Angel Coming (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Susan Gaber (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Set in the Appalachian Mountains during the early 20th century, this pleasant story is told in a manner that will appeal to children. In the quiet narrative, a young girl awaits the arrival of a new sibling. The lyrical text reads like poetry: "Mama says an angel is coming, coming clear up the mountain, riding clear up Lonesome Creek, a tiny babe tucked in her saddlebag, a tiny babe tucked safe and warm." Attractive, realistic acrylic paintings show the family's preparations as Pap takes the handmade cradle out of storage and Mam washes tiny garments that once belonged to the narrator. Glimpses of life in the hills include a quilting bee with all of the aunties and storytelling by the fireplace. In the end, though she hoped for a sister, the girl readily accepts her little brother, declaring, "Can't help but love him just the same." An appended author's note gives a brief history of Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service, describing the nurse-midwives who traveled into rugged terrain to serve families that otherwise went untended. It also explains that many young Kentuckians believed that babies arrived in the saddlebag of one of these "angel[s] on horseback." An engaging piece of historical fiction.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 2. Living in a rustic, mountainside house with her father and pregnant mother, a little girl awaits the arrival of an angel on horseback with "a tiny babe tucked in her saddlebag." Time passes. The family gets out the old cradle, washes little clothes, and hosts a quilting bee. One morning, the girl climbs the mountain and returns to find a tall lady standing with her horse outside the cabin. Inside, Mama lies in bed, holding the new baby. The appended author's note explains that beginning in 1925, the Frontier Nursing Service began training and sending nurses to remote cabins in the mountains to check on the families, treat their ailments, and occasionally, if the timing was right, help with the birth of a child. Children were sometimes told that the babies were brought by angels on horseback. From mentions of creek sounds, darting birds, and "old-time ways" to the gentle curves and soft colors of the landscape, both story and art evoke the beauty of the Appalachian setting. Gaber's acrylic paintings portray the characters and their surroundings with finesse. Written in the first person from the girl's point of view, the text is unrhymed, but its cadence has the grace of speech and the meter of song. A quiet, memorable picture book. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689855311
• ISBN-13: 978-0689855313
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,458,090 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, poetic story -- perfect for arrival of a new sibling, November 28, 2005

By	kayhil "Kayhil" (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews

This book is absolutely gorgeous -- both its breathtaking illustrations and its lyrical story make it a piece of art!
Sort of a new twist on the idea of the stork bringing the baby, this book incorporates the true-life legend of nurse-midwives in Appalachia who traveled on horseback through rough terrain to help women give birth. Many children imagined the midwives brought the babies in their saddlebags!

This is a perfect gift for a child who is expecting a new sibling, but also an engaging and beautiful piece of historical fiction that will be enjoyed by any child.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kentucky love, December 10, 2005

By	Doris Fisher, author - See all my reviews

With beautiful lyrical language and nostalgia for
time gone by, this book brings to life a hard working family,
relatives,expectant good news, and the true facts of nurses on horseback.
It weaves a magical spell of love and anticipation with an element of surprise.
A great gift for children and the adults who love them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Kin you see the angel bringin' my lil' sister?, October 20, 2009

By	Moonglow's Nana "Moonglow's Nana" (Western Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

When I was a senior nursing student we learned to write a letter of application so that we could find work after graduation. I wrote my letter to the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky. These midwives traversed the hills and "hollers" on horseback providing the aid mothers needed when delivering their newborns. This children's book uses gentle dialect and rhyme as the anticipation builds and a new baby sister or brother arrives, brought by the angel on horseback. Both the words and illustrations in Angel Coming are soft and natural describing the green hills under a blue moon and a little girl waking up to a foggy morning watching for the angel to come up the murmuring creek to bring the precious bundle. Young and old alike will enjoy the story told in Angel Coming.