Dandelions

Author:  Eve Bunting, 1995, Harcourt Brace & Co.
Illustrator:  Greg Shed

As Zoe and her family made their way into Nebraska Territory in the 19th century, the promise of new life was evident, but sadness lingered.  They had just left their family in Illinois to move west, lured perhaps by the Homestead Act of 1862.  Mama was pregnant, and she, Zoe, Rebecca, and Papa hitched up the wagon and set off toward a distant, unfamiliar land.  Papa had gone a year earlier to stake their land, and they found his stake amid miles of unsettled territory.  Their closest neighbors were three hours away, and the "town" was even farther.  Mama was depressed about leaving everything she had ever known, and the rest of the family wanted to make it better for her.

So, one day, Zoe and her father left Rebecca and Mama at the neighbors' while they went onto town.  Once, when Zoe looked down, she saw beautiful yellow dandelions, and she convinced Papa to dig them up.  She wanted to take them home to Mama.  When they got home, they planted the dandelions on the roof of their sod house because Mama had been afraid Zoe and Papa wouldn't find their way back.  Now, their home had a beautiful yellow roof, and it symbolized everything about their life:  Some of the flowers might die, but many will take root and prosper.  Just like their family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I can't imagine picking up my family and moving them to unsettled territory, hoping that everything will go well.  This period of time was ripe for settlement west of the Mississippi River, and people were lured by the promise of free land.  The illustrations in this book were beautiful and reminiscent at the same time.  The simplicity of their design encouraged the use of my imagination.  Pick up a copy of this book and make it available to your students.  I'm sure they will enjoy it, too.

Noah's Ark

Illustrator:  Jerry Pinkney, 2002, SeaStar Books

Caldecott Award

The biblical story of Noah's Ark is arguably one of the best-known stories of all time.  God was angered at his people, so he sent a flood to destroy every living creature and plant on earth with the exception of Noah, Noah's wife, sons, sons' wives, and two of every animal.  When the waters finally receded, God sent a rainbow as a covenant that He would never again flood the earth.  It is a story of faith, trust, and deliverance, and Jerry Pinkney brings it to life in this children's book.

The pictures are extremely moving and detailed.  Every facet of the story is depicted with accuracy (as best as we know) through the fine artistic details and array of colors.  I admire Pinkney for taking such a well-known story and making it real for children in the 21st century.  If you are familiar with the story or have never heard of it, this book is a real treat for the aspects of history and faith.  I closed the book with a more vivid picture of the story in my own mind, and for someone who has heard the story all his life, I was impressed.