Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper. Children's picture book.

 Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper. Roaring Brook Press, 2017.
                           Children's picture book.


   In this charming black-and-white and beige picture book, Elisha Cooper tells of a  white cat who was all alone until a small black kitten joins it. The older cat shows the new kitten all the things that it needs to know. They live companionably until the black kitten is a full sized cat. Years went by until the older cat "had to go" and "he didn't come back." As Cooper puts it, "that was hard." It was hard for the family, too, until a small white kitten comes. The now grown black cat shows the new kitten the exact lessons that it was taught in the beginning of the book.


    Librarians and parents often search for books that help children understand the tough changes in life. Death and dying are among those topics.  While those exact words themselves are not used, the story is understood by readers. This life cycle exploration will comfort many children who experience the loss of a pet. Cooper's lovely, simple illustrations mimic all the things that real cats do. The easy-to-read narrative is sparse, but effective, with just the right tone. Starting over is not easy. Losing a friend is awful. In time, we can begin again.

The Wedding Gift: A Novel by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

  The Wedding Gift: A Novel by Marlen Suyapa Bodden. St. Martin's Press, 2013. Adult Fiction.
 
   Sarah Campbell, her mother, and her sister are slaves on the plantation of Allen Hall and property of Cornelius Allen. Sarah, the daughter of the master, is raised as the slave of his young  daughter, Clarissa, and given to her as a wedding gift. This means Sarah will travel to the Cromwell plantation and give up life as she knows it.


Told in alternating voices of Sarah and Theodora Allen, the mistress of the plantation and Clarissa's mother, Sarah's story is intriguing with its insights into her family's past, present, and future. Benton County, Alabama in the early to mid 1800's is not easy for women of either color, but when Theodora teaches her daughter to read, she allows Sarah to be in the room. Smart little Sarah learns, too, and her ability changes her life in unplanned ways. Clarissa, the child of great privilege, is not the classic Southern belle and her own life is reflected in her choices.


These complex characters give voice to a rather unconventional plot and will not disappoint readers. It is the first novel by this author.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir:A Novel by Jennifer Ryan

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan. Crown Publishing Group (Penguin Random House), 2017. Adult fiction.  

If you enjoy historical fiction about WWII, try this charming tale of the women left behind in the small village of Chilbury. Told through letters, diaries, and journal entries, the women of Chilbury confide their secrets, their loves, and their lives in detail. Teenage sisters Kitty and Venetia, very different girls indeed, provide a youthful look at the village and its residents as the men go off to director herself, and a host of others bring to life the daily goings and comings. Disaster strikes, but not with blood war. A mother whose son leaves to fight, a family whose inheritance depends on the birth of a boy child (as well as the midwife who is determined to make sure that child is a male),  the wry music and guts. 

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Before We Visit the Goddess by Shitra B. Divakaruni

      Before We Visit the Goddess. By Shitra Banerjee Divakaruni. 

                                  Simon and Schuster, 2016.  Adult fiction.

     This multigenerational tale involves both India and the United States. Sabitri longs for education and is helped by a wealthy family until she makes a mistake. She ultimately has a successful business making sweets like her own mother did and named for Durga herself.  Sabitri’s daughter, Bela, dissolves ties with her mother to run away to America with her boyfriend. As a middle aged woman, she unexpectedly finds a new friend and a new life. Bela’s daughter, Tara, makes some poor choices including an abortion. Her life is changed by an encounter in a temple and in an automobile accident in Texas.

      All the women depend on their own notions of the truth of their pasts. Stories of male friends, lovers, and husbands are also woven throughout, but it is the women who sort through and ultimately put together the pieces to become stronger.   From Kolkata to Houston, from the very traditional to the modern, from poverty to wealth, from “otherness” to acceptance, these characters will find a place in readers’ hearts.

Waiting for the Queen by Joanna Higgins

 Waiting for the Queen: A Novel of Early America.
                                          By Joanna Higgins. Milkweed Editions, 2013.


If you love stories about the French Revolution and think you know a lot about Marie Antoinette, try this charming tale. Apparently, a group of nobles leave France and come to America for safe haven. They eagerly anticipate the arrival of their queen and her children. In rural Pennsylvania, New France is being carved out with the help of local Shakers. It is the muddy wasteland that one would envision, not the stuff of fancy ballgowns and big mansions.


Into this comes 15 year old Eugnie de La Roque and her family. To say that they are shocked at their new circumstances is an understatement! Hannah Kimbrell, a devout Shaker, and her father and brother have been chosen to help the new residents. Hannah can cook and has many skills that the new French-Americans need. While she starts as a servant, Hannah proves herself over and over and becomes a true asset to the de La Roques. Both girls become enmeshed in the question of slavery. Noble in spirit, if not in birth, Hannah understands the grief that the people feel when they finally learn that their queen is dead and will not be coming to join them.


The book begins in 1793 and would make an excellent companion to the Fever 1793 book by Laurie Halse Anderson. That book also stars a teenage girl.