From Aldo Leopold Nature Center
Testimonial on the Juliette Kinzie Book Reading & Pioneer Activities Event
“This was SO fun. I wish you would have seen the “Pony Express”. There were literally shrieks of laughter and the horse ran off into the prairie! The kids were still talking about Juliette, the fawn, the Green Bay Packers’ place in history this morning and their parents were excited to see their letters arrived safely at sign-out. : ) Thanks again for taking time out of your schedule to come share your wonderful new book with us! It was great to have you here—please come back soon!” — Nature Center Director
And from the ALNC Blogpost:
“…This year’s participants during the Pioneer program day had an extra special treat when Kathe Crowley Conn, a local author, visited to share her new book about fascinating life of Juliette Kinzie, a pioneer and frontier author who lived in early 1800’s Wisconsin. Juliette Kinzie: Frontier Storyteller, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, follows Juliette’s journey from a comfortable life out east in the early 1800’s to a rugged log cabin in what would later become Wisconsin.
Conn shared passages from her book, painting a vivid picture of Kinzie’s life for the students. Some favorite moments for the audience were when Conn shared the story about Kinzie’s ‘pet’ deer and when she shared a replica letter that Kinzie penned by hand and beautifully folded. The students were encouraged to imagine how they would have felt traveling to pioneer-era Wisconsin, and had many great questions for Conn about Kinzie’s life, hobbies, and legacy. The students then got to try writing letters with feather pens themselves. What a wonderful way to spend the day, exploring and learning about a fascinating character in Wisconsin’s history!”
On Wisconsin Public Radio
Interview with Rob Ferrett, host of “Central Time”
15-minute interview about the life of Juliette Kinzie and her adventures on a frontier that would become Wisconsin and the Midwest. Recorded on April 2, 2015.
From Amazon:
Amazon Editorial Reviews
“Juliette Kinzie: Frontier Storyteller is an interesting, well-written, and meticulously researched book about an American woman few people have heard of. The biography…includes details of 1800’s frontier life, the Indians’ diverse cultures, as well as the struggles between the Whites and Indians. I recommend this book to be purchased by public librarians as well as elementary, middle school, and high school librarians.I was pleased to see the author had included a time line, glossary, index, a Reading Group Guide with Activities, an acknowledgement, and a short book list of Wisconsin Indian Tribes. The words in the glossary are some of the words from the text that appear in bold type.”
(Karen J. McWilliams, http://independentpublisher.com/)
“Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie (September 11, 1806 – September 15, 1870) was an American historian, writer and pioneer of the American Midwest. “Juliette Kinzie: Frontier Storyteller” by Kathe Crowley Conn is part of the Wisconsin Historical Society Press series ‘Badger biographies’ and tells the story of how in 1830, a young woman named Juliette Magill Kinzie moved from her fancy home in Connecticut to a rustic log cabin in what would later be called Wisconsin. Juliette lived there with her husband, John, who worked as an Indian agent at Fort Winnebago, one of Wisconsin’s earliest settlements…. Enhanced with the inclusion of black-and-white historical photos, this deftly written biography is specifically designed for children in grades 4 to 6. Very highly recommended for both school and community library Children’s American Biography collections, it should be noted that “Juliette Kinzie: Frontier Storyteller” is also available in a Kindle edition.”
(James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review, Children’s Bookwatch, April 2015)
Top Reviews from Customers:
Top reviews from the United States
- Sandra A. Jones 5.0 out of 5 stars
- History of Juliette Low family is fantastic. Her grandmother Juliette Kinzie was for sure a …
- Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2015Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
- As a Girl Scout Adult Volunteer and former Staff the History of Juliette Low family is fantastic. Her grandmother Juliette Kinzie was for sure a women ahead of her time. It is a child’s book, but great for adults. More should read this.
- Bobbie Malone 5.0 out of 5 stars
- Engaging Life on the Frontier
- Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2015 Format: Paperback
- Juliette Kinzie was quite an amazing woman in the first half of the 19th century. She was the first non-Indian woman on the then-frontier of Wisconsin to write about her experiences living there in the 1830s, before, during, and immediately after the Black Hawk War. Juliette’s husband, John, was the US Indian agent at Fort Winnebago. His young wife, born into a family of means and raised to be a gracious Connecticut lady, instead had a thirst for adventure, and welcomed a life of challenges. She certainly found them aplenty. The most meaningful aspect of this biography for upper-elementary school readers is the author’s depiction of Juliette’s relationship with the Ho-Chunk women she got to know and her respect for the Native way of life. Much of the material comes directly from Juliette’s memoir, Wau-Bun (“early day” in Ho-Chunk,) and the author has done an excellent job of making Juliette’s life and times on the frontier live again for young readers.