Ages:
4 - 10
 Loretta
is a gardner, but she's never harvested apples from her apple trees.
Loretta's son, Delmore, can catch and pitch like a pro, but he's
never hit a baseball fair and true. More than anything, Loretta
wants to fill her baskets with round, rosy apples. More than anything,
Delmore wants to send that ball sailing over the outfield to the
trees beyond. In this book, Loretta and Delmore discover that sometimes
it's the long journey together that makes reaching goals so sweet.
In
Deborah Turney Zagwyn's distinctive world, the countryside is
awash in color, and the seasons set the rhythm for life. This
is the parallel story of mother Loretta and son Delmore. While
Loretta works patiently to coax the first apples from her small
orchard, Delmore ardently practices his swing, wanting only to
hit a baseball "fair
and true." The poetic text and radiant watercolors effortlessly
reveal how sweet are the fruits of perseverance, and that one
of love's best rewards is striving, side by side.
"With
pictures of a spiral-peeled baseball and an apple in a baseball
glove, as well as with wordplay, Zagwyn has created a wonderful
read-aloud...A gentle tale of joy in accomplishment." School
Library Journal
"This
is such a satisfying, delicious book--a story about the separate
passions of a mother and son, with ironic language that isn't
too tough for children to follow and reassuring rhythm and
repetition that will make it an instant storytime favorite." Booklist
ISBN 1-883672-92-9 |
