Applesauce Weather (2016) by Helen Frost and illustrated by Amy June Bates is a short middle grade novel in verse. The poems alternate between several voices: brother and sister pair Peter and Faith, their great-uncle Arthur, and chapter breaks labeled "Lucy's song" in the voice of their recently-deceased great-aunt Lucy. The action of the story happens over the course of the brief applesauce-making season with digressions into family stories (or perhaps tall tales) from the past.
A sample poem from early in the story:
Uncle Arthur
A vee of geese high overhead,
a sunflower high as a house.
A small in the air - if Lucy were here,
she'd breathe in deep. She'd smile wide.
That's all it would take - we'd be on our way:
Applesauce weather, she'd say.
This is a lovely, quick read that touches on several deep topics, including love, loss, and the power of family. The illustrations are also charming and help with the mood and quaint feel of the story. This might be a "quiet" book, but one that many kids will enjoy. (A review copy of the book was provided by the Candlewick Best in Class mailing. All thoughts are my own.)
Sounds charming. What lovely language in that shared poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda! The author does a nice job with the different "voices" of the characters.
DeleteI enjoyed this nostalgic book, too, Katie, think it might make a good mentor text for some narrative writing!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Linda. It has lovely language for any type of family story.
DeleteI loved this book!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary Lee!
DeleteI've had my eye on this book and can't wait to read it and add it to my middle school collection. We have several of this author's books and I get them into student and teacher's hands whenever I can.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. I will definitely be seeking out more books by this author.
DeleteIt sounds lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds lovely!
ReplyDelete