The Hard-Times Jar

The Hard-Times Jar

Written by Ethel Footman Smothers

Illustrated by John Holyfield

Frances Foster Books, 2003

32 pages

Historical Fiction

            Eight-year-old Emma Turner absolutely loves books.  Her parents are migrant workers, and they cannot afford to buy any extras, including books.  They save money in the hard-times jar, but it is only to be used in the case of emergencies.  Emma makes her own books and treasures them, but she dreams of having a store-bought book.  Emma decides that she will work very hard alongside her parents and add money to the hard-times jar so there will be enough money for extras like a store-bought book.  However, Emma’s plans change when her mom tells her she will be going to school instead of working.  How will Emma ever get a store-bought book if she has to go to school instead of work?  Read The Hard-Times Jar, a story based on the childhood of the author Ethel Footman Smothers, to find out!

            John Holyfield did a beautiful job illustrating this book.  I could not find the medium he used for this book in particular, but in an interview posted on thebrownbookshelf.com, he said his primary medium for all of his artwork is oil paint.  All of his illustrations in this book are displayed on single pages.  His paintings do a great job capturing the time period this story was written about and the culture of Emma’s family.  Each illustration feels warm and inviting, and I really enjoyed looking at them.

            This book could be used in any second through fifth grade classroom in a variety of ways.  It could be used to initiate a compare and contrast activity where the students compare themselves with Emma, showing any similarities or differences.  It could also be used as part of a history lesson about the lives of African American migrant workers during the days of segregation.  Furthermore, this book could be used to teach a character education lesson.  Towards the end of the story, Emma takes two books from school, which she is not supposed to do.  Although she did something wrong, she went back and told her teacher what she did.  This could teach students that even when they do something wrong, they need to tell the truth and do what they can to fix it.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I believe it would make a great addition to any classroom library.