Calamity Jane by Stephen Krensky

Calamity Jane by Stephen Krensky (48 pages; 1 book) #24

Krensky, Stephen (2006). Calamity Jane. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook Press, Inc.

Awards: Eligible for Children’s Choice Award 2006

Grade Level: K-5 grades

Author Credibility: Stephen Krensky reads and researches books on what he wants to write in his nonfiction line. However, he does mention that Calamity Jane has a lot of folklore that followed her throughout her life.

Summary/Response: This book is listed and cataloged as juvenile literature and Krensky states that so many legends followed her throughout her life which leads to some accounts being exaggerated. But overall another western book that shows how women contributed to the founding of the Wild West. Calamity Jane was born Martha Jane Canary in Missouri. She learned to ride and shoot at a young age. Her family moved to Montana in search of a better life. On the trip, Martha would go out and hunt with the men in the group. Once they knew how good of a hunter she was, they carried her hunting with them. Martha Jane found herself in the mining town of Virginia City, Montana which was full of mean gold miners. She got the name Calamity Jane from an army captain she pulled to safety during a battle. Once she was grown she moved to Deadwood, North Dakota. There she met Wild Bill Hickok. They became friends and traded adventures. She later went to work for riding for the pony express. Later when the whole town came down with smallpox, Jane was the only one to nurse them back to health. She left the town later due to the lack of adventure that came with progress.

National Standards: Language: Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
Social Studies: Understands how the industrial revolution, increasing immigration, the rapid expansion of slavery, and the westward movement changed the lives of Americans and led toward regional tensions

Illustrations: I could not find any information on the illustration. It looks like chalk or watercolor paintings.

Access Features: Calamity Jane: A Folklore Legend

Related Texts: Davey Crocket: A Life on the Frontier by Stephen Krensky, Cowboys of the Wild West by Russell Freeman, Black Frontier: A History of African American Heroes in the Old West by Lillian Schlissel, Children of the West by Russell Freeman

Classroom Use: This would be a wonderful addition to Social Studies. I teach Early U.S. History and this would be a great book to show how much women influenced the west.