Anna is the child of Mennonites from Mexico, who have come north to harvest fruit and vegetables. Sometimes she feels like a bird, flying north in the spring and south in the fall; sometimes like a jackrabbit in an abandoned burrow, since her family occupies an empty farmhouse near the fields; sometimes like a kitten, as she shares a bed with her sisters.
But above all Anna wonders what it would be like to be a tree rooted deeply in the earth, watching the seasons come and go, instead of being like a "feather in the wind." Anna's story of life as a migrant worker, which combines feeling like an outsider as her family moves from farm to farm with a sense of connection with the broader community of migrant workers, is a powerful way to build empathy for the experiences of farm workers and to generate conversations about the people who provide the food we eat.
"Arsenault’s mixed-media images of doll-like figures in overalls and long print dresses, hats and headscarves effectively capture both Anna’s sense of isolation and the close family ties that keep her immediate family and larger community together.... A moving, inventive and thoughtful look at a way of life many people share." — Kirkus Reviews
Recommended Age | 4 and up |
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Author | Maxine Trottier |
Illustrator | Isabelle Arsenault |
ISBN | 0888999755 |
Publication Date | Mar 1, 2011 |
Publisher | Groundwood Books |
Language | English |