Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel

My own kids are grown or nearly grown, but after coming across a copy of Miss Bridie Chose a shovel, I immediately made sure I got hold of enough copies to give someday to all the many grandchildren I don't have yet. This one is the real thing, one of those classics that will end up in your (or your grandchildren's) bookcase next to Ox-Cart Man, Ping, Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight Moon. Without being the least bit heavy handed,and in rich but spare prose, Connor tells the story of Miss Bridie, who brings one important possession with her when she emigrates to what we assume is America. With her humble shovel she builds a new life for herself and her family. Though she experiences hardship, danger, and sadness, the book is filled with joy. This is the one your little ones will bring to you over and over, saying "Read it again!"

This book by Leslie Connor captures the life experience of a young immigrant woman who comes to the New World with only a shovel. We see through her eyes the ways her life changes through the years, as she uses the shovel to stake out a place for herself, marrying, having children, running a farm. Although it's not a long, complicated story, the richness of the book lies in its reflection of how life progresses and changes through the years, with both love and loss. I have read it to my children again and again, and each time I feel that Ms. Connor has captured some essence of life and change that will make this a book my kids will want to have for their entire lives. It's truly one of those books we'll treasure. The elegant pictures by Mary Azarian complement the story perfectly.