  | From there to here Author: Croza, Laurel | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
A little girl and her family have just moved across the country by train and at first everything about "there" seems better than "here."
| Illustrator: | James, Matt |
Common Core Standards
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (03/01/14)
School Library Journal (05/01/14)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (07/14)
The Hornbook (00/05/14)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 05/01/2014 K-Gr 3—This continuation of the author's I Know Here (Groundwood, 2010) contrasts the experiences of a girl who had been living in the wilds of Saskatchewan with those of her new life in Toronto. Her father's work in construction has brought about the move, and the stark differences in lifestyle drive the narrative: "There. We lived on a road…A road without a name. Here. We live on a street…Birch Street. I don't see any birch trees." There is a nostalgic tone to the spare text, as the girl recalls living in a trailer surrounded by nature's majesty and playing with the other workers' children who "traveled in a pack—all the kids, so long as we could keep up." Living in the city means asphalt and locked doors and streetlights dimming the stars, all factors that make the move more unsettling. The book can be read one its own but clearly works best as a companion title, for without its predecessor the girl's former life loses some of its emotional heft. For example, one needs to know that she was the only third grader in her one-room school in order to fully appreciate the neighbor Anne, who meets the moving truck the afternoon, they arrive and announces that she, too, is "Eight, almost nine." As in the first book, expressionistic acrylic and ink illustrations add depth to the story, as do the marvelous endpapers depicting a map of central Canada. A satisfying sequel to I Know Here.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2014 This follow-up to I Know Here shows our protagonist now relocated from her rural Saskatchewan home to a life in urban Toronto. Back in Saskatchewan, Dad came home for lunch, while here he’s gone all day; there, she and her siblings “traveled in a pack,” but now her older brother has gone his own way; there smelled like home, but here just smells like new carpet. It’s not all bad, though: a girl named Anne invites the protagonist out to ride bikes together, and our transplant realizes the city can bring good new things, too. This has the same plainspoken child perspective as the first title, setting out movingly how deeply unrooted and how bereft such a big move can make a kid; the details of what’s altered are sharply observed, daily life normalities that will resonate with kids in town and country. Saturated, painterly strokes of ink take on an expressionistic flair in the absorbing illustrations, which often face “there” and “here” against each other across the gutter, vividly conveying their opposition. The girl’s imaginings are occasionally brought to the fore, with rangy pine trees shadowing her city bedroom, and intrigued viewers will want to pore over the spreads for other significant elements (such as Anne’s earlier appearance). Even kids who haven’t moved have likely been uncomfortably away from home, so just about everyone will be able to relate to this; it would make an interesting pairing with Perkins’ Pictures from Our Vacation (BCCB 7/07) for a look at the way new experiences can surprise us. DS - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
