The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

A solid children’s book called The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly, follows the young eleven year old (going on twenty!), Calpurnia, who seeks a life of knowledge and betterment for herself.  The problem is we are in the year 1899, where young girls in the south become women who run the home while their husbands are the breadwinners.  Fortunately for Calpurnia, she has a grandfather who embraces her quest for knowledge of science, great literature, and the desire to have a dream and follow it.  Calpurnia is the only girl in a family of seven. The story begins with Calpurnia seeking to learn more about evolution by going to the library to read Darwin’s legendary book, but the librarian is aghast and tells her she needs her mother’s approval to read the book.  It isn’t until later she learns that her grandfather, who lives with the family, actually has the book in his library and begins taking her under his wing to teach her about all things scientific.  Her grandfather becomes her best friend and teacher.  He provides her the best known books for learning about life.  Of course, Calpurnia’s mother is not happy that she is not focused on being a “lady” and preparing for life’s important skills for woman, sewing, cooking, and finding a husband.  Kelly is able to present a young woman who will help pioneer the movement for women down the road.  She is smart, inquisitive, passionate, and not afraid to have dreams that are ahead of their time.  This is a great book for young girls to read to see a role model in the making.  The story introduces advances at the turn of the century, namely the telephone, and the fact that life will really change in the next century. Her commitment to studying nature and assisting her grandfather with the identification of a new species makes it all worth it for Calpurnia.  Love the relationships the author captures, granddaughter/grandfather, mother/daughter, and sister/brothers.  The author provides a year of change at a critical juncture in our country’s history.  A cute story.