Aunt Mary's Rose
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Wood offers a slice of family history that exemplifies the intertwining of generations through tradition. On a visit to his great-aunt Mary's house, young Douglas is given the task of watering a large rosebush that was originally planted by his great-great grandfather and tended by four generations before him. Aunt Mary tells how her young nephews—Douglas's dad and uncle—came to live on their grandparents' farm ("Something had happened, and they needed a place to live…that's what families do. They take care of each other. They love each other."). She recalls some of the boys' shenanigans, their enlistment in the service during World War II, his uncle's death in the war, and his parents' marriage. Pham's soft watercolor paintings feature sepia-toned "photos" of the family during the 1930s and '40s, and color paintings of young Douglas, Aunt Mary, and his parents circa the 1950s. Except for the rosebush, the story is somewhat similar to that of countless families of the pre-boomer generation, and it provides a brief introduction to rural farm life during that era.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.