TOGETHER IN PINECONE PATCH

A family story that will resonate for many young readers, with wonderful pictures that seem drawn from a photo album. The eight Buckleys leave Ireland because there isn't enough food; the Paziks, father and son, leave Poland to find hope. Both families come to the dreary mining town of Pinecone Patch, Pennsylvania. Young Keara and Stefan glare at each other, because everyone in town knows that the Irish are crazy and the Poles foolish. But as they grow up, the offer of a cup of tea soothes Stefan, the weary miner, and Keara, the tired seamstress. Their wedding brings the town together, first by thoughts of fighting, and then by unexpected sharing. Yezerski's illustrations capture both the Irish and Polish heritages, the dust of coal towns, and the clothing and cheap row housing of mining communities in Pennsylvania in the early part of this century; the gold, green, and gray colors are just right, and Keara's flaming red hair is a statement in itself. The story has the ring of an oft-told family story, yet is universal enough that children will grasp both the tensions and resolution, in a place and time that only seems long ago and far away.