And what I am is good enough. Even for me. This is a book that will stay with me forever. Billie Jo taught me many lessons that all of us need to learn. The way I see it, hard times aren't only about money, or drought, or dust.
Hard times are about losing spirit, and hope, and what happens when dreams dry up.
When her father meets a new, special woman named Louise, Billie Jo sees that hope and dreams and even fierce piano playing can return. As the book ends, Louise comes into the house bringing apples in a sack that she arranges in a bowl on the shelf. I think this book would make an excellent tool for beginning to teach concepts that are critical to understanding literature. There is so much symbolism, both of color and image not to mention foreshadowing, rhythmic patterns that reflect the action and free verse used to its' best advantage. Just as I think Paul Zelinsky richly and rightly deserves the Caldecott Medal for Rapunzel , Karen Hesse richly and rightly deserves the Newbery Medal for the best children's book for Out of the Dust .