DANDELIONS - Bunting, Eve

Author(s): Bunting, Eve

Title: DANDELIONS

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0-15-200050-X / 9780152000509

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Zoe and her family find strength in each other as they make a new home in the Nebraska territory. FROM THE PUBLISHER

Embarking on a new life, Zoe and her family journey west to the Nebraska Territory in the 1800s.

When Zoe and her family arrive at their claim, nothing distinguishes it from the miles and miles of surrounding prairie. Even after they build their soddie, the home can't be seen from any distance. Zoe has never seen Papa so happy or Mama so sad. But when she takes a trip to the small prairie town with Papa, Zoe sees something that might make a difference to their new soddie, and to Mama's life, too.

FROM THE CRITICS Children's Literature - Susie Wilde This story is about a family moving west and the mother's sadness at missing the sense of community she left behind. Zoe and her sister, aware of their mother's longing, surprise her by planting dandelions on their new roof. Students will readily compare Zoe's experiences with those of Laura Ingalls Wilder's family in Little House in the Big Woods or Sarah in Patricia Maclachlan's classic Sarah, Plain and Tall. Parent Council Reviews An astonishing beautifully-told illustrated story of a pioneer family settling in Nebraska. This book depicts the strength, pride, courage and loneliness of the first settlers and their determinations to succeed in a fierce, uncompromising land. Best of all, it's a family love story. Highly recommended. 2001, Voyager Books, $6.00. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: E. Fox SOURCE: Parent Council Volume 8 School Library Journal K-Gr 3-Looking for a better life, a pioneer father moves his pregnant wife and daughters west. Both Zoe and Rebecca recognize their mother's isolation and depression as they arrive at their claim stake in the middle of the prairie, and try to work extra hard to please her. Zoe's first-person account describes a visit to neighbors (only three hours away) and a trip to town for supplies, where she finds something that she hopes will help cheer her mother: a clump of dandelions, which she and her father speculate came west as a seed on a wagon. They plant it on the roof of their sod home, and the story ends with the clump looking dry and lifeless. However, the closing words indicate that the family feels more hopeful about their prairie life to come; the last picture shows a panoramic view of their farm of the future, with the dandelions covering the roof and the fields plowed and fertile. The gouache on canvas paintings are grand and sweeping; they emphasize the vast expanse of open land that dwarfs and seems to swallow up everything that comes in contact with it. The characters are frequently shown in deep shadow underneath sun hats, as the sun blazes down on them. When their faces are shown, there is a hazy lack of focus in an almost impressionistic style that heightens the centrality of place and climate, rather than individual character. Yet these people make their mark and find their place; modern readers will identify with this family's experiences and concerns, and will admire their adventurous spirits. Bunting tells a poignant story, which is made even more affecting by its lovely illustrations.-Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA BookList - Kay Weisman nger for reading aloud. Zoe and her family have traveled by covered wagon from Illinois to the Nebraska Territory. As they build a sod house and meet new neighbors, Papa can barely contain his enthusiasm. Mama, on the other hand, remains quiet, thinking of the family and memories left behind. On a trip to town with her father for supplies, Zoe spots a mass of dandelions and realizes that the flowers are much like her family--they may be out of their element on the prairie, but they will survive and bloom in their new land.

The gouache paintings capture the lonely panorama of the landscape, and the classically painted, sometimes faceless figures give the book a sense of universality. A solid choice for read-alouds, this may also be used with older, reluctant readers or students learning --- published at Sixteen dollars.

Frontier and pioneer life -- Nebraska --, Fiction, Family life -- Nebraska -- Fiction, Nebraska -- Fiction

Price = 15.75 USD

Author(s): Bunting, EveTitle: DANDELIONS

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Author(s): Bunting, Eve

Title: DANDELIONS