Ada's pal

George Ella Lyon was born on April 25, 1949, in Harlan, Kentucky. She is an author who has published in many genre, including picture books, poetry, juvenile novels and articles. Her books often take place in Appalachia. She earned her B.A. at Centre College in Kentucky in 1971, her M.A. at the University of Arkansas in 1972 and her PhD at Indiana University - Bloomington in 1978.

She first published in 1983, a poetry collection called Mountain. Aside from publishing, she also taught writing at a number of colleges, including the University of Kentucky, Centre College, Transylvania University, and Radford University. She has also acted as an executive committee member for the Women Writers Conference. She has also taught writing through workshops, conferences, and author visits.

Her titles include Father Time and the Day Boxes, Sonny's House of Spies, Holding on to Zoe, All the Water in the World, With a Hammer for My Heart, and Where I'm From: Where Poems Come From. In 2014 her title Voices from the March on Washington made the Hot Civil Rights Titles List.

(Bowker Author Biography)

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School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 3A moving tale about dogs' true best friends: other dogs. Ada is a "black mop-without-a-handle," and joined the family when the narrator was just a toddler. Then came Troublesome, "...your big knock-the-mail-carrier-down dog." By the time the narrator is a sturdy, school-aged girl, Troublesome dies. Ada's mourning is so deep that she's grudgingly coaxed from it not by human love, but by the companionship of a new puppy. Vivid, poetic language is paired with realistic colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations. Though the text directs readers' attention to canine relationships, the pictures develop the supporting theme as well; it's obvious how deeply the girl cares about her dogs. The illustrations are full of energy, conveying motion and change. Dynamic composition helps to develop characters and reinforce the emotional impact of the story. Ada's Pal joins the company of Judith Viorst's Tenth Good Thing about Barney (Atheneum, 1971) as a sensitive treatment of grieving, though with a somewhat different focus. It far surpasses the label of "bibliotherapy" to achieve enduring immediacy. Young children will relish meeting Ada at story time and independent readers will cherish her as well.Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review