A review by emtobiasz
Skunked!: Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet by Jacqueline Kelly

3.0

I haven't read the original middle grade Calpurnia Tate book, [b:The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate|6202556|The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Calpurnia Tate, #1)|Jacqueline Kelly|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437655533s/6202556.jpg|6383049], but I started picking up these first chapter books for my library and decided to read one for myself. I like the protagonist as a young naturalist, her relationship with her brother, the beautiful illustrations, and the idea of the historical Texas setting. I wish that setting (at least the year) had been mentioned explicitly somewhere, even on the back description (I looked at the original book to find it's set in 1899, but this one makes no mention of the actual time). I'm not sure how I feel about the family cook Viola and her use of a very gentle vernacular that I assume means she's African American, although the book never explicitly mentions anyone's race. That feels like the kind of historical detail that, while probably accurate to the time, needs to be addressed more explicitly in a book for young readers. I'm also somewhat disappointed by the lack of characterization of all characters besides Callie and Travis, but that can probably be blamed on the length of the book, its being first in a series (there's three out so far), and it being based on a longer book that has probably done that work. Overall, though, I'm glad to have a historical first chapter book series, particularly one about animals. I love the way love of animals and the desire to be a veterinarian is explicitly linked to nature as a science and not just an obsession with cute baby animals.