08/05/2019
Somber artwork by Wheeler (When You Are Brave) sets the tone for the opening of her Depression-era tale of a family forced to start over. Based on the memories of Wheeler’s grandmother, the story follows six-year-old Marvel, her seven siblings, and their mother as they strike out into the forest, lugging bedding trussed up with rope and pushing a wheelbarrow full of pots and pans. “Dad lives with the angels now,” Marvel begins, “and we need to find a new home.” The tiny, ramshackle dwelling they spy in the woods looks forbidding, but there’s a pump in the cellar and good soil for planting, all captured in delicate illustrations. Brighter hues start to creep into the spreads as the family settles in, discovers berries growing nearby, and harvests the garden (“Some treasures take a little time”). When the “marvelous things” at the general store prove too expensive, the children set up a play shop of their own, making sweets of mud and money of leaves. The family’s ability to make do helps them survive the winter and greet the spring. With the lure of an old-fashioned shipwreck narrative, Wheeler’s story champions initiative, self-reliance, and familial closeness. Ages 5–8. Agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Oct.)
* “Wheeler’s evocative fullbleed illustrations . . . draw readers completely into each page, creating a sense of personal involvement. The detailed imagery allows for the incredible efficiency of her poetic prose, which always finds the right note—striking a careful balance between melancholy and hope as the family rebuilds their life. Based on the childhood of Wheeler’s grandmother, the story feels warm without being sappy or overly nostalgic, successfully making a bygone era meaningful today.”—Booklist, starred review
* “Wheeler shares a poignant tale, based on her grandmother's childhood, of a Depression-era family's hard times. . . . Lovely ink-and-watercolor double-page spreads, in somber grays, sunlight yellow, and meadow green, evoke both the period and the family's stark poverty. . . . Delicate visual details abound, from the sparkle of evening raindrops to Mum's side-buttoned apron. Marvel's ruminative narration takes occasional poetic turns. . . . A quietly compelling look at an impoverished family's resourcefulness and resilience.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* “This tender tribute avoids sentimentality in favor of honest, child-centered observations. The illustrations . . . cleverly point out details of the family’s surroundings via labels . . . the text’s descriptions are memorably poetic. . . . Wheeler’s precise figure-drawing style captures the difficult aspects of the situation and, using numerous shades of green, brown, blue, and yellow, contrasts them against the beauty and warmth of the natural setting.”—Horn Book, starred review
“Based on the memories of Wheeler’s grandmother, the story follows six-year-old Marvel, her seven siblings, and their mother. . . . The family’s ability to make do helps them survive the winter and greet the spring. . . . Wheeler’s story champions initiative, self-reliance, and familial closeness.”—Publishers Weekly
“What do families do when times get tough? They work hard and stick together! That is the main theme of this book, which was inspired by the true story of the author’s grandmother’s childhood. . . . The author/illustrator walks the reader through the seasons and shows how the family comes together not merely to survive but to thrive, all through hard work and an abundance of love. The illustrations, done in beautiful watercolors, support this tender story.”—School Library Connection
“Despite all of the hardships, this family built on love and determination not only survived but also flourished. This book will resonate with readers who enjoy reading about surviving despite adversity. . . . Beautifully written. . . . Overall, it is a marvelous story for a class read-aloud. This is an earnest, upbeat addition for any elementary or juvenile collection. Teachers can use this book to encourage children to tell their own family stories.”—School Library Journal
“The story of making an abandoned place into a home and of the pack of kids working together to create sustenance and fun has Little House on the Prairie/Little Women satisfaction. The line and watercolor art evinces Sophie Blackall’s trim, friendly precision in the figures, and they’re set in a verdant natural world of dappled light, interlacing branches, and elegant (labeled) wildflowers. . . . Appealing to youngsters, and they’ll enjoy imagining themselves putting a household together out of little and romping with a pile of siblings.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
10/01/2019
K-Gr 3—Wheeler tells her grandmother's story. In 1932, Marvel was six when her father died and left the family to face the world on their own. Their intrepid mother moved her eight children and all of their belongings into a tar-paper shack in the Wisconsin woods. Together they worked to make the shack habitable, forage the woods for food and firewood, and plant a garden. Autumn brings canning chores and playing games made up together. They endure the harsh Wisconsin winter and emerge in summer to start the cycle again. Despite all of the hardships, this family built on love and determination not only survived but also flourished. This book will resonate with readers who enjoy reading about surviving despite adversity. The story is beautifully written and the art, done in ink and watercolors, reflects the Depression era in which it is set. Overall, it is a marvelous story for a class read-aloud. VERDICT This is an earnest, upbeat addition for any elementary or juvenile collection. Teachers can use this book to encourage children to tell their own family stories.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
★ 2019-07-28
Wheeler shares a poignant tale, based on her grandmother's childhood, of a Depression-era family's hard times.
Marvel, 6, has seven siblings. Their newly widowed mother guides them, as they carry their worldly goods along, into the woods, where they find an abandoned shack. Though decrepit, it's got a root cellar, a functioning water pump, a wood stove, and a garden spot rich with leaf mold. As summer yields to autumn, Mum does chores for pay in town. The children draw lots for the home tasks: laundry (hand-scrubbed and hung to dry), wood-splitting, and more. A bountiful harvest engenders prodigious canning as the family prepares for the bitter weather ahead. While the children must buy only basic supplies at the general store, their doleful window shopping produces an inventive outdoor game, in which "We can buy anything we want!" Winter brings snow and cold, quilting, reading by the wood stove, and a wild-turkey stew. Wheeler's lovely ink-and-watercolor double-page spreads, in somber grays, sunlight yellow, and meadow green, evoke both the period and the family's stark poverty. The thin faces are gray-white, with dark hair and pale pink cheeks. Delicate visual details abound, from the sparkle of evening raindrops to Mum's side-buttoned apron. Marvel's ruminative narration takes occasional poetic turns: "Mum stays awake / into the night… / …whispering / to / the / stars."
A quietly compelling look at an impoverished family's resourcefulness and resilience. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-9)
