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A PART OF THE SKY

Name: A PART OF THE SKY
Author: Robert Newton Peck
ISBN: 0679886966

by Robert Newton Peck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 2, 1994

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The sequel to A Day No Pigs Would Die (1972) once again follows the young Robert Peck on his path to adulthood, but the strengths of the first novel — plain people, simple language, and old-fashioned Shaker values — are virtually parodied in this latest. The hero bears the author's name, and the action takes place in a small town in Peck's native Vermont. Told from 13-year-old Rob's perspective, the narrative begins with his father's death, which leaves him in charge of the land, his mother, his aunt, and $12-a-month mortgage payments that are almost impossible to scrape together even this early in the Depression. Next, their faithful, old cow goes dry and gets sold for dog meat. Then, their hard-working ox keels over. Finally, the worst drought to hit the area in years kicks in, and even the family's blister-raising efforts to haul water by hand from the creek can't save the crops. In addition to working his own land and going to school as often as he can, Rob helps out on a neighbor's farm and in a feed store until neither can afford to pay him any longer. When winter sets in and Rob is reduced to doing odd jobs for food and making a meal out of cracked corn intended for chickens, he remembers that "manhood is doing what has to be done" and sells the farm. In the three plumbing-less rooms above the feed store that the owner offers in exchange for work, Rob and his family are, of course, happy. Rob comes of age again. We haven't waited long enough for this book.

Pub Date: Sept. 2, 1994

ISBN: 0679886966

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
WEEDS IN BLOOM
by Robert Newton Peck

- BOOK REVIEW
BRO
by Robert Newton Peck

- BOOK REVIEW
HORSE THIEF
by Robert Newton Peck

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KEVIN AND HIS DAD

by Irene Smalls ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999

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There is something profoundly elemental going on in Smalls’s book: the capturing of a moment of unmediated joy. It’s not melodramatic, but just a Saturday in which an African-American father and son immerse themselves in each other’s company when the woman of the house is away. Putting first things first, they tidy up the house, with an unheralded sense of purpose motivating their actions: “Then we clean, clean, clean the windows,/wipe, wipe, wash them right./My dad shines in the windows’ light.” When their work is done, they head for the park for some batting practice, then to the movies where the boy gets to choose between films. After a snack, they work their way homeward, racing each other, doing a dance step or two, then “Dad takes my hand and slows down./I understand, and we slow down./It’s a long, long walk./We have a quiet talk and smile.” Smalls treats the material without pretense, leaving it guileless and thus accessible to readers. Hays’s artwork is wistful and idyllic, just as this day is for one small boy. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-316-79899-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
MY POP POP AND ME
by Irene Smalls & illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson

- BOOK REVIEW
MY NANA AND ME
by Irene Smalls & illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson

- BOOK REVIEW
DON’T SAY AIN’T
by Irene Smalls & illustrated by Colin Bootman

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RAMONA'S WORLD

by Beverly Cleary ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 1999

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Ramona returns (Ramona Forever, 1988, etc.), and she’s as feisty as ever, now nine-going-on-ten (or “zeroteen,” as she calls it). Her older sister Beezus is in high school, baby-sitting, getting her ears pierced, and going to her first dance, and now they have a younger baby sister, Roberta. Cleary picks up on all the details of fourth grade, from comparing hand calluses to the distribution of little plastic combs by the school photographer. This year Ramona is trying to improve her spelling, and Cleary is especially deft at limning the emotional nuances as Ramona fails and succeeds, goes from sad to happy, and from hurt to proud. The grand finale is Ramona’s birthday party in the park, complete with a cake frosted in whipped cream. Despite a brief mention of nose piercing, Cleary’s writing still reflects a secure middle-class family and untroubled school life, untouched by the classroom violence or the broken families of the 1990s. While her book doesn’t match what’s in the newspapers, it’s a timeless, serene alternative for children, especially those with less than happy realities. (Fiction. 8-12)