Dakota Spring - Softcover

Grade 3-5-Caroline and Jess have had their share of tragedy in the last year with their mother dying and now their father seriously injured in a barn-building accident. Their maternal grandmother, Mrs. Abigail Ravenell, has reluctantly come from South Carolina to care for them, bringing with her all of the prim and proper ways of the old South. To her, frontier life on a farm in the Dakotas is much too primitive, which is why she opposed her daughter's marriage years ago and has never met her grandchildren. Several events bring her around: a tornado during which Jess and his dog are missing; a cemetery visit where the love and patience of the children are coupled with the mutual grief of the entire family; and a poetry recital that allows Caroline and her grandmother some personal bonding. Although historical, this novel focuses more on emotional issues. The gradual acceptance of the grandmother's buried feelings of sorrow through the family's patience and support is a theme that would work in any time period. A simple, mildly passionate read with a neatly fashioned conclusion.
Rita Soltan, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3^-5. While their father's laid up with a broken leg, Caroline and her younger brother, Jess, manage their Dakota prairie farm with some help from a neighbor. At Pa's request, their grandmother arrives from Charleston to meet her daughter Rebecca's children and to lend a hand. Mrs. Ravenell, as she asks the children to address her, is a proper Charleston lady who's reluctant to let down her guard. Gradually Caroline sees through her grandmother's prickly manner, but only when Mrs. Ravenell acknowledges her grief at losing Rebecca does she become a part of their family. Set in the late 1800s, the novel creates a strong sense of time and place. Caroline's point of view is consistent throughout, though the adult characters are at least as well drawn and intriguing as the children. At the chapter headings, small ink drawings by Ronald Himler offer inviting views of the landscape and characters. Short and relatively easy to read, this book will please youngsters looking for good historical fiction. Carolyn Phelan