Call the Midwife – Jennifer Worth
At first glance most people may ask why I am reviewing a tv series however I assure you I am not.
It was during one of the more inconvenient bouts of load shedding (the 18:00 – 22:30 time slot in the middle of winter) while browsing through my mother’s kindle that I discovered the book Call the Midwife and learnt that the tv series of the same name was actually based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth.
Jennifer Worth was a midwife in London’s extremely poor East End of London during the 1950s. A period where there was no contraception, a very high maternal and infant mortality rate and about 800 births a month (yikes).
Sister Jenny Lee (as she calls herself in the book) arrives at Nonnatus House (a convent) in an area populated by the poorest of the poor and through her memories we are able to learn about the (often tragic) lives of the women who inhabit the East End of London). While many of the stories are horrific to contemplate, the book isn’t all doom and gloom and Jennifer balances them with stories that had happy endings along with colourful and light-hearted tales of the nuns and events at the convent.
I found this book most enjoyable and there are tales in here that I remember from the tv series (only as with most shows the details were very different) and others that were completely new to me. Her style of writing is easy to read and to follow and because each chapter follows a different character (with the exception of a couple of follow ones) I found the book very easy to pick up and put down again. I would highly recommend this book (especially if you liked the tv series) and since reading this book I have discovered that she wrote 2 more books about her time in the East End ‘Shadows of the Workhouse’ and ‘Farewell to the East End’ both of which also received critical acclaim.
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; Rep Mti edition (August 29, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143123254
ISBN-13: 978-0143123255
Image courtesy Amazon.com
Ping Pong Pig
On Apple Tree Farm all the animals are busy, all except Ping Pong Pig who is far too busy trying to fly. The illustrations in this book are lovely and will keep both older and younger children captivated as they see what Ping Pong gets up to on the farm. My younger daughter loved making all the animal sounds as we read and although this book is probably aimed at the younger child, my 4 year old also loved following the storyline. A short and sweet book that is perfect for bed time.
Age Range: 3 and up
Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Holiday House (September 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0823421767
ISBN-13: 978-0823421763
Image courtesy Amazon.com