From School Library Journal
Grade 3–5—After her mother dies, eight-year-old Annie Rossi does her best to cope, assisted by
Remembering Mrs. Rossi, a book of memories compiled by her mother's sixth-grade students. During the difficult year that follows, her dad forgets to buy her brand of cereal, doesn't remind her to wear her boots, mismatches her pajamas, and doesn't understand that they should be the first to make footprints in the snow. Annie's patterns of belonging have been disrupted, but as she and her father search for ways to "keep Mommy close…and let her go…and keep her close again," they take comfort from the sixth graders' book, share memories with one another, and begin to forge new rituals. Hest avoids delving into grief, focusing instead on Annie's frustrations with changes at home, at school, and in their summer beach community. Maione's soft pencil drawings capture the child's emotions. Readers will recognize their own feelings of frustration and confusion in the protagonist and admire her attempts to convince her father to get a dog. The book by Mrs. Rossi's students is reproduced at the end of the story. Although some of the entries seem naive for sixth graders, this feature gives readers an opportunity to share their memories of their teacher. This gentle story that captures one third grader's year reinforces the power of journaling in navigating through life's changes.—
Linda Ward-Callaghan, Joliet Public Library, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Eight-year-old Annie and her father are devastated by Mom's sudden death. As they go about their usual activities, almost everything reminds them of their loss. They receive a scrapbook created by the students in Mom's sixth-grade class, celebrate Daddy's birthday and spend a day visiting his university classes, and vacation at the beach. In the hands of a less capable author, the story might have turned maudlin, but Hest imbues her characters with warmth, humor, and realistic imperfections. Yes, they feel sad, but there are good times as well; Annie is not above manipulating her father to try and get him to buy a dog, and Daddy sometimes shuts Annie out as he writes in his private journal. Maione's ink sketches highlight the tender affections between the two as they struggle to move forward. Appended are the scrapbook entries created by Mrs. Rossi's students, which bring the woman to life from an entirely different perspective.
Kay WeismanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
