Mary Smith

Mary Smith
by A. U'Ren
5/5 stars
Reviewer: Sue

Summary:
Mary Smith, who lived in London, had a very important job in 1927.  She was the town’s “knocker-up”.  Long before the sun came up she would leave her house with her peashooter and a pocket full of dried peas.  Many people depended on Mary to wake them, and she wouldn’t leave until they came to their window to let her know that she had woken them up with the plinking from her peas hitting their window.  This fun story has a great unexpected ending when Mary’s daughter is still in bed when Mary comes home after her morning rounds.

Review: This is one of my favorite picture books!  It is based on the real Mary Smith who had to wake up the town people.   At the beginning of the book be sure to look at the actual photograph of Mary.  Also the end of the book has a little more of an explanation of the job of the “knocker-up”.  What child can’t imagine the job of shooting dried peas at a window – and getting paid to do it!