An exquisite paean to everyone who struggles to learn how to read, and to everyone who won't give up on them. "Cal is not the readin' type. Living way high up in the Appalachian Mountains, he'd rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the same. She comes in the rain. She comes in the snow. She comes right up the side of the mountain, and Cal knows that's not easy riding. And all just to lend his sister some books. Why, that woman must be plain foolish-or is she braver than he ever thought?That Book Woman is a rare and moving tale that honors a special part of American history-the Pack Horse Librarians, who helped untold numbers of children see the stories amid the chicken scratch, and thus made them into lifetime readers." David Small is the illustrator of many award-winning books, including The Library, the Caldecott Medal winner So You Want to Be President?, and the Caldecott Honor books The Gardener and One Cool Friend. He lives in Michigan with his wife, the writer Sarah Stewart, and an outdoor cat named Mabel.
