Although actually inspired by the Canadian prairie, the intricately-detailed drawings in this book reminded me unmistakably of the four years I lived in Kansas. It really captures the unique beauty (and architecture and weather) of the prairies, and of real farm and ranch life, and would be a great addition to any Midwestern school or public library collection as well as the family's. Children (and adults!) in other parts of the country will find it fascinating, too -- the drawings are very authentic, detailed, and full of fun surprises that kids will love. Also, instead of representing each letter of the alphabet with just one word, it uses the letter several times throughout a complete, entertaining sentence. I plan to send it to all the children I know in other regions of the country, and perhaps even abroad! A lovely, very educational and fun book.

The illustrations that accompany each letter are amazing. The pictures are beautiful and will keep a child's attention while demanding the appreciation of an adult reader. The sentences using the alphabet letter give an accurate descrition of prarie life and go well with each beautiful picture.

The art work of Yvette Moore is very realistic and portrays the Prairie people, their families and lives exactly as it happens. The realism makes me feel as though I can relate to the people in the picture. I am from the Prairies of Saskatchewan, and am very proud to know that Ms. Moore has the talent to share with the rest of the world how wonderful it is to be from the Prairies.

Yvette Moore's paintings are absolutely beautiful and I am proud to say thay she is from my hometown in Saskatchewn. The detail and colour capture so much of what life was like for me on the prairie. As if the painting themselves were not enough, the text completes the experience of life on the prairies through its page-long descriptive passages. This is a great companion book to The Prairie Alphabet, done by the same two women, but more detailed in the text.

This book is about a 14-year-old girl, Sheryl, whose family decides to go "down South" for Easter. She learns two very important lessons. She learns that the smallest things in life are sometimes the most important and that you can defend yourself against discrimination without using violence.

I liked this book because it shows you the struggles an African-American had to go through in the 1960's.

Freedom Riders

Sheryl is a fourteen-year-old girl living in New York in the 1960's. Her family decides to go "down south" for Easter. While they are there, her Uncle Pete decides to be a freedom rider. Later on Uncle Pete gets injured fighting for his rights to vote, got to a white school and eat and drink wherever he wants to. In the meantime Sheryl and her friends are planning a concert to benefit the freedom riders.
I really enjoyed the book. It showed all the problems that a girl or even a boy living in the 1960's would go though. It wasn't too romantic or too gory. But it still went into a lot of detail about some of the things that they had to overcome, but the author didn't make it sound like a history book. It really made you think about what people did to African Americans just because of their race. After you read the book you knew you never wanted those mistakes to happen again. It was the right length without going on and on but not leaving you hanging. I think both boys and girls would enjoy the book. The reading might be a little hard to comprehend for younger ones who don't know about the conflicts between white and African Americans. So kids anywhere from sixth grade and older would probably like it.

A Road to Freedom

When Sheryl and her family go to Ma Pudnum's, Sheryl learns some important lessons. She learns from her Uncle Pete that the smallest things in life are the most important things. She also learns that you can defend yourself in discrimination without violence.
I liked the book Freedom Songs because it was uplifting in the way the book ends. Its content was also very well written. There was also always something new and exciting happening in the story. This component kept me interested all the way until the end. Lastly, this book had a good moral to it. The moral was stand up for your rights no matter what the consequence may be.