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~ Priscilla and the Hollyhocks
~ Shy Mama's Halloween

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Illustration by Anna Alter from Priscilla and the Hollyhocks (Charlesbridge, 2008)
used by permission

  Priscilla is a slave in the Big House. The hollyhocks her mother planted by the cow pond are all Priscilla has left to remember her by. When Master dies, Priscilla is sold to a Cherokee family. Another plantation, same life. Based on a true story, Priscilla and the Hollyhocks follows Priscilla from her early years on a Southern plantation to her forced march along the Trail of Tears to the chance encounter that leads to her freedom. On her journey from slave to free woman, Priscilla carries something precious with her: hollyhock seeds... and hope.

     "Priscilla and the Hollyhocks tells a story too often ignored or overlooked - a story of how the west was not won but captured. Reading about Priscilla's remarkable life makes all our hearts a bit warmer while filling our heads with a much-needed piece of American history."
 
     Nikki Giovanni, poet

• Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
• Bank Street College's The Best Children's Books of the Year
• Massachusetts Book Awards recommended reading list (one of five picture books chosen)

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Illustration by Leane Morin from Shy Mama's Halloween (Tilbury House, 2000)
used by permission

 

  Anne's first children's book, Shy Mama's Halloween tells the story of a Russian immigrant family's first experience of Halloween in the United States, their adopted country. Although most North American children take for granted wearing costumes and going from house to house trick-or-treating, Anya, Irina, Dasha, and Dimitrii have never known the magic of Halloween. For their mother, who is uncomfortable with America, this holiday becomes a courageous step into a new world. The oldest daughter, Anya says, "Here, in the darkness, surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of other children, we, too, were American. No one cared that our 'Thank you' was said with an accent. No one cared that our Mama, in her babushka, could speak only a few words of English. Halloween was our holiday, as much as anyone else's."

• Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People for 2001
• the McNaughton List
• Teachers' Choice 2002 Award, Learning Magazine

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You can order these books from your favorite bookstore (check Booksense.com for a list of independent booksellers).