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I Know Here
CCBC Review:
When she learns that her family will be moving from rural Saskatchewan to Toronto in the summer, a young girl simply states her uncertainty: “This is where I live. I don’t know Toronto. I know here.” “Here” is the road she lives on, the forest behind her trailer home, and the sound of the wolves that howl at night. "Here" is the truck that delivers groceries, her teacher and the nine kids in her school, and “the squishy spot by the beaver dam where my little sister, Kathie, catches frogs and puts them in a bucket.” The details of place are quietly comforting even as they convey a sense of pending loss in Laurel Croza’s graceful narrative. The story concludes with the young narrator’s burst of childlike inspiration: she can preserve her memories by drawing a picture, taking them with her when she goes. Matt James’s comforting illustrations offer a sense of intimacy imbued with a little whimsy—a perfect accompaniment to this lyrical, heartfelt story. ©2010 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Matt James
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Change
Creativity
Moving
Rural Life
Publishers:
Groundwood, House of Anansi
Publish Year: 2010
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780888999238
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Croza