What You Know First (Hardcover)

~ Patricia Maclachlan (Author), Barry Moser (Illustrator) "I could If I wanted Tell Mama and Papa that I won't go..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Newbery Medalist MacLachlan's minimal, deeply resonant text centers on a girl whose parents have sold their farm on the prairie-clearly not by choice. As she anticipates all that she will miss and devises plots to avoid moving ("Or maybe/ I'll live in a tree./ The tall cottonwood that was small/ when Papa was small..."), the child pieces together the sights, sounds and tactile sensations of the only life she has ever known. Her parents' attempts to soften the blow don't appease the determined narrator: "Mama says there's an ocean/ In the new place./ And Papa says there are trees./ I don't need trees,/ Only the one./ I don't need an ocean/ I've got an ocean of grass." But there are words that do offer solace: "What you know first stays with you, my Papa says./ But just in case I forget/ I will take a twig of the cottonwood tree/ I will take a little bag of prairie dirt/ I cannot take the sky." Echoing the mournful tone of MacLachlan's poem are Moser's etchings, which place the story in the Depression. Finely detailed, each tinted subtly with a different color, the illustrations project austerity; they may be a bit severe for the average picture-book audience. The especially handsome book design weights every word with significance. Despite its somber tone, the first collaboration between this deservedly acclaimed duo touches the heart. All ages.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?A child comes to terms with the fact that she and her family are leaving the prairie. She recalls the people and places she will miss?the blacksmith, the ocean of grass, the drifting snow in winter. As she talks herself into acceptance, her Mama helps her let go, commenting that the baby will need someone to tell him where he came from. So the girl gathers mementos?a bag of earth and a piece of cottonwood tree. There's no happy ending, no real anticipation of the new place?just a sense that the strength of family will carry them through. A novel hides in these few pages. As with Sarah, Plain and Tall (HarperCollins, 1985), the subtext vibrates. So much is told in each perfectly chosen phrase. The story is deep and specific, but the pain and denial of a child leaving a known and loved place is all too universal. Moser's finely wrought engravings, enhanced by moody tints, record the departure. The child is caught defiantly off center at first and later in the midst of the packing up. The people and places to be missed are given a solid reality. There is nothing sentimental in either text or illustration. These are strong people dealing with necessity. While this may not be the sort of light, charming book that has immediate group appeal, someone will find it. And for that someone, it will be just right.?Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (August 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060244135
• ISBN-13: 978-0060244132
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #996,336 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I haven't forgotten what I knew first, January 8, 2001

By	Tracy L. McMilleon (Peoria, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What You Know First (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

For any of you who have left home..what you knew first..this book will deeply touch you. As I read this in the bookstore, tears came to my eyes. It's a story of a little girl who struggles to understand why she and her family must leave the only place they know. Though change has its sadness,this book shows the sweetness of memories you take with you forever. This is a good book for a child going through such a change or for an adult who still recalls all those familiar things of home.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, beautiful story of a child facing change, January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: What You Know First (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

I love this book for the way the illustrations and story compliment each other so well. The story narrated by a small child facing the prospect of moving to a new home is achingly beautiful. You can feel the child's pain and anxiety about moving to a new place and being afraid of forgetting the old place and the memories therein. The child tells about all the things she will miss and then devises a plan to stay and not go with her family and baby brother. It is a story for anyone who has ever had to face a painful change in his or her life. I could read it again and again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice poetic read, February 23, 2009

By	Diane Lewis - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What You Know First (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

Great for my students as we read about the Great Plains and the move west. Very sentimental.