Bibliographic Citation
Holt, K. (1998). My Louisianna sky. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Summary
Tiger Ann lived with her Granny and her parents in a small town of Louisianna in the 50's. Tiger's parents were both considered slow and Tiger was often made fun of by the other girls. She had one good friend, Jesse Wade, but he was a boy. Then her Granny dies and she wants to move away from her hometown to Baton Rouge with her aunt. But in the end she realizes that she is in the right place close to her family and home.
Impressions
I think it is a wonderfully written book showing the importance of family, home, and strong ties of small town communities back long ago. The setting is very descriptive and makes the reader want to be there too. There is good friendship involved and embarassment felt by being rejected that is quite typical among girls.
Suggestions For Use in a Library
1. Book talk about how communites long ago helped one another
2. Discussion about the title and why was it called that
Reviews
For eleven-year-old Tiger Ann Parker, Saitter, Louisiana, is not only the place where she has lived her whole life with Momma and Daddy and Granny, but also a place where some people think that her "Momma and Daddy should have never been allowed to get married because they're different"--or "retarded." Momma giggles and coos in front of the new rabbit-eared television from morning 'til night ("It's Howdy Doody time...") and Daddy can't even do simple math. Granny, the backbone of the household and an integral source of strength for Tiger, tells her, "People are afraid of what's different. That don't mean different is bad. Just means different is different." But for Tiger, "different" has become just plain embarrassing. Why can't her parents be more like Aunt Dorie Kay, Momma's younger sister, who wears high-heels and make-up and has a fancy job in Baton Rouge? When the death of her grandmother presents Tiger with the opportunity to move with Dorie Kay to Baton Rouge, even in her grief she can hardly leave Saitter fast enough. But after cutting her hair a la Audrey Hepburn and going by "Ann" for a while, Tiger begins to see the ways of her parents that, while not glamorous or book-smart, root her to home and to herself. Holt's languid storytelling style is as unhurried as a Louisiana summer, a soft steady breeze turning the pages. She exercises unusual restraint for a first-time novelist as she eases the action along with a low-key, unpretentious plot, never resorting to over-dramatization or sentimentality in developing her uncannily credible characters. So honest is Holt's portrayal of Tiger, Momma, Daddy, Granny, and the rest that one wonders if she wrote their story while sitting in a rocker on a Saitter front porch, under the vast promises of a Louisiana sky.
Bousquin, Marilyn. (1998). My Louisiana sky. The Horn Book Magazine 74(4).
Tiger Ann Parker realized her mother was different when she first started school. Folks said she was retarded. When Tiger learns the truth about her mother after Grandmother dies, she is faced with life-changing decisions. This heartfelt story helps readers understand the mentally challenged and the power of family love.
My Louisiana sky. (2000). Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 44(3), 286.
Gr. 5-8. Tiger Ann Parker describes her life during the summer between sixth and seventh grades in Saitter, a small town in central Louisiana, during the 1950's. When her grandmother dies, Tiger must choose between what promises to be an exciting life in Baton Rouge with her glamorous aunt or staying at home, where she will offer support to her loving, but mentally disabled parents.
My Louisiana sky. (2004). Book Links, 13(6), 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment