Synopses & Reviews
Littlejim wants his father's love and respect --
more than anything.
Littlejim Houston is the best student in his rural North Carolina school and a tremendous help to his mother and sisters around the family's farm. But that's not good enough for Bigjim, Littlejim's father. He wants his son to cut timber, work in the fields, and hunt, just like he does. When Littlejim enters an essay contest on "What it means to be an American," he hopes to win. Maybe then Bigjim will approve. Set in Appalachia during World War I, this realistic story about family and small-town life introduces a boy young readers will remember for a long, long time.
About the Author
Gloria Houston is the author of numerous books for children, including
My Great-Aunt Arizona, illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb, which was a Smithsonian Treasure, a Family Channel's Best Book, an IRA Teachers' and Children's Choices book, and an NCTE Best Book, among other honors. She also wrote
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, illustrated by Barbara Cooney, which was an annual
Publishers Weekly Bestseller and was named a Best Book of the Decade by the American Library Association. She currently lives in North Carolina.
Thomas B. Allen is the author of numerous history books, including George Washington, Spymaster and Remember Valley Forge. A frequent contributor to Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Military History Quarterly, Military History, Naval History, the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings, and other publications, he lives in Bethesda, Maryland.