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Summary
Summary
Gabriella loves to dance, and she loves to hear her grandmother Babci's stories--stories about Poland, the house in the coal patch, the chickens with blue feet. And especially the stories of those happy evenings long ago when Babci danced with her handsome young husband, Dziadziu. Gabriella and her grandmother are bound together by stories, by dancing, and by love in this poignant Easter story. "A wonderfully mature story, full of humanity."-- Kirkus Reviews
Author Notes
A former 8th-grade English teacher, Susan Campbell Bartoletti writes fiction and nonfiction for all ages. Black Potatoes is the winner of the ALA Sibert Award for Best Information book, the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Distinguished Nonfiction, and the SCBWI Golden Kite Nonfiction award. She lives with her family in Moscow, PA.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3Babci ("grandmother" in Polish) lies ill in her bed but continues to tell her granddaughter about her life as a young girl. She talks of emigrating to America, of raising chickens, and, mostly, of dancing with her beloved Dziadziu, the grandfather who died before Gabriella was born. Meanwhile, Gabriella's mother prepares the traditional Easter basket, for Babci knows she won't live to see the holiday and has asked to celebrate early. The child performs her snowflake dance for her grandmother, and, inspired by the elderly woman's stories, she does it perfectly. This is a story of sweet remembrance, a simple but clear portrait of intergenerational love. Although Babci's death is imminent, this is not a maudlin tale but rather a celebration of the affectionate relationships that have shaped Gabriella's life. Nelson's brightly colored woodcuts are a perfect match for a narrative that melds the old country with the new. Those pictures that feature Babci and Gabriella have particularly well-defined textures; those showing scenes of the grandmother's past have a more painted look and are not as striking. Nevertheless, both the full-page and miniature folk-art prints convey a sense of rustic simplicity that is in keeping with the simple life of the family. While not a first purchase, this title will go well with both intergenerational units and those that promote ethnic pride. Somewhat reminiscent of Tomie dePaola's Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs (Putnam, 1973), this upbeat book could be shared when discussing the loss of a grandparent.Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bartoletti's (Growing Up in Coal Country) mellifluously written tale revolves around the impending death of a beloved grandmother. Far from sad, the story is largely a celebration of Babci's life as a Polish immigrant. From her deathbed, Babci tells her granddaughter, Gabriella, her favorite life stories, including dancing with Dziadziu, her husband, and painting the chickens' feet blue so she would know which were hers. The love between grandmother and granddaughter is palpable, and despite the deathbed setting, the tone is one of joyful remembrance and calm acceptance: "I know my grandmother will soon be dancing with Dziadziu again, but for now, her eyes are robin-egg bright for me." Bartoletti weaves in a motif of rebirth with her references to eggs and Easter (which they celebrate two months early, because Babci doesn't expect to be around that long), which Nelson (Canto Familiar) underscores with rough-hewn, hand-colored linoleum cuts, in vivid colors and sharp patterns reminiscent of Eastern European Easter eggs. Their folksy cheeriness echoes the text's sensitive but matter-of-fact approach to death as simply part of life. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved