"Every day I cross my fingers and wait for
Jackson to come back. At night I make a
wish on every shooting star. I rub the magic
stone I found in my yellow rain boot. Finally,
I draw a magic hopscotch. I hop forward on
one leg. I hop backward with my eyes closed.
I make a wish: Jackson, please come back!"
I am such a fan of Marie-Louise Gay's child-centered books. She has an innate knack for knowing how little ones think and behave. Ophelia, who narrates this captivating new book, has a great love for the dog next door. She watches from her window as he runs back and forth, while attached to the clothes line in the garden. She longs to free him from the prison she sees him living in; then, she will give him a good home and much love, as best friends do.
A day comes when Jackson is gone. She has questions. Did he escape? Where is he? There are no answers, and no Jackson. He does not return, despite her fervent hopes. When her parents tell her they are moving, as they have done many times before, she is distraught. How will Jackson find her? Their new cabin leaves much to be desired. It is old, and at the edge of town where huge rabbits fill the yard and cause worry. The night noises are endless.
Ophelia's first day at her new school is equally disconcerting. An ogre acts as crossing guard, her new teacher speaks French, a language she does not know. The children all stare. She hides. Music and art hold interest, and recess allows the creation of a magic hopscotch, like the one she made when Jackson disappeared. Other children join her there. Dreams of Jackson help her cope with the many changes and allow thoughts of better days ahead.
The way Ms. Gay captures a child's ability to use their abundant ingenuity and imagination to guide them through dark days is a constant source of wonder to me. Her signature illustrations, done in watercolor, acrylic paint, art wax crayons, and 6B pencil are marvelous, as ALWAYS!
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