A Book for Black-Eyed Susan

Gr 3—6—Ten-year-old Cora is traveling in a covered wagon with her parents on the Oregon Trail when tragedy dashes their dreams of a new beginning. The girl's mother dies in childbirth, and Cora names her blond, dark-eyed sister Susan after the black-eyed flowers she had picked for her mother along the way. One rainy day, she begins sewing quilt squares to show to the baby and commemorate the journey west. Their home in Missouri, the covered wagon, a campfire, prairie dogs, buffalo, and other animals are just some of the images captured in her squares. When her father decides that her aunt and uncle, who are heading to California, should raise Susan, a heartbroken Cora fashions the cloth squares into a book for her. Aunt Alma promises to tell the baby all about the big sister who loves her, once she is old enough to understand. Six years later, the teen passes a test to become a schoolteacher, headed south with a minister and his wife. The surprise ending, however unlikely, will warm readers' hearts. Realistic watercolor images reveal the intricacies of pioneer life and the emotional turmoil of the characters. An engaging introduction to life during the Westward expansion.—Barbara Auerbach, PS 217, Brooklyn, NY