Nettie's Gift [Hardcover]

Susan Tews (Author), Elizabeth Sayles (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1993 | Age Level: 5 and up

In a secret place in the woods--where the remains of her grandmother's childhood house still stand--Sarah, a lonely little girl, uses her imagination to find a new friend, Nettie, a little girl who is actually her grandmother as a child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One darkening fall afternoon--ideal for gathering hickory nuts--lonely Sarah treks "past rows and rows of corn stubble" to her grandparents' farm. Grandmother Nettie leads her to the fruitful shagbark tree near the site of the old homestead, recollecting her own solitary recreation as a girl. Then she leaves her granddaughter to play under the tree. When Sarah works an old water pump, it sprinkles her hands with "nutmeg-colored rust" and transports her mind to another time. She hears a young Nettie giggling behind a tree; pretending that the child is playing with her, Sarah "laughs loud enough for two." Hunting for nuts, Nettie leads Sarah to a huge pile mysteriously clustered around the base of the pump. That evening Sarah returns to her grandparents' farmhouse, where make-believe and reality comfortably fuse. Rhythmic, fluid prose marks Tews's first book--observations about childhood, loneliness and her bucolic setting are presented in a winning and realistic voice. Sayles's autumn pastel illustrations lure readers into a wistful late-afternoon light where sharp edges are blurred and fading forms catch bits of sun in luminous patches--creating an ideal mood for a girl to discover the wealth of her solitude. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Sarah, an only child, goes to her grandmother's nearby farm to gather hickory nuts. Fortunately, Grandma Nettie understands her need for a friend and shares memories of herself at the girl's age, which Sarah uses to create a make-believe friend. The longing of a lonely eight year old is quite different from the experience of a preschooler with an imaginary playmate. To present the subject in a picture-book format is a larger challenge, and Tews and Sayles have done so with partial success. The text is deeply felt but somber and slow moving despite a lot of sensual details (the air smells crackly, ducks make throaty quacks, tree roots clench the earth). The soft drawings in subdued autumnal colors, while quite lovely, just miss the make-believe quality so central to the story's intent. --Ann Stell, Central Islip Public Library, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (March 22, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395590272
• ISBN-13: 978-0395590270
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,148,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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