Children adopted overseas adore this story, regardless of their country of origin. It is especially helpful for children adopted at an older age.

Having a home and a permanent family is wonderful, of course. But older children don't know that when they come home. They are often angry at being uprooted and taken to strange new places, where people speak a foreign toungue. They are understandably frightened. So many new things in the early days assault their senses that days can seem like a lifetime.

This soothing story eases the pain of that transition. It helps them to know that they are wanted, waited for, and loved, even before they arrive. It eases the terrible pain of the transition. If you buy no other adoption story for your internationally adopted child, make it this one. Alyssa A. Lappen

I have an adopted daughter from Korea and we have many, many books on adoption. This is the best one I've found - it describes so well the experience my daughter, and we had, and makes me cry every time I read it. I've found it helpful not only for her but for her friends and classmates to understand her experience.

As a parent of two wonderful Korean boys, this book is a fantastic story of a child's travel to be with his forever family. I read this book for the children's story at my church on my son's first Coming to America Day (the anniversary of his arrival) and the response was wonderful. My sons really enjoy listening to this story and it has provided an avenue for us to talk about their adoption adventure and the plane ride from Korea to the United States. I high recommend this book. It is a must own book for parents of international adoptees.

This is a book about Christmas memories as told from the every perspective. Everything from the house's perspective to the people living in the house to the people's pet. I really enjoyed reading this book. The different ways the stories of Christmas are told really makes the book that much better. The illustrations in this book really draw you into the story. This would be a great book to use in a writing lesson on perspective. I really enjoyed the way the author flipped the story around between people, pets and the actual house.

Being a first grade teacher and avid children's literature fan, I came across this book in our school library. The cover was absolutely gorgeous and it invited me to open it up. The author allows you to view how each family member remembers the highs and lows of Christmas, including the family pets. When I read the book to my class, the conversations and discussion tumbled into building Christmas memories and traditions of their own. This story catapulted us into one of the most memorable teaching experiences of my life. I highly reccommend it to anyone who works with children. When I shared this book with other faculty members, each had the same response,"Where can I get it?" I am unsure why this book is not being printed. Perhaps the publisher needs to receive a few phone calls! This book is a million emotion investment!!

Anyone who has any childhood memories at all will love this book, don't read it without a box of kleenex close by

"Apple Valley Year" by Ann Turner shows young readers what happens during the year as Ralph Clark takes care of his apple orchard. From pruning the winter-dead branches to setting the beehives down among the trees to preparing the barrels to hold the apples that will be picked, "Apple Valley Year" is filled with the things large and small that make for a good harvest. Throughout the story Mr. Clark offers wise comments to his family (and horses) as to what makes for good apples. Apparently there is much more to do than wait for the apples to fall from the trees each autumn. Meanwhile, the fox that lives in the orchard is raising her new kits. The bright artwork by Sandi Wickersham Resnick is in the American primitive style, which is certainly appropriate for this story. This is one of those books where young readers will learn a lot about a topic without ever realizing they are doing more than being entertained.

Ralph Clark and his family farm apples, and we are shown the beauty and rhythm of their life through the seasons, beginning with winter. All efforts are interconnected, each season with its tasks that untimately contribute to a successful harvest. The book ends as it began, in winter, showing the full circle that being a farmer and working with nature offers. Beautifully illustrated.

The Mennyms have turned this reader into a fan of doll books which will delight readers who have yet to convert. When the family is forced to move back to grandma's house in the country (so Dad can recuperate from his heart attack) Emily and Rose are distracted by a curious, neglected doll house in the attic which hasn't been touched since Aunt Alice played with it many years ago. Emily is immediately captivated and able to communicate with the dolls through thoughts and dreams. Rose, who is very angry about their recent move and jealous of her sister's attention to the dolls, is more difficult to win over. Their story of sibling discord is one children will relate to but the dolls' story is the dominant one. The author skillfully creates exciting and dramatic scenes (when the dolls plan, with the help of the family dog, to search outside for their lost baby brother Walter and when they become stranded outside in the woods in the midst of a grassfire). She handles the touching scenes (like when they get refurbished at the doll maker's office) just as well. The dolls' characters are unique and humorously drawn (William speaks like a bible-thumping minister because he picked up the lingo when he once traveled to church in Aunt Alice's dress pocket.) The two plots are seamlessly woven together in a timeless but old-fashioned atmosphere and unfurl themselves at just the right pace. This is funny, exciting, sweet, and has a very satisfying ending.

A charming and delightful story for anyone who knows dolls come alive when people are not around. When Emily and Rose begin to play with their aunt's long abandoned doll house, the doll family who live there discover that their baby, Walter, is missing. The doll family's problem nicely mirrors the difficulties the sisters' family face without being too heavy handed. By sending the girls mental images, the dolls are able to communitcate their need to find Walter and enlist the help of the girls. Rose's anger and the fighting between the sisters are well drawn, and are wonderfully commented upon and analyzed by the warm, old-fashioned dolls. Emily is convinced that reuniting the doll family will ease her own family's transition into a new phase of their lives, and it gently does. A must read for doll lovers of all ages.

Rosemary's Witch
The novel Rosemary's witch, by Ann Turner is a story about two young neighbors who are best friends and they try to find out why this witch is taking things from them. Ernie, a chubby boy, who lives down the street, from Rosemary Morgenthau, Ernie's best friend. Rosemary, a girl who moves into a 150-year-old witches house in a town called Woodhaven and she finds out that the witch wants her house back.
Rosemary and Ernie go to the witches house, which is in Rosemary's backyard and they try to find out what she wants and why she wants it. What I like about Rosemary is that she's only eleven-years-old and she's very brave. She's brave enough to face a witch. My favorite part of the book was when she became friends and when she was picking on Ernie before they tried to find out what she wanted, and my least favorite part was when the toads were all over the streets. I think the ending of this book is good because it acts as if there is going to be a part two, another section.
I like the way that Ann Turner writes her books, she gives just enough information; not too much and not too little. Her vocabulary is a little but not much easier than it should be. I think that she wrote the book for ages 12-15. I would recommend this book because it teaches you to be brave and don't hold back on your dreams or on your accomplishments!

I really liked this book because Rosemary is the same age as me,and she has to go and find a witch. Rosemary likes to achieve her goals. she was a good character.She did achieve her goal.The one thing I liked was when Rosemary finds she does not have a title,like her father is a history teacher,and hermother is a dancer,and her brother wants to be an archeoligist, but she does not have one. She later finds she does not need one. So that is why I like this book.

My son and I loved this book. It is a touching story of a young couple, with a great take home message at the end. After reading it I was able to tell my son about my great grandfather living in a dugout when he came over from Germany.

Gradeschool children who read this story identified with the story characters. Students went away with appreciation for this time in American History. It was easy to read and informative. It made many students realize how fortunate they are.

I read this book for a report, and I have to write a persuasive letter to a movie producer. I dont think it will be hard at all with this great book. It's different and I've never read a book quite like this. It's very descriptive,and I could picture everything. Read this book and you won't be dissapointed!

I think that this book gives a true to life account of slavery from a little girl's perspective. If only everyone was as wise as she was during the slave years, then there wouldn't have been any slavery.

This book of narrative poems deals with the author's emotional damage she encountered as a child after being sexually abused by a vacation friend. The emotions Ann feels and describes are paralleled to her learning to swim. The book is divided into three sections: sailing, sinking, and swimming. She begins the book as a happy exuberant child looking forward to a vacation in the summerhouse she loves. She is so looking forward to swimming on her own, without the swimming ring or her daddy's hands. She is confident and feels like she is sailing on top of the world. Her tone soon changes when Kevin, a friend down the road, takes her upstairs to read to her. Instead of reading he sexually abuses her and threatens her to never tell. At this point she feels like she is sinking. The secret she cannot tell anyone makes her feel physically sick. The hate and contempt for what Kevin keeps doing to her continue to builds up inside of her. When she tries to swim on her own she thrashes her arms and legs around until she almost sinks. Her daddy says maybe she will have better luck next time. Finally the time comes when Ann tells her mother the horrible secret she had been keeping to herself. Her father, mother, and grandfather try to instill the security and innocence in her that had been lost. Ann slowly starts to let go of the pain. She begins to return to a sense of normalcy in her life. This time when she gets in the water she forgets to be afraid. She starts swimming. This is a wonderful book dealing with the issue of sexual abuse. If something is wrong or someone is hurting you it is always better to tell someone. Then you can start the healing process. This book would be interesting to sixth graders and up due to the content and form of the text. Parents and teachers could use this book to enhance the study of english, art, social relationships, and health.

...Teaching K-8 magazine...suggested that it be used in middle school classes to discuss the presence of sexual abuse by a family member or family friend. While this is obviously not a happy topic, this book explores it in a responsible and appropriate manner.

Culled from the real-life experiences of poet Ann Turner, "Learning to Swim" tells the story of a young girl on a family vacation who is molested by an older boy. Each page has a separate poem that explores her feelings at a particular time. The actual events are not related. The only questionable language is a mention to "private parts". This is what makes the poetry all that much powerful. The images created are wonderful and the reader is able to get a glimpse into the mind that this child must have felt.

The reader will feel the same emotions as the girl and it sends a powerful message about how awful the exploitation of children is. The reading ability is definitely Young Adult and Turner is able to relate this difficult subject matter to a level that is appropriate for this age group - boys and girls alike.

Why 4 stars?: Really my only objection is that she did not write more. While we see the events from the child's mind, I would have appreciated even more depth into her emotions, as well as to the other people involved - her parents, brothers, and even the perpetrator. However, I did enjoy the poems, and could not put it down - I read it the first time in a single sitting, and then had to go back and read them again so the full levity could hit me. Turner does a masterful job of exploring this tragic subject in a manner that is appropriate for adolescents.

This is a unique book about the experience of sexual abuse creatively written in poetic form, from the voice of a young child. Ann Turner eloquently shows what it is like for a child facing this kind of abuse. The book is so short you can read it in one sitting. The best thing about Ann's book is that it is written for a younger audience and in such a way that it encourages children to tell, even though it means facing painful feelings. Thanks Ann Turner for turning your painful experience into a work of art and a way for other children to receive help.