Realistic Appalachian Picture Books

By Judy A. Teaford and Tina L. Hanlon

Realistic Appalachian Picture Books by Author

A-B | C | D-F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P-Q | R | S | T | U-Z

AND Fantasy and Concept Books that Contain Realism

Appalachian Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (on a separate page)

A-B

Appelt, Kathi. The Best Kind of Gift. Illus. Paul Brett Johnson. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. See page on this book in Appelt's web site. A humorous story about a boy wanting to give a gift to the new parson.

Balderose, Nancy Ward. Once Upon A Christmas Pony: A Mountain Christmas. Illus. Nancy Ward Balderose. Ridgefield, CT: Morehouse Publishing, 1992. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Bates, Artie Ann. Ragsale. Illus. Jeff Chapman-Crane. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1995.

Belton, Sandra. From Miss Ida’s Porch. Illus. Floyd Cooper. New York: Four Winds, 1993. Belton's book re-examines the past, revealing truths not limited to the Appalachian region—a past life where African Americans are not allowed to sleep in motels, where Duke Ellington and Marian Anderson are not allowed to sing in certain places. Here the community comes together to reminisce, to share a history that is very much a part of Appalachian and national history.

Belton, Sandra. May'naise Sandwiches & Sunshine Tea. Illus. Gail Gordon Carter. New York: Four Winds Press, 1994.

Birdseye, Tom. Airmail to the Moon. Illus. Stephen Gammell. Holiday House, 1988. See background and illustrations at Tom Birdseye: Children's Book Author.

Birdseye, Tom, and Debbie Holsclaw Birdseye. She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain. Illus. Andrew Glass. New York: Holiday House, 1994. See background and illustrations at Tom Birdseye: Children's Book Author.

Borton, Lady. Junk Pile. Illus. Kimberly Bulcken Root. New York: Philomel, 1997.

Bradby, Marie. Momma, Where Are You From? Illus. Chris K. Soentpiet. New York: Orchard Books, 2000. Momma tells her young daughter where she came from by recalling special moments from her past in rich detail. She tells of peddlers, segregated schools, listening to Duke Ellington and Count Basie, and close ties with neighbors and family. Realistic, beautifully rendered watercolor illustrations add to the authenticity of the book.

Bradby, Marie. More Than Anything Else. Illus. Chris K. Soentpiet. New York: Orchard Books, 1995. Powerful story about Booker T. Washington's childhood hunger for learning to read, in a time when it was forbidden for slaves to read. The story ends when he begins to learn the alphabet and is shown how to write his name.

Brown, Elizabeth Ferguson. Coal Country Christmas. Illus. Harvey Stevenson. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2003. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Buck, Pearl S. Christmas Day in the Morning. Illus. Mark Buehner. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Bulla, Clyde Robert. Daniel’s Duck. Illus. Joan Sandin. New York: HarperTrophy, 1979.

Carroll, Ruth, and Latrobe Carroll. Tatum Family Series (see annotated bibliography in AppLit at this link)

Carson, Jo. Pulling My Leg. Illus. Julie Downing. New York: Orchard Books, 1990. A comical story about a girl losing a tooth with help from a joking uncle.

Carson, Jo. You Hold Me and I'll Hold You. Illus. Annie Cannon. New York: Orchard Books, 1992. A young girl tells how she and her father deal with the death of her great-aunt. There are few culturally specific details but Carson is an important Appalachian author from eastern Tennessee.

Caudill, Rebecca. A Certain Small Shepherd. Illus. William Pene Du Bois. New York: Henry Holt, 1965. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Caudill, Rebecca. A Pocket Full of Cricket. Illus Evaline Ness. New York: Holt Owlet, 1964. A boy who prepares to begin school by stuffing his pockets full of things he finds attracts attention on the first day of school with a pet cricket in his pocket.

Caudill, Rebecca, and James Sterling Ayars. Contrary Jenkins. Illus. Glen Rounds. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969. Humorous stories. "Relates the episodes in the life of Contrary Jenkins as he lived by the 'law of contrary' in Tennessee and Arkansas."

Chaffin, Lillie D. We Be Warm Till Springtime Comes. Illus. Lloyd Bloom. New York: Macmillan, 1980. 32 pp. "Young Jimmy Jack Blackburn searches for fuel to keep his mother and baby sister warm through a severe Appalachian winter." See short review and cover at blog Granny Sue's News and Reviews by Susanna Holstein in WV.

Crist-Evans, Craig. Moon Over Tennessee: A Boy’s Civil War Journal. Illus. Bonnie Christensen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.

Crum, Shutta. My Mountain Song. Illus. Ted Rand. New York: Clarion, 2004. Kentuckian Brenda Gail learns that everyone has a song inside them. However, she has to decide if she wants to include her pesky cousin Melvin in her special song. Delightful and rich illustrations add to the lyrical text. See review in ALCA-Lines (2004 issue, available as pdf file at this link).

D-F

Frazee, Marla. Hush, Little Baby: A Folk Song with Pictures. Illus. Marla Frazee. NY: Harcourt, 1999. A traditional lullaby illustrated with images from the Appalachian Mountains.

G

Gibbons, Faye. The Day the Picture Man Came. Illus. Sherry Meidell. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2003. 32 pp. Humorous story about the day Emily Howard's parents try to get their big farm family to pose for a traveling photographer. Called "a rollicking, laugh-out-loud read" with "delightfully exaggerate[d]" watercolors by Publishers Weekly (2/15/03 review).

Gibbons, Faye. Emma Jo's Song. Illus. Sherry Meidell. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2001. "Emma Jo thinks she is the only nonmusical member of her very musical family, but when she goes to the Puckett family reunion she discovers her gift."

Gibbons, Faye. Mama and Me and the Model T. Illus. Ted Rand. New York: Morrow, 1999. "When Mama gets behind the wheel of the new Model-T which her husband just drove into the yard of their Georgia mountain home, she proves that she can drive a car as well as the men of the family."

Gibbons, Faye. Mountain Wedding. Illus. Ted Rand. New York: Morrow, 1996. "The children from two mountain families about to be joined in a wedding change their minds about each other only after all of them together cooperate in a rescue."

Gray, Libba Moore. When Uncle Took the Fiddle. Illus. Lloyd Bloom. New York: Orchard Books, 1999. "Uncle's inspired playing of the fiddle causes sleepy family members to pick up other instruments and join him, while the neighbors come to join the celebration."

Griggs, Leland. Posted: No Trespassing. Illus. Russell Jewell. Pickens, SC: Meadow Spring Publishing, 2001. The author and illustrator are both Appalachian naturalists. Inspired by Thoreau, the book portrays the author's attempt to claim an abandoned farm that had been taken over by many kinds of wildlife. "Griggs . . . provides a clear message that humans, animals and nature can live in harmony if external forces do not disrupt its delicate and intricate balance. . . . As the illustration and text reveal, a hasty governmental act could cause this ecosystem to die." Quotation from Review by Bea Bailey in ALCA-Lines: Journal of the Assembly on the Literature and Culture of Appalachia, vol. IX (2001): 16-17.

Harshman, Marc. Moving Days. Illus. Wendy Popp. New York: Holiday House, 1995. Harshman’s book is a well-written and beautifully illustrated picture book whose universal appeal will allow all children to identify with it.

Harshman, Marc. Only One. Illus. Barbara Garrison. New York: Cobblehill Books, 1993.

See Marc Harshman author page for more detailed information on his works, philosophy, etc.

Harshman, Marc and Cheryl Ryan. Red Are the Apples. Illus. Wade Zahares. San Diego: Gulliver Books, 2001.

Haynes, Mary. Pot Belly Tales. Illus. Michael J. Deraney. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1982.

Hendershot, Judith. In Coal Country. Illus. Thomas B. Allen. New York: Dragon Fly Books, 1987. Like Smucker’s No Star Nights, In Coal Country also reveals pollution, that of mining and railroading. Honest text and realistic illustrations present a genuine picture of Willow Grove. Like the children playing on the slag hill in Smucker’s book, the children in this book play on gob piles, oblivious to the danger they may encounter. Here again, hard work is a real part of Appalachian life, and family harmony is part of what makes this tough life worthwhile.

Henson, Heather. Angel Coming. Illus. Susan Gaber. Atheneum, 2005. Publisher description: "High in the hills of Kentucky, a little girl eagerly awaits the arrival of a very special visitor—an 'angel' who, she is told, will come riding up the mountain on horseback, carrying a baby sister or brother in her saddlebag. ... This gem of a story highlights a little-known piece of American history: the Frontier Nursing Service, a pioneering group of women who came to be called 'angels on horseback.'" An author's note describes Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service in the early 20th century. The girl's first-person narrative includes details of mountain life and customs surrounding the birth of a child.

Hiser, Berniece T. The Adventure of Charlie and His Wheat-Straw Hat: A Memorat. Illus. Mary Szilagyi. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1986. During the hard times of the Civil War, when seven-year-old Charlie of Frozen Creek, KY needs a straw hat for his first day of school and his Granny makes him one, his attempt to save his hat from rebel soldiers and hungry sheep result in his reward for saving a neighbor's cattle. Miriam Bein's review praises Hiser's use of dialect and Szilagyi's illustrations (in Now and Then, vol. 4.1, Spring 1987, p. 32).

Hodson, Debbie. A Mountain Rainbow. Illus. Miriam Moyer. Emmalena, KY: IvyStone Press, 2004. Five chapters with soft, rainbow-colored illustrations and borders throughout. The author and artist are both from southeastern KY. Nellie loves her mountain home in the 1930s but her family decides to move north so her father can work in a factory instead of the mines. There is a touch of magic when Nellie catches a miniature rainbow in her hand and puts it in her heart. She adjusts to city life and visits her grandparents in the summer. When her own children are grown, Nellie convinces her husband to move to the mountains with her and their grandchildren visit Granny Nellie.

Horstman, Lisa. The Troublesome Cub in the Great Smoky Mountains. Gatlinburg, TN: Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, 2001. For details, see AppLit bibliography Nature and the Environment in Appalachian Literature.

Houston, Gloria. But No Candy. Illus. Lloyd Bloom. New York: Philomel Books, 1992. A girl starting first grade lives above her father's general store and writes to her uncle in World War II, when there is no more candy for the store. Her father trades with a gypsy to give his wife candy for Valentine's Day. When the war is over and Uncle Ted returns with chocolate to share, Lee, the girl, realizes she is growing up, life changes, and now she places less importance on candy.

Houston, Gloria. Littlejim's Gift: An Appalachian Christmas Story. Illus. Thomas B. Allen. New York: Philomel Books, 1994. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Houston, Gloria. My Great-Aunt Arizona. Illus Susan Condie Lamb. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. Rather than the stereotypical picture of uneducated, ignorant Appalachians, Houston’s book offers a more valid picture of real teachers and one-room schools in the Appalachian region. This is a moving story of a lively, loving woman (Houston's real great-aunt) who dedicated her life to teaching, showing the scope of her life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC from childhood through 57 years of teaching and old age. She did her duty to her family as well as pursuing her own dream of going off to school and becoming a teacher. See more details in HarperCollins web pages on the book, author, and illustrator; Review at Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site; and Lesson plan by Nancy Polette, 1999, in Nancy Polette's Children's Literature Site.

Houston, Gloria. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. Illus. Barbara Cooney. New York: Dial Books, 1988. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys. Illus. E. B. Lewis. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. "In the post-Civil War South, a young African American girl is determined to prove that she can go to school just like her older brothers. Virgie, youngest in a family of boys, vows that she will accompany her brothers when they walk the seven miles to school every Monday morning. All Virgie wants is to go to school with her brothers George, Will, Nelson, Val, and C. C. But they keep saying she's too little for the long, seven-mile walk, and that girls don't need school. Well, Virgie doesn't agree, and she's not gonna let anything stand in her way."

J

Johnson, Paul Brett. Farmers' Market. New York: Orchard Books, 1997. Set in Lexington, KY, where a child accompanies her farm family to an open-air market.

Johnston, Tony. Amber on the Mountain. Illus. Robert Duncan. New York: Puffin Books, 1994. "Isolated on her mountain, Amber meets and befriends a girl from the city who gives her the determination to learn to read and write." Some reviewers express confusion about whether the book looks Appalachian or modern, or not.

Justus, May. Barney, Bring Your Banjo. Illus. Jean Tamburine. New York: Henry Holt, 1959.

Justus, May. Sammy. Illus. Christine Chisholm. Chicago: Albert Whitman, 1946.

Justus, May. Susie. Illus. Christine Chisholm. Chicago: Albert Whitman, 1947.

See Books by May Justus for more comprehensive annotated list of author's work and links to other resources.

Kerns, Thelma. You Don't Pat a Bee. Illus. Bryant Owens. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 2000. Advice for children based on sayings of children in the author's life. See picture and short description at Overmountain web site.

Kurtz, Shirley. Applesauce. Illus. Cheryl Benner. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1992. "A family works together to make enough applesauce to last through the coming winter. Includes directions for canning applesauce." By a resident of WV.

Kurtz, Shirley. Birthday Chickens. Illus. Cheryl A. Benner. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1994. "A boy's birthday brings him a host of chickens, whose care consumes his attention and eventually that of the entire family."

Kurtz, Shirley. The Boy and the Quilt. Illus. Cheryl A. Benner. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1991. "With a little help from his mother and sister, a young boy makes a quilt of his own. Includes instructions for making a quilt and a comforter." By a WV writer.

Lambert, Paulette Livers. Evening: An Appalachian Lullaby. Illus. Paulette Lambert. New York: Rinehart, 1995. Two young boys are lulled to sleep by the sounds of the Appalachian night and their father's fiddling. This story is based on a traditional Kentucky lullaby in which a father tries to persuade his two small sons to come in from the wilderness.

Lawson, John. You Better Come Home with Me. Illus. Arnold Spilka. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1966. Set in the Appalachians, this is the tale of an extraordinary boy in a land both real and alive with legend.

Lentz, Alice Boggs. Mountain Magic: A Family's Legacy of Faith. Illus. David Griffin. Nashville, TN: Tommy Nelson, 1998.

Lentz, Alice B. Tweetsie Adventure. Illus. Carol B. Murray. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1995. See Overmountain web site for summary and picture

Lentz, Alice B. Mountain Magic: A Family's Legacy of Faith. Illus. David Griffin. Nashville, TN: Tommy Nelson, 1998.

Lyon, George Ella. Basket. Illus. Mary Szilagyi. New York: Orchard, 1990. A heart-warming story about the many uses of a grandmother's oak egg basket. She loses it when she moves and thinks she left important things in it, but after her death her granddaughter finds the basket with only one spool in it. She cherishes the basket that reminds her of her grandmother's familiar rhymes and ways. Includes a song about a spool of thread.

Lyon, George Ella. Cecil’s Story. Illus Peter Catalanotto. New York: Orchard, 1991. The second-person poetic text follows a boy imagining how he'll have to struggle on the farm if his father goes off to the Civil War and his mother goes to tend his wounds, but Cecil is reassured that his father's strength and affection remain even if he returns with one arm.

Lyon, George Ella. Come a Tide. Illus. Stephen Gammell. New York: Orchard, 1990. While the humorous illustrations and witty text seemingly ignore the seriousness of a flood, the book does present both the realities of a flood and the importance of family and community working together.

Lyon, George Ella. Mama is a Miner. Illus. Peter Catalanotto. New York: Orchard, 1994. See Lesson Plan for Mama is a Miner by George Ella Lyon. A young girl pays tribute to her mother, a coal miner. The bitter hardship and danger of coal mining are sharply contrasted with the safer, more traditional role of a homemaker.

Lyon, George Ella. A Regular Rolling Noah. Illus. Stephen Gammell. New York: Aladdin, 1986. Noah Gabbard from Pathford, KY tells about taking his first train ride to tend the neighbors' animals in a boxcar when they move to flat land in Canada. After he rides home in style, he intends to tell folks, "Be glad you have these mountains to call home." Lively, colorful watercolors emphasize Noah's friendly relations with hoboes and animals, and the changing colors of the sky.

Lyon, George Ella. A Sign. Illus. Chris Soentpiet. New York: Orchard, 1998. A writer tells how she thought of different exciting careers before she discovered that she was meant to "make words glow." Based on Lyon's childhood fascination with neon signs and her neighbor who made them. Bright watercolors depict the child's world in the mid-20th century, including her letter to the President after her school watches the beginning of space travel.

Lyon, George Ella. Who Came Down That Road? Illus. Peter Catalanotto. New York: Orchard, 1992. When a child asks his mother the title question, she tells him of people and animals who traveled the road back into prehistoric times.

See Bibliography of Books by George Ella Lyon for complete list of author's works.

M-O

Marie, Nancy. Country Christmas. Illus. Delores Rylan. Grafton, WV, 1979. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

May, Kathy L. Molasses Man. Illus. Felicia Marshall. New York: Holiday House, 2000. Family traditions and the passing of skills combined with bold art made this an excellent book for use in nearly all classes. May provides a short history of the making of molasses in her "Author's Note" at the end of the book.

Millen, C. M. Blue Bowl Down: An Appalachian Rhyme. Illus. Holly Meade. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2004. In this lullaby, an Appalachian mother and child spend time in the evening preparing the dough for resting, just as they will do. The uncomplicated rhyme and bold collages pay tribute to one of life's simpler pleasures.

Mills, Lauren. The Rag Coat. Illus. Lauren Mills. Boston: Little, Brown, 1991. A young girl finds acceptance by being courageous—by returning to school in the coat of many colors that the community women have made for her, even though she is at first laughed at by her peers

Mills, Patricia. Until the Cows Come Home. North-South, 1993. Tinted photographs of rural scenes in West Virginia.

Moser, Barry. Good and Perfect Gifts: An Illustrated Retelling of The Gift of the Magi. Illus. Barry Moser. Boston: Little, Brown, 1997. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

P-Q

Parton, Dolly. Coat of Many Colors. Illus. Judith Sutton. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

Poulsen, Kathleen Phillips. Apple Doll. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 2002. A family story about mountain traditions, including songs and games, with a pattern for an apple doll. See short description at Overmountain web site and review by Charisse Floyd in Foreword Magazine web site, with picture.

R

Ransom, Candice. One Christmas Dawn. Illus. Peter Fiore. BridgeWater Books, 1995. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Ransom, Candice. F. The Promise Quilt. Illus. Ellen Beier. New York: Walker, 1999. A good book to compare with the novel Where the Lilies Bloom by Bill and Vera Cleaver because the widowed mother and children have to make do with what they have on their farm in Virginia after the Civil War.

Ransom, Candice. F. Tractor Day. Illus. Laura J. Bryant. New York: Walker, 2007. In the rhyming text, a young girl tells about spending the day plowing and planting with her father. Her mother, a baby, farm animals, and some watchful crows also appear in the story, depicted in colorful, realistic watercolors. Based on Ransom's childhood on an Appalachian farm and tractor rides with her stepfather, as well as Bryant's experience living among farmers in the Shenandoah Mountains. See illustrations and reviews at Bryant's web site.

Ransom, Candice F. When the Whippoorwill Calls. Illus. Kimberly Bulcken Root. New York: Tambourine, 1995. Ransom was inspired by the uprooting of Virginia families when "In 1924, a portion of the Blue Ridge was chosen as the site for a national park near the nation’s capital. Some 465 families lived within park boundaries. Most of the families did not own the land they lived on and farmed. The landowners sold their property, so the mountain families had to move" (Author’s Note).

Ryan, Cheryl. Sally Arnold. Illus. Bill Farnsworth. New York: Cobblehill Books, 1996.

Rylant, Cynthia. Christmas in the Country. Illus. Diane Goode. New York: Blue Sky Press, 2002. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Rylant, Cynthia. The Relatives Came. Illus. Stephen Gammell. New York: Bradbury, 1985. Rylant tells the story of Virginia relatives who leave their home early in the morning to arrive in West Virginia with loads of hugs, laughter, and fun. Gammell’s humorous illustrations combine with Rylant’s light-hearted and warm text to recall the wonder and delight of family visits, reunions that remind readers of the harmony of a long standing Appalachian tradition.

Rylant, Cynthia. Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story. Illus Chris K. Soentpiet. New York: Orchard Books, 1987. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

Rylant, Cynthia. This Year's Garden. Illus. Mary Szilagyi. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1994. Rylant summons fond memories of the changing seasons while children and adults alike wait to plant the new garden. It celebrates the family working together and the coming together of the community.

Rylant, Cynthia. When I Was Young in the Mountains. Illus. Diane Goode. New York: Dutton, 1982. a nostalgic look back at Rylant’s own youth in West Virginia, this is the tale of a young girl’s memories of growing up in the 1950s, the grand-daughter of an Appalachian coal-mining family. The lack of amenities such as running water and electricity is clearly portrayed in Rylant’s book; however, there is sentimentality in the adult narrator’s memory. The focus is on the harmony of family and community life.

Seabrooke, Brenda. Looking for Diamonds. Illus. Nancy Mantha. New York: Cobblehill, 1995. "A young girl shares a special visit with her grandparents in the countryside."

Seale, Galya Dowdy. The Little Squash Seed. Illus. Galya Dowdy Seale. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 2003. Story about the miracle of gardening by a native of Bristol, TN. Picture and short description at Overmountain web site.

Seymour, Tres. Hunting the White Cow. Illus. Wendy Anderson Halperin. New York: Orchard, 1993.

Seymour, Tres. We Played Marbles. Illus. Dan Andreasen. New York: Orchard Books, 1998.

Shelby, Anne. Homeplace. Illus. Wendy Anderson Halperin. New York: Orchard, 1995. A Richard Jackson book. "A grandmother and grandchild trace their family history."

Shelby, Anne. We Keep a Store. Illus. John Ward. New York: Orchard Place, 1990. Like Homeplace, based on Shelby's family’s homeplace in Clay County, Kentucky.

Smucker, Anna Egan. No Star Nights. Illus. Steve Johnson. New York: Knopf, 1989. Smucker recalls her life in the small mill town of Weirton, West Virginia. The harsh realities of working in an Appalachian steel mill—the pollution, the danger—are honestly presented in both text and illustrations. However, there is tenderness present in the adult narrator’s memories of her childhood. Additionally, Johnson’s warm, hazy oil paintings help mute the harshness of life in the small mill town.

Smucker, Anna Egan. Outside the Window. Illus. Stacey Schuett. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

See Anna Smucker author pages for more detailed information on books, including lesson plans, activities, author bibliography.

Sullivan, Sarah. Root Beer and Banana. Illus. Greg Shed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2005. Molly tells about visiting the general store on a hot summer day with her grandfather, making friends with a girl who helps solve the dilemma about whether to get a root beer or banana ice pop. The girls get one of each, trade halves, and sit under a tree with a dog, "swapping stories / the way old friends do." The new friend is named Miracle because she was born after her mother had been told she could have no more children. Poetic text and gouache full-page illustrations in soft colors. Sullivan, a resident of Charleston, WV, tells on her web site that the story was inspired by a workshop with George Ella Lyon and childhood memories of buying popsicles while visiting her grandparents in Tappahannock, Virginia.

Swain, Gwenyth. I Wonder as I Wander. Illus. Ronald Himler. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2003. See Appalachian Christmas Picture Books for summary.

U-Z

Vorndan, Judith Clay. Mr. Bear Lives There. Illus. Arthur Skupniewicz. Painesville Publishing, 2005. A story illustrated with line drawings about a little girl in 1952 who stops being afraid of Mr. Bear when she learns he is Mr. Baer the beekeeper. The author grew up in Seth, WV.

Fantasy and Concept Books that Contain Realism

Note: Folktales are listed in a separate Folktale Picture Book Bibliography.

Busse, Sarah Martin and Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Banjo Granny. Illus. Barry Root. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Granny gets magical help traveling across different kinds of landscape with her banjo to visit her grandson, who is "wiggly, jiggly, and all-around giggly." Although Martin and her family and the story's settings are not specifically Appalachian, the story focuses on love bluegrass music as well as family devotion. Busse, a poet (and Martin's daughter), wrote the song "Banjo Granny." The first stanza and music are in the book. Other stanzas are in Martin's web site. Reviews and study guides are also on the web site.

Caudill, Rebecca. The Best-Loved Doll. Illus. Elliott Gilbert. 1962. New York: Henry Holt, 1990. Betsy has to decide which of her four dolls to take to a party, where the mother of her friend decides to give an extra prize for the best-loved doll, because it's obvious that Betsy loves her well-worn doll Jennifer. There is some fantasy in this "read-aloud story for girls," when the four different kinds of dolls in Betsy's bedroom talk. Caudill is a native of Harlan County, KY. Gilbert's illustrations give the setting an urban, early twentieth-century look. Several traditional counting-out rhymes are included when Betsy is trying to choose among her dolls.

Cheek, Pauline. Appalachian Scrapbook: An A-B-C of Growing Up in the Mountains. Johnson City, Tenn: Overmountain Press, 1988. 161 pp. Review by Llewellyn McKernan. Appalachian Journal, vol. 15 (Summer 1988).

Crane, Carol. P is for Peach: A Georgia Alphabet. Discover America State by State Alphabet Series. Illus. Michael Braught. Chelsea, MI Sleeping Bear Press, 2002. Several paragraphs of background accompany a short poetic text and illustrations of the feature for each letter of the alphabet. Stone Mountain is one of the items included.

Crane, Carol. T is for Tar Heel: A North Carolina Alphabet. Discover America State by State Alphabet Series. Illus. Gary Palmer. Chelsea, MI Sleeping Bear Press, 2003. Several paragraphs of background accompany a short poetic text and illustrations of the feature for each letter of the alphabet. Items related to western NC include the Appalachian Mountains, the Biltmore mansion, Carl Sandburg's Rutabaga stories, and the history of NASCAR ("Z is for zoom!").

Cullen, Lynn. Little Scraggly Hair: A Dog on Noah's Ark. Illus. Jacqueline Rogers. New York: Holiday House, 2003. "The legend of how the dog got a wet nose first appears in print as 'The 'Ole in the Ark,' by Marriott Edgar, a Scottish writer and stage performer. . . .I retold the story from the dog's point of view, emphasizing the development of the dog's long-standing friendship with humankind. . . .I chose the uniquely American speech of southern Appalachian as recorded in the 1950s by eminent folklorist Richard Chase in his book American Folk Tales and Songs. By using the dialect in Little Scraggly Hair, I hoped to preserve a voice that is a valuable part of our national heritage" (Author's Notes).

Edwards, Pamela Duncan. O is for Old Dominion: A Virginia Alphabet. Discover America State by State Alphabet Series. Illus. Troy Howell. Chelsea, MI Sleeping Bear Press, 2005. Several paragraphs of background accompany a short poetic text and illustrations of the feature for each letter of the alphabet. Some of the items included are Arlington National Cemetery, Monticello, and Booker T. Washington

Eversole, Robyn Harbert. The Magic House. Illus. Peter Palagonia. New York: Orchard Books, 1992.

Hall, Francie. Appalachian ABCs. Illus. Kent Oehm. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1998. Each letter represents a plant and some other feature of natural history or Appalachian culture.

Horstman, Lisa. The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball. Gatlinburg, TN: Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, 1997. For details, see AppLit bibliography Nature and the Environment in Appalachian Literature.

Kerns, Thelma. A Ducky Wedding. Illus. Bryant Owens. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1991. See picture and short description at Overmountain web site.

Kerns, Thelma. Flea Market Fleas From A to Z. Illus. Bryant Owens. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1998. See picture at Overmountain web site.

Lyon, George Ella. A B Cedar: An Alphabet of Trees. Illus. Tom Parker. New York: Orchard, 1996. Tree names from A to Z are illustrated with silhouettes of the full tree and colored india ink drawings of hands with leaves, berries, and nuts.

Lyon, George Ella. Counting on the Woods. Photo. Ann Olson. DK Ink, 1998. Poetic lines of text and photographs combine counting with appreciation for natural objects observed by a child in the eastern Kentucky woods.

Pack, Linda Hager. A is for Appalachia! The Alphabet Book of Appalachian Heritage. Illus. Pat Banks. Prospect, KY: Harmony House, 2002. The author (a teacher from Hamlin, WV) describes Appalachian traditions in the past tense: "The Appalachian about which I write is of a distant time and place." The book reprints two tales by Leonard Roberts: "The Devil's Big Toe" on the page "G is for ghost stories" (p. 16), and "Jack and the Bean Stalk" on the page "J is for the clever boy in the Jack Tales" (pp. 20-22). Pack stresses that "Jack was a country boy just like the children who loved hearing about him." The tales are from Sang Branch Settlers and Old Greasybeard (see Roberts in Appalachian Folktale Collections). Other pages describe traditional folkways, language, and customs. Watercolor illustrations are by an artist from Madison County, KY.

Paul, Ann Whitford. Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet. Illus. Jeanette Winter. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.

Riehle, Mary Ann McCabe. B is for Bluegrass: A Kentucky Alphabet. Illus. Wes Burgiss. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2002. Fun rhymes, along with factual information about the state, introduce both younger and older readers to the state of Kentucky. Realistic illustrations add to the authenticity of the text.

Riehle, Mary Ann McCabe. M is for Mountain State: A West Virginia Alphabet. Discover America State by State Alphabet Series. Illus. Laura J. Bryant. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2004. Playful rhymes accompany each letter of the alphabet; for the older reader, factual information about the state have also been included in side panels for each letter. West Virginia illustrator Bryant takes advantage of her many travels throughout the state to provide authentic, colorful illustrations. The Allegheny Mountains and black bear are two of the items included.

Shoulders, Michael. V is for Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet. Discover America State by State Alphabet Series. Illus. Bruce Langston. Chelsea, MI Sleeping Bear Press, 2001. Several paragraphs of background accompany a short poetic text and illustrations of the feature for each letter of the alphabet. In addition to plants and animals, pages pertaining to Appalachia include Appalachian Mountains, Cloggers, Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, Quilts, Sequoyah, Trail of Tears, Unikite (a unique gem in the Unaka Mountains), Volunteers (including Davy Crockett at the Alamo). Review questions at the end of the book.

This Page Created: 11/16/2001
Last Update: 05/12/2008 05:38:21 PM
Links Checked: 9/17/06

Index of AppLit Pages by Genre: Fiction
Index of AppLit Pages by Genre: Folklore
Index of AppLit Pages by Genre: Picture Books
Index of AppLit Pages by Genre: Poetry
Folktale Picture Book Bibliography
Picture Books with Cherokee Themes

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