(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Lang. This is a somewhat disjointed biography of a Canadian woman who suffered from physical disabilities and an impoverished life and still created paintings that evoke joy. Reproductions of the paintings of Maud Lewis, the self-taught twentieth-century artist who depicted life in Nova Scotia, show her bold, naive folk style, while Lang's careful, soft black-and-white drawings depict scenes in the artist's life.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Lang. A woodcutter and his family live an idyllic life deep in a peaceful forest, but things change when he goes off to war, then returns, broken and bitter. Clearly a storyteller's storyteller, Bodger weaves together bits and pieces throughout the novel that will be easily recognizable to folklore aficionados. Notes document sources at the back, and occasional woodcuts add to the overall elegance of this slender book.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2000