From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-A young girl describes her family's departure from the dust bowl of Oklahoma in the late 1930s. Her little sister Winona shouts out, "Don't forget me!" and it becomes the child's signature line. With their belongings piled on the back of their truck, the family heads west on Route 66. When Winona is accidentally left behind after a rest stop ("Oh no!- We forgot Winona!"), a trucker saves the day. The line is repeated at the conclusion as Ma and Pa make plans for migrant life upon their arrival in California. The writing is competent, but not terribly compelling, and the author never creates a strong feeling of identification with the characters. Root's breezy, grainy illustrations, evolving from tan to deep blue, convey both the dryness of dust and the refreshment of water and shade. Back matter includes a map of the journey and notes about the road's historical significance. Pair this with Natalie Cole's upbeat rendition of "Route 66" on Unforgettable (Elektra, 1991) and encourage children to listen for the phrase that must have inspired the book's title. An additional purchase where historical picture books are popular.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
K-Gr. 2. The migration of the Okies from the Dust Bowl to California is brought to a child's level in this story about a family looking for a better place. The road they travel is Route 66. The unnamed narrator has a younger sister, Winona, who doesn't want to go but doesn't want to be left behind. Peterson does a good job of capturing the hardships of travel, especially when there's no money--not even for a soda pop. In New Mexico, Winona does get left behind, and the trauma takes time to get over. Finally, they arrive at the promised land, where "We'll pick oranges in winter and strawberries in spring." Peterson's free verse is initially hard to read aloud, but it's effective in setting the personal story against the larger one. Root's paintings are masterful pieces of storytelling on their own. They portray individuals with hopes, fears, and dreams, set against an ever-shifting landscape; even the sky looks different as the travelers move on. An afterword offers more about the road west.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
