Kisses on the Wind
PreSchool-Grade 2—Moving to Oregon and away from her beloved grandmother saddens a young pioneer girl. While her mother and father pack their belongings in a covered wagon for the thousand-mile trip cross-country, Lydia hides in the barn. She is enticed outside by her grandmother and they spend time together remembering the past and planning how to make their separation easier for them both. Grandma has written down the stories she's told Lydia since she was a baby and gives her the small book so the child won't forget. "'Now you'll always be with me,' I said. 'And every day I will think of you and love you.' 'And I'll be loving you,' said Grandma." After making and sailing a bark boat, having her hair braided by her grandmother one last time, and sharing thoughts about leaving, the little girl and the older woman are ready to part. One last kiss on the wind as the wagon pulls away creates a bittersweet ending. Soft, pastel watercolor illustrations gently depict the close-knit family and the homestead in the vast countryside with rolling hills as a backdrop. This is a poignant tale about changing households and the universal emotions that accompany this stressful situation.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.