Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
If you enjoy learning about history through literature then I highly recommend the Heroes of History series from YWAM Publishing. I have written several reviews for YWAM Publishing so when I had the opportunity to review another book from the Heroes of History series; I selected Clara Barton.
The book begins with the early childhood years of Clara Barton. At four years old, Clara walked through snowdrifts to the one-room schoolhouse where she surpassed the other students with her reading level. At eight years old, Clara was sent to boarding school but when her father came for a visit and saw her unhappiness, he scooped her up in his arms and took her home. Back home, while ice skating, Clara’s skates hit a patch of rough ice and the sharp edges of ice had slashed her right knee open and severely scraped the other. Three days after this incident, Clara woke her and her right leg felt like it was on fire. It was swollen and blotchy red. She could barely move. It was the first time the doctor had been called for Clara. She was fascinated with the instruments in his medical bag. After recovery, her brother had an incident and the doctor showed Clara how to care for her patient. After his recovery, and her job as nurse was over, she tutored children who had trouble reading and visited sick people in town.
At seventeen years old, Clara passed her teacher’s examination with flying colors, and began teaching on May 14, 1839. In her panic, she read Matthew 5 until her courage grew and she was able to get the children to work on reading and spelling. In 1842, she took time off to nurse her sister Dolly in her final illness. After Dolly’s death, Clara continued to teach, help at church, and nurse the sick people in town.
When she was thirty-two years old, Clara needed a change, so she moved to Washington DC. One thing led to another and she was offered a job working in the Patent Office for Judge Mason. She was the only permanent woman on staff. On March 4, 1861, the office was closed so employees could witness Abraham Lincoln being sworn in as president. On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Clara didn’t have time to panic, she had wounded soldiers to nurse and she gathered supplies to help her boys – the men of the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment. In February 1862, she took leave from her job at the Patent Office to see her father one last time. After Clara poured her heart out to her father about the war, he encouraged her with these words – “Hold your head up. Soldiers, even the roughest of them, always respect a woman who deserves it.” After her father’s funeral, Clara headed back to Washington DC with one goal in mind – to reach the front lines in the fighting. Known during the Civil War as the “Angel of the Battlefield” Clara Barton risked everything to save countless lives on the frontlines of battle. After the war, Clara organized the American Red Cross and tirelessly dedicated her life to its service. She pressed the point, to adopt the principles of the Red Cross action in peace as well as war. She fought hard to impart this vision to the Red Cross, and she forever shaped its future.
Clara Barton was born on Christmas Day in 1821 and she died on Good Friday in 1912 being ninety-one years old. Once a painfully timid child, Clara was bold as a lion when it came to helping others, whether wayward schoolboys, natural disaster victims, or dying soldiers. Her courage and compassion impacted thousands of people around the globe – black and white, Christian and Muslim, Spanish and American, Confederate and Union.
YWAM Publishing also provides Unit Study Curriculum Guides to accompany the Heroes of History biographies. Each unit study brings to life an individual who powerfully impacted a particular time and place in American history. The Unit Study Curriculum Guide shows the homeschool parent ways to teach each chapter. Key Quotes display quotes and discuss their meaning and relevance to the historical character. Display Corner allows students to collect items from the time and place in which the character lived to create a display. Chapter Questions have your student answer questions for each chapter. Student Explorations are based on your student’s learning style and allow them to complete a project for each chapter. Community Links provide ideas for guest speakers and field trips. Social Studies uses maps and timelines to mark the locations listed in the book and record the list of events on the timeline. Books and Resources provides a collection of books, articles and movies for further study of the Heroes of History character.
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