Synopses & Reviews
With the sure touch she brought to the beloved Newbery Medal winner
Sarah, Plain and Tall, in
Kindred Souls Patricia MacLachlan guides children into the understanding that death is a natural part of life.
Ten-year-old Jake has always been close to his grandfather Billy—so close that Jakes mother calls them kindred souls. Each morning, Jake and Billy take a walk around the family farm. Billy often tells Jake stories of living in a sod house on the prairie.
When Billy goes into the hospital, Jake decides the best gift he can give his beloved grandfather is a sod house. Billy moves to the sod house when he leaves the hospital and spends his last days living there.
Review
“Its rare to find a childrens book that deals so well with death as part of life, offering kids an effective approach to coping with sadness that incorporates humor, love and joy.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“MacLachlan handles a familiar theme with grace, providing a lens into an uncanny intergenerational bond, as well as the kindness and generosity of love.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“An intense, rewarding read.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“These are time-sculpted themes-the bond between a child and a grandparent, a childs first experience of death, the comfort of continuity and connection to the natural worldand MacLachlan gives them her particular stamp of plain speaking and poetry.” The Horn Book
Review
“The quiet rhythms of the story and the gentle banter of the dialogue make this an ideal group read aloud, but plenty of young readers will simply find it the perfect book to curl up with on their own.” Bulletin of the Center for Children & #8217;s Books (starred review)
Synopsis
Jakes grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is eighty-eight years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake knows that everything will go on as always. But theres one thing Billy wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him this one special thing?
From beloved author Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about what we do for the ones we love, and how the bonds that hold us together also allow us to let each other go.
About the Author
Patricia MacLachlan is the celebrated author of many beloved books for young readers, including
Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal. Her picture books include
Who Loves Me?,
Three Names,
What You Know First, and
Before You Came. She lives with her husband and two border terriers in Williamsburg, Massachusetts.
Emily MacLachlan Charest lives with her husband, her children, Sofia and Nicholas, two dogs, and one oversized cat, Romeo, who thinks he's a dog. She works with young children. She is the coauthor of Bittle, Painting the Wind, Once I Ate a Pie, and other books. She lives in Massachusetts.
Barry Moser is the prizewinning illustrator and designer of more than three hundred books for children and adults. He is widely celebrated for his dramatic wood engravings for the only twentieth-century edition of the entire King James Bible illustrated by a single artist. He lives in western Massachusetts.