ALA Booklist (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

This I Can Read Chapter Book is a good introduction to historical fiction. Noah loves the freedom of the prairie when his family moves to Colorado in the 1880s. Why does he need to read? His parents are barely literate and they do all right. But they want him to learn, and when his aunt arrives to visit, she sets up school for him in the sod house. At first he's resistant and he excuses himself to do lengthy chores. Eventually, his aunt, who is confined to a wheelchair, gets Noah to wheel her outside, where they share the joy of the prairie and she shows him that reading can help him know more. Avi's clear, simple language never sounds condescending, and the pictures show the tough kid's bond with those who love him. The adults are a bit too nice and understanding, but new readers will enjoy both Noah's rebellion and his awakening to the astonishing facts, stories, and poetry he can find in books.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2001)

Nine-year-old Noah, who loves life on the prairie, resists his aunt's efforts to teach him to read and write until Dora shows him how an education will help him better understand the natural world around him. Set in 1880 Colorado, the short chapter book has a large typeface, short sentences, and a reader-friendly layout. An emphasis on sepia tones in the full-color illustrations helps create an old-fashioned mood.

Kirkus Reviews

In his third entry in the I Can Read Chapter Book series, master storyteller Avi ( Abigail Takes the WheeI , 1999, etc.) offers another transitional chapter book with a historical setting, this time the isolated prairie of Colorado in pioneer days. <p>In his third entry in the I Can Read Chapter Book series, master storyteller Avi (<i>Abigail Takes the WheeI</i>, 1999, etc.) offers another transitional chapter book with a historical setting, this time the isolated prairie of Colorado in pioneer days. Nine-year-old Noah works alongside his parents and loves his outdoor-oriented life on the family's homestead. He sees no reason for schooling, but his parents have other ideas. They invite Aunt Dora, who uses a wheelchair, to come from Maine for a long visit with the purpose of providing some "book learning" for her nephew. Noah digs in his heels and resists his aunt's lessons, but being a determined and skilled teacher, she finds a way to connect with Noah by teaching him about the stars and native plants. Over the summer Noah learns to read and write and by fall is able to read aloud to his proud parents, who have limited reading skills. When Dora returns to her home in the East, she leaves a letter for Noah (presented in letter format), and on the book's last page, Noah writes his own touching letter to his aunt, which the reader senses will be the start of a fruitful correspondence. Farnsworth's glowing paintings capture the details of Noah's pioneer life, showing the dim, cramped interior of their sod dugout and the endless expanse of the prairie. This quiet, thoughtful story will have a subtle appeal to children who may have resisted "book learning" themselves, and the matter-of-fact inclusion of a still-active young teacher in a wheelchair provides further depth to the theme of reading as a "frigate like a book to take us lands away." <i>(Fiction. 7-9)</i></p>

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Nine-year-old Noah loves living on the Colorado prairie in the 1880s where he helps his parents with all of the work. When Aunt Dora comes from the East to teach him how to read, he sees no need to do so and refuses to cooperate with her. However, his aunt refuses to give up. She asks Noah to show her the land even though he warns her that her wheelchair may make it difficult to get around. As he wheels her along, she consults the book in her lap and begins to tell him about the natural things around them. Impressed by her knowledge, the child decides to learn to read and write, and realizes that his aunt has opened a world beyond the prairies to him. Warm, soft-edged illustrations capture the intimacy of the loving family relationships and the vastness of the landscape on dark, starlit nights and glorious, sky-blue days. A combination of double-page spreads, full-page, and half-page illustrations appealingly reinforce the mood and action of the text. This gentle story with a great message that is nicely woven into the daily events would make a pleasant read-aloud as well as a good addition to easy chapter-book collections.-Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.