Holling's “Keep It Simple” Formula

One of the secrets to Holling’s enduring interest by young people is his simplified vocabulary.  Dr. Seuss — Theodor Geisel — also realized this with his severely truncated lexicon in stories like The Cat in the Hat. 

Holling’s Paddle-to-the-Sea has a Fog Index of 6.9, meaning 91% of everyday words we use are harder.  His Flesch Reading Index score is 75.2, meaning 90% of other vocabulary is harder.  Similarly, only 5% of Holling’s words are “complex.  His word choices have just 1.4 syllables per word.  And, there are just 12.3 words per sentence.

This doesn’t mean Holling wrote down to youngsters or was patronizing.  It does mean a fifth grader can easily pick up a Holling book and understand the story.  Home schooling sources regularly cite Holling’s books for their educational value.  But, to a nine-year-old, Holling is a captivating, comprehensible guide to new worlds. 

(A note of thanks for to E.J. Hirsch, Jr. for What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Fifth Grade Education, from which these statistics are cited.)

Fog Index:	6.9	9% are easier 91% are harder
Flesch Index:	75.2	10% are easier 90% are harder
Flesch-Kincaid Index:	5.8	12% are easier 88% are harder
Complexity (learn more)
Complex Words:	5%	5% have fewer 95% have more
Syllables per Word:	1.4	11% have fewer 89% have more
Words per Sentence:	12.3	24% have fewer 76% have more

Cited by E.J. Hirsch, Jr. for What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Fifth-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series

Minn Is Still Remembered 68 Years Later

 


 

I had a lovely note this week from Barb Langridge, M.Ed.  She’s the Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Howard County Central Library in (I believe) Columbia, Maryland.  She wrote to me asking to reprint a review of Minn of the Mississippi that I posted some time ago on Goodreads.  Equally (or more) important, she moderates a Web site called A Book and a Hug (https://abookandahug.com) devoted to encouraging children’s reading. 

Of course she had my permission, and you can read my review at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/178760.Minn_of_the_Mississippi.  Back in 2012, one of our followers here, Brad Fisher,  also posted his memories of Minn. And, you can read Ms. Langridge’s posting too at https://abookandahug.com/minn-of-the-mississippi/.

 
If I can make a recommendation, Holling’s book, written in 1951, is still available at online booksellers and would be a wonderful gift to any child around the ages of 9 to 12.  Or to anyone who is young at heart and curious about the world.

 

The World Comes to Your Livingroom

It’s curious that I continue to see references to and receive e-mails from people who use Holling’s works in home-schooling their children. Theirs is more than just a bucolic trip through a naturalistic world; they focus on the wealth of information Holling’s books that include: science, history, geography, writing, and more.  And their children are richer for the exposure.

Kim, a Chicago native and creator of the blogsite, 730 Sage Street (https://www.730sagestreet.com/holling-c-holling-books-teach-geography-literature-nature-studies)/, says, “Holling C. Holling books are like a banana split of books: literature, geography, history, nature study, travelogue, and all topped with great illustrations. For homeschoolers, his books can be a spine for many subjects, or the basis for a unit study. Even if you do nothing else, you should read [Holling’s books], because your family will enjoy them.”  

Kim begins, “We started with Pagoo, the story of a hermit crab, because we had a bit of a hermit crab obsession going on.  I really didn’t have an idea of how good the book would be.  Pagoo follows the life of a hermit crab from birth through adulthood in a tide pool.  Readers will learn so much about marine life in this book.

“Similarly, Minn of the Mississippi follows the life of a snapping turtle as she travels down the entire length of the Mississippi River.  The book delves into the geology and history of the river as well as the animals that inhabit it.  He also explains how humans interact with and have changed the river.”

She continues that the next three books feature  inanimate objects as the main characters, “which is an interesting change in children’s literature:” Paddle-to-the-Sea, Seabird, and .Tree in the Trail.

.One of her resources is from the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), Geography Based Writing Lessons.  She hails it as a source for writing assignments. “We were very happy with it; it solidified the skills learned with IEW Level A, without being boring,” she reports.

Holling’s books can be a “launchpad for science and nature studies.”  They can also revive a world that’s becoming more distant as we thrash our way into the modern age.