{"id":38709,"date":"2020-12-14T23:06:37","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T03:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38709"},"modified":"2020-12-14T23:06:37","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T03:06:37","slug":"review-of-a-long-road-on-a-short-day-by-gary-d-schmidt-elizabeth-stickney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38709","title":{"rendered":"Review of A Long Road on a Short Day, by Gary D. Schmidt & Elizabeth Stickney"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A Long Road on a Short Day<\/em><\/p>\n

by Gary D. Schmidt & Elizabeth Stickney
\nwith illustrations by Eugene Yelchin<\/p>\n

Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2020. 60 pages.
\nReview written December 10, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

A Long Road on a Short Day<\/em> is a gentle but engaging story for kids ready to start chapter books. There are twelve short chapters with large print. The pictures show us that the story is set in a time before cars, in a farming community that gets cold in the winter.<\/p>\n

This is one of those stories about trading up, about making a series of trades and ending up with something much better than what you started with. But I love that everyone who makes a trade in this book is convinced they made a good trade. It\u2019s a story about a community helping each other out and everyone ending up happier.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the book begins:<\/p>\n

Early on a white January morning, Samuel\u2019s mother said, \u201cI do wish we had a brown-eyed cow to give us milk for the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samuel\u2019s father set down his mug.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for your tea,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Samuel\u2019s father smiled and got up from the table. He took his best Barlow knife from the mantel and said to Samuel, \u201cDress warm if you\u2019re coming with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samuel ran to get his coat off the hook. \u201cWhere are we going, Papa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo find that brown-eyed cow for your mother,\u201d Papa said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s a strong sense of time constraint, as each chapter ends with a reminder that it\u2019s \u201ca long road on a short day.\u201d First they look up at gray clouds, then a dark sky, then a few snowflakes, then a dusting of snow, then thick and dark clouds, then a storm, then steady snow and a low sun with gusts of wind.<\/p>\n

Finally, after a series of stops and a series of trades that each neighbor confirms is a good one:<\/p>\n

The snow was falling fast and the light was almost gone when Samuel and his father turned toward home. They walked down Hurd Hill, past the tall white pines, past the Everetts\u2019 farm, toward the Wire Bridge and town. \u201cCome, Bossy,\u201d said Papa.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Along the way, Samuel wishes several times that a brown-eyed cow wasn\u2019t what Mama had wanted. So it\u2019s all the more delightful when the final farmer throws in something special for Samuel.<\/p>\n

The authors don\u2019t have to tell us that Papa is clever and observant and knows his neighbors well. He manages the trades beautifully, and he and Samuel have an adventure of a day, even if it is a short one with a long road.<\/p>\n

hmhbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/long_road_on_a_short_day.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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