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Prairie Days

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Title: Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan
Who’s It For: Children
Format: Book

From Newbery-award winning author of the Sarah, Plain and Tall series, Patricia MacLachlan brings another gem.  Ms. MacLachlan reminisces of life on the mid-west farm of yesteryear.  She paints a kaleidoscope of sensory images for the mind, from orange sunrises, to her mother’s wild roses, cold drinks from lift-top tanks at the store, to riding a grain-filled wagons to the railroad. Moreover, Micha Archer has created gorgeous illustrations with use of many-patterned collages.  Her pictures are like beautiful quilts, stitching together Patricia MacLachlan’s tale of playing kick-the-can, herding fluffy sheep, and dozing work dogs on front porches. 

Having lived only in coastal states, I soaked up this account of a quieter, simpler time on the prairie.  If you enjoyed Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series, you will probably delight in this picture book snapshot of rural life.

And you can find Prairie Days in the catalog here!

A Dangerous Act of Kindness

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A Dangerous Act of Kindness by LP Fergusson
Recommended for: Adults
Format: eBook

The dog bounded across the snowy field during a cold night in Britain.  Trailing behind on horseback, Millie called, “Gyp!  Come back!”   Gyp sniffed the ground and wound his way over to the barn.  Millie entered the shadowy structure.  She stopped short.  A man slumped against a bale, his arm at an odd angle.  With his other hand, he was pointing a gun directly at her.  Was this a German soldier?  Had he escaped the recent plane crash?  Locals had assumed he had died in the fire.  “Let me help you,” implored Millie.  “Help me?” responded her enemy.

Millie’s husband was dead.  She’d found him hanging at the end of a rope six months ago.  She wished she’d helped him before it was too late.

A snow storm was coming.  Could she aid this man without the knowledge of her neighbor, Hugh and her Land Girl, Brigsie?  Snow or not, the cows would need milking in the morning.  Brigsie would be by early to help.  And Hugh often came by too.  He would gladly become more than Millie’s friend if she gave him any encouragement.  Was she over her grief?

A Dangerous Act of Kindness is narrated by Millie, Hugh, and Lukas, the injured German.    The story reveals various perspectives of war, of love, and of forgiveness.  I was moved by the universal themes that cross culture and time.

Find it on OverDrive/Libby!