The New York Times . So stunning and simple it can easily be read even to very young children, but it is also especially appealing for early readers. 32 unnumbered pages,an over-sized trade paperback, illustrated by Stephen Gammell. This is one of the most captivating picture books for children ever published. It tells a family story of a young mountain boy, living in the first half of this century, who was hired by neighbors to tend their farm animals in a train's boxcar when they moved from a Pike County, Kentucky, farm to a farm in Canada.
Most kids love animals, trains, and kids who shine.
E. P. Dutton, 1983. Illustrated by Thomas DiGrazia. 32 unnumbered pages. This is a heart-warming story of a young boy who serves as a kind of protector to an old lady who lives on a nearby mountain farm. Boys who are just learning to read love this book because the hero plays such an important role in the woman's life, and because there are so many engaging elements to the story, including a black snake, sure to delight young children.