Module 6: Dandelions

Module 6: Dandelions

Book Summary:

Dandelions is a historical fiction picture book depicting one family's journey to their new homestead in the Nebraska territory. The story shows how pioneers helped settle the westward frontier of America. A little girl named Zoe traveling west relates her journey by covered wagon: sleeping under the stars and crossing rivers with the oxen, coming to their claim and building a house, and clearing and planting land. She is excited for a trip into town with her father to pick up necessary supplies and on the trip, she is surprised by the amount of people and things appearing on the western frontier. On the way back, she spots a clump of dandelions that they transport back to their homestead and plant on the sod roof with the hope that their bright yellow color will always show the way home.

APA Reference of Book:

Bunting, E. (1995). Dandelions. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Impressions:

Dandelions is an excellent portrayal of the challenges and successes faced by the pioneers settling the expanding westward frontier. Told from a child's point of view, the story is candid and does not just gloss over the issues and problems but instead relates them in terms a child can understand and empathize with. For example, Zoe says "sometimes a river was easy to cross and sometimes hard" , river crossings could be incredibly dangerous but Zoe doesn't say it in a way meant to scare children, but she does relate in a way that lets the reader know that river crossings could cause problems. Zoe overhears her father one night explaining to her mother that he can make a much better life for his family here than he could have back in Illinois. Zoe mentions that she feels sorry for her father, who seems to be pleading with her mother. Life on the frontier was difficult and lonely and for women especially, it was difficult to leave family, friends and comforts behind to move into the unknown.

However, there are moments of hope, happiness, and triumph. Going into town provided Zoe with a plethora of sights, sounds, and smells which were so different from the lonely quiet of their land. She is excited to relate everything to her little sister and mother who stayed behind. Finding the dandelions is a pivotal moment for Zoe who sees herself in the clump of dandelions adrift in the flat lands of Nebraska. Taking the dandelions back to their homestead to plant on their sod roof, Zoe has hope that her mother will never worry about her being lost again. The last illustration of the book is a home tucked among the fields with a brilliantly yellow roof, covered with the transplanted dandelions that took root there. This is meant to reflect Zoe's family's success in being transplanted and putting down roots. This was a very clever way to incorporate the issues of loneliness and perseverance that pioneers faced and triumphed over in a way children could easily empathize with.

Professional Review:

It would be hard to come up with a tale of western settlers that's not a cliche, but Bunting (Spying on Miss Muller, p. 553, etc.) has done it. She takes a look at a pioneer woman, seen through the sympathetic eyes of her daughter, Zoe. While Zoe's father is challenged by the prospect of building a sod house on his turf, his pregnant wife is obviously homesick, and the prairie offers little solace: The view never changes, there are few neighbors, the closest town is a day's journey. In the gift of a miraculous patch of dandelions dug up from the roadside, Zoe hopes to cheer her mother (for a book for older readers, with a similar theme, see the review of Jennifer Armstrong's Black-Eyed Susan, above). Of the re-rooting of the dandelions, her mother says, "Don't expect a miracle, Zoe. It will take time." The last page shows the sod house crowned by a roof of gold. Shed (Staton Rabin's Casey Over There, 1994) creates scenes that makes this family larger-than-life; they capture the baked yellow heat of summer, and the golden weed that represents home. A memorable book, for the way its characters struggle with unhappiness, and slowly overcome it. (Picture book. 5-10)

Dandelions (2010). [Review of the book Dandelions, by E. Bunting]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Have a history themed story-time for older readers of picture books and use this book. Serve licorice sticks and for the craft, make a basic lavender sachet.