An exquisitely illustrated paean to everyone who struggles to learn
how to read, and to everyone who won't give up on them.
Cal is not the readin' type. Living way high up in the Appalachian
Mountains, he'd rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep
than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still
reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the
same. She comes in the rain. She comes in the snow. She comes right up
the side of the mountain, and Cal knows that's not easy riding. And all
just to lend his sister some books. Why, that woman must be plain
foolish--or is she braver than he ever thought?
That Book Woman is a rare and moving tale that honors a special part
of American history--the Pack Horse Librarians, who helped untold
numbers of children see the stories amid the chicken scratch, and thus
made them into lifetime readers.