We like it because it is about a boy who is close in age to Jessie and TJ, and he lives near Martin, KY, where Tim grew up. Joseph Ratliff is a real boy and his family has lived in Stephen's Branch for over 200 years. Joseph tells how his ancestors came through the mountain gap from Virginia, just like Tim's family. I like this book because it explains the ethnic heritage of the people who live exactly where Tim's family lived, so the kids can really relate to it. They described why the Appalachian people are mostly Scotch-Irish, English, and some German, as well as a few who also have Cherokee blood. This is exactly the heritage of Tim's family. The kids asked a lot of questions about their heritage, so that was good.
In this book, the boy and his family live in a dogtrot cabin. So, I asked the kids to tell me what a dogtrot cabin was. Here is their answer in their own words:
Jessie writes:
A dogtrot cabin is like two cabins because there is a small corridor in the middle of the cabin. They call it a dogtrot cabin because dogs use the corridor to get to the front or back yard.
TJ writes:
Well, A Dogtrot cabin is basically 2 cabins that have the same roof on top. And in
the middle of the cabin is where most people put a fireplace to warm up both cabins.
But, in the book that we were reading, the people had a wood-burning stove. Also, where the space is between the 2 cabins is where the dogs go from the front yard to the back yard. That's why it is called a Dogtrot cabin.
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