#23 - Dandelions

Dandelions

Written by: Eve Bunting

Illustrated by: Greg Shed

Harcourt

2001

48 pages

Historical Fiction

            This story is about a pioneer family moving west to Nebraska. The story is told by Zoe who is traveling with her pregnant mom, dad, and Sister Rebecca. When they arrive out west the girls realize how sad their mother is. They are trying really hard to make her happy. One day Zoe finds some dandelions that she hopes will cheer up her mother. She picks them and brings them home with her. Zoe and her father plant the dandelions on the rooftop of their sod home. They hope that it will soon be covered in dandelions. The family begins to feel a little bit better about their new lives and try to make things work out. The story has a lot of historical information on the life of pioneers even though Zoe's story is fictional.

            The illustrations are done with gouache paint, and they take up entire pages. The settings are filled with nature scenery and a lot of plant life. The colors are very natural, and the sun is always lighting up the scenes. It makes the pictures appear very warm. The landscape is very detailed, and the paint is used to create texture through the illustrations. There is no harsh outline, and everything is blended naturally. The text is informal and it is placed inside of the illustrations.

            This is a great book to have in any elementary classroom library. Teachers could use this book to introduce a history lesson on pioneers. Teachers could also use this book to teach the genre of historical fiction.