That Book Woman by Heather Henson

When the Book Woman comes to the front doorstep of Cal's Appalachian farm, the last thing Cal will do is ask to borrow one of her books.  He's not a book boy by any means.  Cal fills his days working on his family's Appalachian farm instead of reading like his sister and attending school lessons.  Only Cal's sister is excited for each visit of the Book Woman.

After the Book Woman arrives through a treacherous winter storm, Cal decides he must try out one book to see what the fuss is all about. Under his sister's tutelage, Cal becomes engulfed in the world of reading.  In the spring time when the Book Woman returns, Cal's mother givers her a homemade berry pie "for making two readers outta one."

Heather Henson's tale is a delightful story of how reading can intrigue anyone.  Henson's use of Appalacia's southern dialect adds a special touch touch and even a challenge to the reader to bring out her southern twang.  In teh concluding author's note, Henson writes how her story "Was inspired by the true and coragoes work of the Park Horse Librarians who were known as "Book Women" in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky."  With regional libraries at our fingertips, I have not often thought about access to free books prior to establishment of libraries.  The Kentucky Book Women have become some of my new heroes.  I am indebted to Henson for introducing this part of history to me.

David Small's soft watercolors somehow capture the sharp features of Cal's discontented face whenever he thinks about reading.  When Henson begins to write about the rain and snow the Book Woman travels through,  Small extends the text through darker illustrations reflecting the Book Woman's difficulty to get through the storms.  It is through Small's illustrations that we see the completed character development of Cal and how he comes to love books.

From the challenged reader who thinks reading is "not cool" all the way to the reader who absolutely loves books, That Book Woman is a joy for all.