Cowboys and Coffin-Makers: One Hundred 19th-century Jobs You Might Have Feared or Fancied (Jobs in History)
Grade 3–6—Short job descriptions, usually one or two per page, are written in an entertaining style and grouped according to headings. The entries range from the expected—"Frontier Jobs" such as storekeeper, farmer, farmer's wife, miller, peddler, and schoolteacher—to the more unusual. "Sweet-Tooth Jobs" include sugar-plantation owner, maple-syrup producer, candy maker, hokey-pokey seller, and dentist. The author considers a variety of economic and social classes, from robber barons to forced laborers and slaves, and acknowledges how locations affect available occupations. She also takes a global view, describing how explorers such as Lewis and Clark benefited from Native people who already lived in the area, as well as early French Canadian and Spanish explorers and tradesmen. Occasional mention is made of on-the-job dangers, but for the most part, a light tone is maintained. The book could be used in social-studies units about the 1800s, the Westward Movement, and comparisons of cities to rural areas. Bright watercolor, cartoon-style illustrations accompany each job description. The characters' expressions and occasional comments inject additional bits of humor into the text. Furthermore, the illustrations are helpful in depicting some jobs with which children may be unfamiliar, such as glassblower, milliner, and rag picker.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.