Walk Two Moons

Recommended grades 4-6.  Salamanca Tree Hiddle has heard the American Indian proverb, "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins," so she, along with her grandma and grandpa, are walking in the moccasins of her mother, who left their family in their home of Bybanks of Kentucky and took a bus to Idaho.  Along the way, Salamanca shares the story of her friend, Phoebe, another girl left behind with no mother.  Walk Two Moons (Scholastic, 1994), is a story of friendship, forgiveness, and above all, family.  Sharon Creech brings to life an incredible cast of unforgettable characters; from Gram & Gramps Hiddle, who married because Gramps treated his beagle well, to Phoebe who frets about cholesterol and lunatics, and of course, Salamanca, who kisses trees to taste blackberries and find her mother's love.  Walk Two Moons is, and will remain, a timeless classic well worth its Newberry Medal and it's permanent place in library collections.  Highly recommended, *****.

Grandpa Green

Grades 2-3 Lane Smith brings us a warm, cross-generational tale with his picture book, Grandpa Green (Roaring Brook Press, 2011).  Our young narrator guides us through "Grandpa Green's" life story through vividly green sculpted bushes.  This story is ripe with historical and literary allusions, many of which come to life in the illustrations themselves.  Adult readers may find their own grandparents and parents within the pages, and could spark a fruitful conversation about older generations with children.  Lane sensitively captures Grandpa's old age, and memory loss in a way that children can understand and acknowledge.  Grandpa's story is on the forefront, in the text as well as in the illustration.  Our narrator is ever present, though his thinly outlined figure, especially in contrast to the lush green sculptures.  Smith creates a wonderful bridge between those who were born long ago ("before computers or cell phones or television"--imagine!) and the reader of today. Highly Recommended, *****