Divide, The
Publication Information
Author:  Bedard, Michael	Illustrator:  McCully, Emily
Title:  Divide, The	Date:  1997
Publisher:  Doubleday	City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0-385-32124-4	ISBN, hardback:
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes	ESOL:
Family:   Yes	Young Adult:
Picture:   Yes
General Information:
Book Type(s):    biography and autobiography, historical fiction
HSE Descriptor(s):    language arts - reading| social studies
Summary:
As a young girl in 1893, Willa Cather journeys with her extended family to relocate on the Nebraska prairie. Although unhappy at first, she learns to enjoy her new home as the seasons unfold. The beautiful illustrations are particularly well linked to the text.
Teaching Ideas:
Teachers may want to capitalize on the lush descriptions with a guided imagery strategy or compare the illustrations and textual descriptions. Students may want to research and discuss why the flat prairie is called The Divide since the book does not explain the name. Teachers and students might enjoy reading aloud passages from Cather's novels such as My Antonia or Death Comes for the Archbishop. This book joins Dakota Dugout, The Log Cabin Quilt, Dandelions, and Mississippi Mud in documenting the harsh life pioneers endured as the prairies were settled.
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > relocation, personal History > region > U.S. history > Westward Expansion Literature and Language > figurative language Literature and Language > authors Literature and Language > authors > Cather, Willa

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