School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--Looking for a better life, a pioneer father moves his pregnant wife and daughters west. Both Zoe and Rebecca recognize their mother's isolation and depression as they arrive at their claim stake in the middle of the prairie, and try to work extra hard to please her. Zoe's first-person account describes a visit to neighbors (only three hours away) and a trip to town for supplies, where she finds something that she hopes will help cheer her mother: a clump of dandelions, which she and her father speculate came west as a seed on a wagon. They plant it on the roof of their sod home, and the story ends with the clump looking dry and lifeless. However, the closing words indicate that the family feels more hopeful about their prairie life to come; the last picture shows a panoramic view of their farm of the future, with the dandelions covering the roof and the fields plowed and fertile. The gouache on canvas paintings are grand and sweeping; they emphasize the vast expanse of open land that dwarfs and seems to swallow up everything that comes in contact with it. The characters are frequently shown in deep shadow underneath sun hats, as the sun blazes down on them. When their faces are shown, there is a hazy lack of focus in an almost impressionistic style that heightens the centrality of place and climate, rather than individual character. Yet these people make their mark and find their place; modern readers will identify with this family's experiences and concerns, and will admire their adventurous spirits. Bunting tells a poignant story, which is made even more affecting by its lovely illustrations.--Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA

Horn Book

Like the dandelions she plants on the roof of their Nebraska soddie, Zoe believes that the transplanting of her family will 'take,' despite the difficult transition. Young Zoe's narration conveys both youthful confidence and fear as the family work to adjust to their new prairie life. Gouache illustrations effectively portray the vast, sun-drenched prairie and complement the text.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

When a girl and her family move west to Nebraska in the 1800s, they face challenges as they build their sod house and settle into a new life. Ages 5-8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

Kirkus Reviews

It would be hard to come up with a tale of western settlers that's not a clichC, but Bunting (Spying on Miss MAller, p. 553, etc.) has done it. She takes a look at a pioneer woman, seen through the sympathetic eyes of her daughter, Zoe. While Zoe's father is challenged by the prospect of building a sod house on his turf, his pregnant wife is obviously homesick, and the prairie offers little solace: The view never changes, there are few neighbors, the closest town is a day's journey. In the gift of a miraculous patch of dandelions dug up from the roadside, Zoe hopes to cheer her mother (for a book for older readers, with a similar theme, see the review of Jennifer Armstrong's Black-Eyed Susan, above). Of the re-rooting of the dandelions, her mother says, ``Don't expect a miracle, Zoe. It will take time.'' The last page shows the sod house crowned by a roof of gold. Shed (Staton Rabin's Casey Over There, 1994) creates scenes that makes this family larger-than-life; they capture the baked yellow heat of summer, and the golden weed that represents home. A memorable book, for the way its characters struggle with unhappiness, and slowly overcome it. (Picture book. 5-10)"

ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 1995)

for reading aloud. Zoe and her family have traveled by covered wagon from Illinois to the Nebraska Territory. As they build a sod house and meet new neighbors, Papa can barely contain his enthusiasm. Mama, on the other hand, remains quiet, thinking of the family and memories left behind. On a trip to town with her father for supplies, Zoe spots a mass of dandelions and realizes that the flowers are much like her family--they may be out of their element on the prairie, but they will survive and bloom in their new land. The gouache paintings capture the lonely panorama of the landscape, and the classically painted, sometimes faceless figures give the book a sense of universality. A solid choice for read-alouds, this may also be used with older, reluctant readers or students learning about the westward movement. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1995)