ALA Booklist (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Cal describes his way-up mountain home o high / we hardly sight / a soul" t that changes when the Book Woman, a traveling librarian, rides up to the house. The Book Woman is a boon for Cal's sister, Lark, "the readenest child you ever did see," but no use to Cal, who is not "born / to sit so stoney-still / a-starin at some chicken scratch." However, he is impressed by the librarian, who rides in all weather; finally, he asks Lark to teach him to read. This tribute to the Pack Horse Librarians of Appalachia has a lyric, simple style that lends itself to reading aloud. Henson, a Kentucky native, creates a reliable narrator in Cal, whose journey to reading is gentle and believable. There are a couple of stereotypes here (Mother is pregnant and barefoot), but overall, the mixed-media illustrations (ink, watercolor, pastel) support the text's genial flow. Mountains and sky achieve a lofty spaciousness that makes the Book Woman's ride even more impressive. An author's note gives background on the WPA's Pack Horse Librarian program.

Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Cal sees no cause to sit "stoney-still / a-staring at some chicken scratch." His sister Lark, however, is an avid reader, and their parents warmly welcome a librarian from the WPA's Pack Horse Library Project into their remote Appalachian home. Small's deft lines and masterful watercolors convey the family's affection and Cal's mixed emotions about reading.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Gr 2-4 Heather Henson's award-wining book (Atheneum, 2008), inspired by the Pack Horse Librarians of the 1930s who brought books to rural residents of the Appalachian Mountains, is presented here in grand style. Walker Harrison reads the story in a boy's voice as it is told in the first person by Cal, a young man who is, at first, unimpressed by both books and the woman who brings them. As time goes by, however, he begins to wonder what his sister, Lark, sees in all that chicken scratch. What could be so important about it to make a woman ride up into the hills every two weeks through rain, heat, and bitter cold? When Cal asks for Lark's help in learning to read, he turns an important corner that will open the world to him. Background music with an Appalachian air accompanies this reading in a fine regional accent. The text is lyrical, and occasional homespun language brings it to life. David Small's warm ink-and-watercolor illustrations are scanned iconographically with minor animation added. In interviews, the author and the illustrator discuss the research process, their childhoods, and the joy they find in the written word. This exceptional title can easily be paired with Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius (Viking, 1982) and My Great-Aunt Arizona (HarperCollins, 1992) by Gloria Houston to inspire children with a vision of what is possible.— Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA

Kirkus Reviews

Young Cal lives high in Kentucky's Appalachian Mountains. Sister Lark keeps her nose in a book nearly from daybreak to dusty dark. Cal's a mite suspicious—and more than a mite resentful—of this, as he spends most of his time helping Pap with chores. One day, he spies a sorrel mare clippity-clopping slowly up the mountain; the rider's not a man neither, but a lady wearing britches! She carries a passel of books in her saddle packs; all the family (exceptin' Cal) welcomes her warmly. Back she comes several times a year, no matter how bad the weather. This causes Cal to wonder why she's so dedicated, and he asks Lark to help him learn to read. By the time the Pack Horse Librarian appears again, she's made another convert. Small's illustrations, combining ink, watercolor and chalk, add an appropriately earthy warmth, complementing the precise prose beautifully. Every line oozes character: The hound dog's ears flop like nobody's business, and Cal's face in the foreground displays every emotion as he moves from scowling suspicion to wonder. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)