2006 IRA Children's Book Award Notables 2005 SCBWI Golden Kite Honor Book (Picture Book Text) CCBC Choices 2006 2008 Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Master List (Kansas) 2007-2008 Show Me Readers Award Master List (Missouri) 2007-2008 Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award Master List 2008-2009 Georgia Picture Book Award Master List
Six-year-old Sarah Marie, her mother, and her little sister travel down south to visit Grandmama in the summer of 1956. Grandmama makes every effort to shield her granddaughters from the prejudice that still plagues her town. But as Sarah Marie learns to read, she notices Grandmama's town is filled with signs and rules that she's never understood before. As Sarah Marie tries to make sense of the world around her, she's left wondering if life in the South will ever change.