Synopses & Reviews
Elsie is a city girl. She loves the noise of the cobbled streets of Boston. But when her mother dies and her father moves them to the faraway prairies of Nebraska, Elsie hears only the silence, and she feels alone in the wide sea of grass. Her only comfort is her canary, Timmy Tune. But when Timmy flies out the window, Elsie is forced to run after him, into the tall grass of the prairie, where she's finally able to hear the voice of the prairie-beautiful and noisy- and she begins to feel at home.
Jane Yolen and David Small create a remarkable, poetic, vividly rendered book about finding one's place in the world.
Review
"Underwood's simple, understated text. . . combines with Bean's expressive ink-and-watercolors to convey a child's visceral, emotional perspective on a long-distance move."
and#8212;Booklist, starred review
"Underwoodand#8217;s ultra-succinct verse hits all the emotional marks that go along with a big transitionand#8230;Bean, meanwhile, seems to take the topic to heart by moving in a new direction himself. He does wonderful things with light, starting with a gloomy rain scene and ending with soft, welcoming twilight."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This is a useful depiction of a family's physical move, but the strength is in the emotional journey that's expressed with a raw honesty."
and#8212;Kirkus
"Concisely chosen, two-word phrases accompany the atmospheric illustrations, which aptly portray the youngster's changing emotions and tell the complete story."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"This is a lovely portrayal of a child experiencing change as well as a graceful example of spare storytelling."
and#8212;Bulletin
Synopsis
In the tradition of "Sarah, Plain and Tall" and "The Gardener" comes a remarkable, poetic, vividly rendered book about finding one's place in the world. Full color.
Synopsis
Moving to a new town, new home, and new school is hard. But could the new destination have good surprises of its own? In aand#160;less-than-eighty-word picture book, see how a bad day turns good!
Synopsis
and#8220;Bad truck, bad guy; bad wave, bad bye . . .and#8221; A boy and his family are packing up their old home, and the morning feels scary and sad. But when he arrives at his new home, an evening of good byes awaits: bye to new friends, bye to glowing fireflies, bye to climbing trees. The New York Times bestselling author Deborah Underwood's spare text and the Boston Globeand#8211;Horn Book Award winner Jonathan Bean's lush, layered illustrations perfectly capture the complex emotions of moving day. The child-centric transition from dreary morning to cheerful evening comforts young readers facing big changes of their own.
About the Author
Jane Yolen lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She is the author of over 300 books for young readers and is the recipient of many awards, including the Christopher Medal (twice) and the Golden Kite Award.
David Small lives in southwest Michigan. He is the recipient of such honors as the Caldecott Medal, the Caldecott Honor Medal, two Christopher Medals, and, most recently, a National Book Award nomination for Stitches.