172. A Chair for My Mother

A Chair for My Mother (Rosa Books #1) Vera B. Williams. 1982. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: My mother works as a waitress in the Blue Tile Diner. After school sometimes I go to meet her there. Then her boss, Josephine, gives me a job too. I wash the salts and peppers and fill the ketchups. One time I peeled all the onions for the onion soup. When I finish, Josephine says, "Good work, honey," and pays me. And every time, I put half of my money into the jar.

Premise/plot: Rosa and her family (mother, grandmother) save up their coins in a jar so they can buy a chair. I believe this is after a previous fire destroyed their home.

My thoughts: I remember--vaguely--A Chair For My Mother being a Reading Rainbow book. I'm not sure when I first read it for myself. But every now and then I'll be in a mood to seek out the story again.

In many ways, it is a simple story. The family is hard-working and patient. Filling the jar will not be quick and easy. Every day the family looks ahead to the goal--the day the jar will have enough money so they can go together and pick out a chair. The mindset in some ways is so different from the "modern" or "contemporary" [entitled] outlook of if I want it, I'll buy it NOW. And this is something that is actively encouraged, buy it TODAY, pay for it later. It is always refreshing to pick this one up. 

I also love the subtle [and simple] celebration of family.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Dig To Disaster

Dig to Disaster. Robert M. Quackenbush. 1982. 81 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Miss Mallard, the world famous ducktective, ran through the rain across the narrow rope bridge.

Premise/plot: Dig to Disaster is one of the books in the Miss Mallard mystery series for young readers. This juvenile mystery is set in South America. Miss Mallard is a tourist traveling with archaeologists and explorers. But it's not been an easy trip--in fact, the trip seems cursed. But is it really? Or is this a case of sabotage?!

My thoughts: I am LOVING this series so much. I love, love, love Miss Mallard. The books are a bit silly but they are also so much fun.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

When I Was Young In the Mountains

When I Was Young in the Mountains. Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Diane Goode. 1982. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: When I was young in the mountains, Grandfather came home in the evening covered with the black dust of a coal mine. Only his lips were clean, and he used them to kiss the top of my head. When I was young in the mountains, Grandmother spread the table with hot corn bread, pinto beans, and friend okra. Later, in the middle of the night, she walked through the grass with me to the johnny-house and held my hand in the dark. I promised never to eat more than one serving of okra again.

Premise/plot: When I Was Young in the Mountains was Cynthia Rylant's first book. It would not be her last. It was only the beginning of a LONG career. Perhaps it is fitting--RIGHT--that her career began where she began--in the mountains of West Virginia. The book--beautifully, almost poetically--recounts her childhood memories. She was raised by her grandparents. Each page begins, "When I was young in the mountains..."

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I love it for the text. I should mention that it earned a Caldecott Honor in 1983. And the illustrations are nice enough. But it is the text itself that practically sings: a tribute to all things beautiful, simple, and true.

When I was young in the mountains, we went to church in the schoolhouse on Sundays, and sometimes walked with the congregation through the cow pasture to the dark swimming hole, for baptisms. My cousin Peter was laid back into the water, and his white shirt stuck to him, and my Grandmother cried.

When I was young in the mountains, I never wanted to go to the ocean, and I never wanted to go to the desert. I never wanted to go anywhere else in the world, for I was in the mountains. And that was always enough. 

 Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10


© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers