Reviews for Sophia's Gift
US REVIEW OF BOOKS
“For a moment, war was forgotten. The whole room seemed to smile.”
− recommended by Joslyn Vann with permission from US Review of Books
https://www.theusreview.com/reviews-1/Sophias-Gift-by-Karen-B-Kurtz.html
Midwest Book Review
Sophia’s Gift is archived until 2028 at
www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/nov_22htm#Picturebook
https://www.amazon.com/Sophias-Gift-Karen-B-Kurtz/dp/1945190973
Gale Cengage Learning Interactive Series for academic, corporate, and public library systems
Synopsis: Sophia and her mother, Caroline Strauss, bind up the soldier’s wounds and nurse him back to health. When he is well enough to travel, the soldier gives Sophia a china doll she names Grace Darling, after the real British Victorian icon, Grace Horsley Darling. The doll becomes Sophia’s beloved plaything, and still lives on at American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia. Few books provide a glimpse into the daily life of women and children during the American Civil War. Fewer still talk about Jewish Confederates.
Critique: Featuring vivid watercolor spreads, Sophia’s Gift is a picture book for children and Junior Collectors ages 8 to 17, as well as adult enthusiasts of doll collecting, women’s studies, history, military, and antiques. Color photos in Historical Note recall Victorian times. Sophia’s Gift is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, middle school, and community library collections; Civil War History and Jewish History picture book collections for young readers.
Editorial Note 1: Award-winning author Karen B. Kurtz received a Coleman Award from The United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) that empowered her original research into American Civil War dolls with provenance. Karen met the captivating china doll Grace Darling at The American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virgina, while traveling around America documenting these early artifacts. Grace Darling was manufactured in the 1850s by Alt, Beck and Gottschalck in Thuringia, Germany.
Editorial Note 2: Loran Chavez is an award-winning, self-taught artist with representation in several Gulf Coast galleries. Her art is found in collections all over the world.
− with permission from Midwest Book Review
A Gift of Friendship
This children’s book is based on the true story of a little girl’s friendship with an injured Confederate soldier recuperating in her family’s house during the Civil War. Set in Culpeper, Virginia, in 1862, Sophia’s Gift tells the story of how the Strauss family struggles to survive as the Civil War rages around them. Sophia Strauss’s father is captured by Union soldiers and is taken away, leaving her mother to cope with trying to keep their shop open.
Sophia is captivated by a doll that is for sale in the shop. Though the doll is not to be played with, Sophia names her Grace Darling after her favorite story about the iconic real-life Grace Horsley Darling, who helped save nine people shipwrecked in a storm off the coast of England in 1838. Before the injured Confederate soldier returns to the battlefield, he buys the doll for young Sophia as a gift of thanks for her care.
The book ends with a description of Sophia and her mother sewing a dress for Grace Darling out of an old gown in their attic. In 1938 the adult Sophia Strauss Morris donated her childhood doll to the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia, and to this day Grace Darling still wears that handmade dress.
Written by doll researcher and author Karen B. Kurtz and illustrated by Loran Chavez, Sophia’s Gift is a reminder of the inevitable destruction as well as the possible compassion that can occur during a state of war.
− with permission from Maine Antique Digest, Amanda Russell
www.maineantiquedigest.com
“Sophia’s Gift is a heart-warming tale of a young girl who finds comfort during the horrors of the American Civil War in a beautiful china doll that arrives unexpectedly in the family’s shop in 1862 Culpeper, Virginia.
As battles rage nearby, a cease fire is called to remove the wounded from the battlefield. Aid is enlisted from the townspeople. Sophia’s mother tells her to carry all fragile items to her bedroom, and, shortly after, a wounded Confederate soldier is brought to Sophia’s house and placed in her bedroom to recover.
One fragile item that has a place in Sophia’s heart is the china doll she calls Grace Darling. The doll sits in her bedroom, a silent witness to the days that follow, while Sophia keeps the soldier company and helps him recover. He realizes how important this doll is to Sophia, and when he’s ready to leave, he presents her with the gift of Grace Darling to call her very own as a token of appreciation for her many kindnesses.
Sophia’s Gift will pique a young reader’s interest in learning more about the lives of civilians during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and encourage them to see the importance of dolls as constant companions, through the best and worst of times. It shows, even in times of great struggle, kindness to others is a most welcome gift.”
−with permission from Antique DOLL Collector, Monica Bessette
www.antiquedollcollector.com
“Kurtz and Chavez nailed content in Sophia’s Gift; their words and paintings tell the same story. Additionally, Chavez’s illustrations provide more in-depth explanations, imparting a fuller meaning to the story.”
− review by Editor Dorita Mortensen with permission from Doll Castle News
www.dollcastlemagazine.com
“From author Karen B. Kurtz and illustrator Loran Chavez comes this fast-paced picture book that speaks to the universal truths of courage, compassion, and perseverance. Such a message is eternal and will survive any war.”
review by Publisher Jenny Taliadoros with permission from Paperdoll Review
paperdollreview.com
“. . . a glimpse into a challenging time in America and how people endured their situation. Through the china head doll Grace Darling, we are reminded of the true friendships we have with our toys and how they help us through demanding situations. Sophia’s Gift brings Grace Darling, who resides at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia, to life for visitors that see her and compels readers to want to visit her if they have not already done so.”
− review by Editor Linda Holderbaum with permission from DOLL NEWS
www.ufdc.org/doll-news/magazine
“. . . for the very first time, [Karen’s work] speaks to the everyday lives of women and children, not men and battles.”
− Senior Editor, Civil War Times, Weider History Group
− review by Publisher Lee Green with permission from Southern Jewish Life
sjlmag.com
“. . . fascinating story with rich content, vivid language, and lively use of dialogue.”
− Southern Breeze, SCBWI
www.scbwi.org