The Great Plains stretch for hundreds of miles. This vast area has a harsh geography in many places. Drought is always a possibility for the area as are spring tornadoes and winter blizzards.
When settlers came west in the 1860s, they encountered enormous amounts of grassland. Accustomed to forests and trees in their home states, the Great Plains seemed like a windswept grass ocean to many. But the Great Plains actually are quite attractive if people develop perception. But how is this possible? Jane Yolen discusses these questions in this lovely story of an immigrant family settling in Nebraska after the Civil War. The name of this charming tale is "Elsie’s Bird."
Elsie lives in Boston with her recently widowed father. They have a pleasant enough life, and Elsie loves the city with its interesting harbor and fishermen. Her grandparents love the child and she returns their affection. But each Sunday after church as she and her father walk home, Elsie notices a heavy sadness in her father’s heart. She knows he is grieving the loss of his beloved wife. To cope with her feelings, Elsie has developed close friendships with all the birds in the neighborhood. These flying beauties give the young girl happiness. But Elsie’s pleasant childhood changes abruptly when her father decides to leave Boston and its painful memories, and move to a farm in rural Nebraska.
To make the journey easier, her father lets Elsie take her yellow canary, Timmy Tune. As she waves goodbye to her sobbing grandparents, Elsie tries to figure out what going west means. But as they cross the Appalachian Mountains and continue through the prairie states of Illinois and Iowa, she begins to understand. Soon the train reaches Nebraska. For the first time in her life, Elsie looks out and sees a vast ocean of grass swaying in the wind. The Nebraska plain is so huge that Elsie becomes frightened that she might become lost in the grass sea.
When they finally get to their sod house, the child cannot believe the nearest neighbors are several miles away. An immense fear and loneliness descend upon Elsie. In particular she fears getting lost in the waving grass surrounding the sod house.
Though she quietly cries herself to sleep each night, Timmy Tune’s lovely chirping brings her joy each day.
One day, her father drives the wagon to the nearest town to get supplies alone, as Elsie is still too timid to leave the sod house. After her father’s departure, she accidentally leaves Timmy’s bird cage door open. He flies out into the tall grass fields. Elsie runs after him and quickly becomes lost. But as she searches for the canary, Elsie began to see flowers and other birds she hadn’t noticed before. She had no idea the grass ocean was so alive, and so interesting. But she is still lost and needs to find Timmy Tune and her path home.
What does Elsie do? How can she find Timmy Tune in an ocean of grass? What does she do when fear grips her heart? Have you ever been lost? Did anyone come to help you? What does Elsie’s father do to find the child? To discover the answers, go to the library and read this charming book, "Elsie’s Bird," by Jane Yolen.
Jane Yolen is one of the most prolific and beloved authors in the field of children’s literature. This picture book is a beautiful story of a family healing from past hurts and discovering the beauty of Nebraska. I highly commend this lovely read -aloud to you and your family.
