A story of moving west, Dandelions portrays the widespread emotions that come from life adjustment and a new situation. Having left her grandparents' house, Zoe and her family, Papa, Mama, Rebecca, and a baby on the way, travel across the great unknown and mysterious west where grass stretches as far as the eye can see. Papa expresses great joy and excitment while Mama remains hesitant and sad. With land of their own, Zoe's family must make it their own. They attempt to make their new location a place to be called home.As the summary above describes, this story "was about more than the dandelions. I could feel it." Papa plants dandelions on top of the house that will hopefully one day cover the roof. However, just as the family's adjustment takes time so do the dandelion's roots. "Their roots have to take hold first. It isn't easy being transplanted." The dandelion metaphor captures the essense of this story.
I noticed that the picture on the cover along with the first few pictures creates indistinguishable faces. It seems as though this family traveling west could be anyone. Their story is not unique until they arrive at the location of their new home. Although the story is mainly in the words, the illustrations display an extra dimension that shows the vastness of the west. Greg Shed, the illustrator, varies the pictures by having some span the width of two pages while others cover one full page. The richness of the painted illustrations completed the story for me. I liked how the story ended with a picture set off by itself with no words included. The final picture shows the family's soddie house blooming rich with dandelions. Just as the dandelions have made their roots on the roof, the family has set roots in the west. This compelling story defines the meaning of moving. The pain...the hardship...the unknown...but also the hope.
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