Age 04-08. 5 Stars. Zoe, traveling with her family to Nebraska, knows her mother has doubts about moving to an unsettled territory, but her father is unable to provide for them back in Illinois… Bunting’s spare text gives just enough detail to evoke the feelings these settlers must have experienced, leaving the reader with the desire to learn more about this piece of American history.

Age 04-08. 5 Stars. There are many legends about John Chapman, the quiet man who planted apple orchards across early America. This book captures the romantic mystery of these legends, while emphasizing that they are based on a real person’s story… This book, well-written in rhyming verse and illustrated by the gifted folk artist Kathy Jakobsen, is an excellent addition to any child’s library, but will be especially attractive for Christian readers because of its emphasis on John Chapman’s faith. It is a tribute that conveys well how Chapman’s influence is still felt in American culture, and it ought to whet the appetite for exploring the history behind the legend.

Age 08-12. 5 Stars. Travis Coates is a 14-year-old boy, left alone to protect his mother and younger brother on his family’s 19th-century Texas homestead…. [He performs] an extraordinary act of moral courage, but it comes at the end of a story filled with ordinary acts of responsibility. In this outstanding coming-of-age story, Travis’s manhood is achieved at great cost, and in this cost he proves his worth as a man.