Bartoletti�s account of the great hunger includes features that make it accessible to readers. There is a Table of Contents which lists the titled chapters and reference features. The Acknowledgements indicate that the author did original research in the country of Ireland, and the Introduction provides a summary and overview of the tragic event. The Conclusion discusses the aftermath of the famine, including specific accounts of how it impacted subsequent generations and Irish culture as a whole. Other access features, that make the book suitable for reference, include a timeline of events, a detailed bibliography and sources list, map of Ireland, and an alphabetical index.
The design of the book enhances its accessibility and contributes to the story�s theme and overall tone. The cover illustration is a pen and ink drawing of a mother and son digging for potatoes, on a dun colored background. The speckled parchment end papers and black and white illustrations suit the somber theme of the book. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from traditional Irish folklore, ballads, or blessings, that preview the contents of the chapter. The chapters have subsections that divide the text into manageable portions, with titles that focus the topic. Illustrations include captions and sources, many of which were publications contemporary to the event. The sketches and reproductions play a powerful part in reinforcing the despair of the story.
The author has written an authoritative, factual account of a significant historic event, that had tremendous worldwide impact. Although grievous loss was unnecessarily suffered, the author never resorts to maudlin storytelling. �Bartoletti avoids sensationalizing and lets the facts and the people speak for themselves.� (Voice of Youth Advocates, December 1, 2001) She has a well established reputation as an award-winning nonfiction writer. The reader is able to synthesize the facts through the personal narratives that are included in the text. The way the famine affected children, in a very real way, is conveyed through Bartoletti�s heartbreaking accounts. �Children suffered worst of all from malnutrition. Many resembled little old men and women, wrinkled and bent. Their bones became so fragile and muscles so weak that they could not walk or talk.� (p. 97) This book has the ability to inspire children to read more detailed accounts of the Irish famine and of its consequences. While it devastated the population of Ireland, it brought a wave of immigrants to America, who have had a powerful cultural, religious, and political influence on our own country.
The social implications of the famine, and the devastating impact of detached political policies, are tragic in the extreme. The connection of cause to effect is given clarity in Bartoletti�s telling of the drama, and complex issues that many adults have trouble coming to terms with are made clear through her narrative. It provides a rare opportunity for children to understand how, in a world of plenty, there are still people dying of starvation. �How could it be that the failure of a single crop could cause such enormous numbers of people to starve, sicken, and die? In explaining how repeated years of blighted crops decimated Ireland's huge subsistence class, Susan Campbell Bartoletti spells out an important lesson. �One of the harsh realities about famine is that it is not about a lack of food; famine is about who has access to food.�� (Horn Book Magazine, January 1, 2002)
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 17 March 05.
Awards for Black Potatoes
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
ALA Notable Books for Children
Golden Kite Award
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
Carolyn W. Field Award
Related Websites
View of the Famine
Digital History�s Irish Potato Famine
Susan Campbell Bartoletti
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY