Book Review: "That Book Woman"

I read "That Book Woman" by Heather Hansen (pictures by David Small) to my two boys yesterday and just fell in love with it. This work of fiction was inspired by courageous work of the "Pack Horse Librarians" who were known as "Book Women" in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. These women would travel through all sorts of weather to bring free books to families to read. Every two weeks they would come to take back the old ones and bring a new set. In "That Book Woman" the main character Cal really doesn't see the point of "The Book Woman" or books in general. By the end of the story he has changed his tune. He swallows his pride and asks his sister to teach him to read and he discovers the magic of books. As someone who loves books and the magic of the written word so very much, I was touched by the message of the value of literacy. I was also impressed by the lengths these women went to in order to share books with these rural communities. This is a wonderful book to share with your children!