In Our Mothers’ House

Love and caring extend across generations and cultures as a young Jewish girl from a Russian background and two African-American boys work creatively to get their gramma, Miss Eula, an Easter hat. Illustrations detail the warmth of the relationships as well as the subtleties of their different backgrounds.

In this special Passover story, Larnel Moore, a young African-American boy, and Mrs. Katz, an elderly Jewish woman, develop an unusual friendship through their mutual concern for an abandoned cat named Tush. Together they explore the common themes of suffering and triumph in each of their cultures.

Both Pink, the son of black slaves, and Say, a poor, white boy, fought in the Union army during the Civil War. Only Say survives the Andersonville Prison to tell of their remarkable friendship and how Pink saved Say and taught him how to read. This poignant story, complemented by Patricia Polacco’s signature illustrations, is based on a story from the author’s family.

Learning how to read isn’t easy for Trisha. But with the help and support of a wise new teacher, she begins to blossom. Told with warmth and sensitivity, and illustrated in Polacco’s signature style, the story of a girl overcoming dyslexia is based on the author’s own experience.

When Mary Ellen gets bored with her reading, Grandpa knows a hunt for a bee tree is just what she needs. Half the town joins the exciting chase, but it’s not until everyone returns home that Mary Ellen makes a discovery of her own: Sometimes, even the sweetest of things must be worked for.

A quilt started by the author’s great grandmother is passed on through the generations to chronicle and recall the family’s history.

Polacco has a warm, colorful illustrative style she applies to what at first seems the simple story of a Jewish girl, Trisha, and her Christian neighbors, whose bout with scarlet fever at Christmas threatens to ruin Trisha’s Hanukkah. Trisha and her family respond with a loving gesture that is rewarded in kind.

Many children are frightened by the noise of a storm. Here, a grandmother’s caring and her stories help a girl overcome her fear of thunderstorms. Expressive, informal illustrations are reminiscent of folk art, and complement the warm story.