is on getting the trees across rather than the family. I think my greatest problem with the book is that the father seemingly placed a greater importance on his beloved fruit trees than upon his own family. This would be a good read for a young reader whose ancestors traveled the Oregon Trail, but I'd want to tell the child that his own family cared about the fate of the children making the venture than upon the possessions. The story itself is based in part upon a family that did take trees from their former home to Oregon.

This is part of the Friday series on children's literature and genealogy.

The General Store by Bobbie Kalman

Kalman, Bobbie. The General Store. (Historic Communities.)  New York: Crabtree, 1997.

An informative look at 19th century general store and the work of the store owner and his family. The book contains a glossary at the end. Some of the illustrations were drawings; others were photographs. The quality of them varied. As a genealogist who had an ancestor who ran a general store, I found it fairly accurate according to what my mom told me about her father's stories about his father. The author pointed out that many of the store owners also served as postmasters, and this was accurate in my own ancestor's case.

This is part of the Friday series on children's literature and genealogy.