Hope's Gift - Hardcover

Lyons, Kelly Starling

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399160019 ISBN 13: 9780399160011

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2012

Synopsis

A poignant story celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

It’s 1862 and the Civil War has turned out to be a long, deadly conflict. Hope’s father can’t stand the waiting a minute longer and decides to join the Union army to fight for freedom. He slips away one tearful night, leaving Hope, who knows she may never see her father again, with only a conch shell for comfort. Its sound, Papa says, echoes the promised song of freedom. It’s a long wait for freedom and on the nights when the cannons roar, Papa seems farther away than ever. But then Lincoln finally does it: on January 1, 1863, he issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves, and a joyful Hope finally spies the outline of a familiar man standing on the horizon.

Affectingly written and gorgeously illustrated, Hope’s Gift captures a significant moment in American history with deep emotion and a lot of charm.

About this title

About the Author:

Kelly Starling Lyons lives in Raleigh, N.C.
Don Tate lives in Austin, TX.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 1-3-Hope's father flees the plantation where he works for the Master to fight against slavery. He leaves his daughter with a conch shell and tells her to hold it to her ear to hear the sound of freedom, which will come one day. Hope, her brother, and their mother miss Papa terribly. Seasons pass, holidays come and go, but still he has not returned. Life is difficult, particularly working in the cotton fields, and made worse by her worry about her father. One day, she looks up to see him with a troop of Union soldiers marching up the road. Not only is he home at last, but he also brings the promise that freedom is at hand. The author tells a story of sadness, separation, and love; a story of sacrifice and freedom. Readers cannot avoid the parallels between Papa's leaving to fight for freedom and the Master's leaving his young daughter to fight against the emancipation; the separation for each child is equally painful. Illustrations are drawn with simple lines and soft colors, using somewhat exaggerated head sizes, which emphasizes characters' emotions. The most effective scene shows plantation workers singing and praying for their freedom in the woods on New Year's Eve. Bare winter trees are silhouetted against the dark sky, with the gathered individuals shown in expressive poses as they worship. Hope is in the foreground, her arms open wide with anticipation. A general purchase for all collections.-Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, MEα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0399160019
• ISBN 13: 9780399160011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Tate Don