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Home in the Woods
This picture book from Eliza Wheeler is based on her grandmother's childhood and pays homage to a family's fortitude as they discover the meaning of home.
Eliza Wheeler's book tells the story of what happens when six-year-old Marvel, her seven siblings, and their mom must start all over again after their father has died. Deep in the woods of Wisconsin they find a tar-paper shack. It doesn't seem like much of a home, but they soon start seeing what it could be. During their first year it's a struggle to maintain the shack and make sure they have enough to eat. But each season also brings its own delights and blessings—and the children always find a way to have fun. Most importantly, the family finds immense joy in being together, surrounded by nature. And slowly, their little shack starts feeling like a true home—warm, bright, and filled up with love.
Eliza Wheeler's book tells the story of what happens when six-year-old Marvel, her seven siblings, and their mom must start all over again after their father has died. Deep in the woods of Wisconsin they find a tar-paper shack. It doesn't seem like much of a home, but they soon start seeing what it could be. During their first year it's a struggle to maintain the shack and make sure they have enough to eat. But each season also brings its own delights and blessings—and the children always find a way to have fun. Most importantly, the family finds immense joy in being together, surrounded by nature. And slowly, their little shack starts feeling like a true home—warm, bright, and filled up with love.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2019
22 people are currently reading
1691 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Wheeler
26 books105 followersEliza Wheeler is the author-illustrator of MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS (Penguin), which debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. She is also the illustrator of the Newbery Honor winning novel by Holly Black, DOLL BONES (Simon & Schuster), and Mara Rockliff's picture book THE GRUDGE KEEPER (Peachtree). Eliza is the recipient of numerous Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators awards, including the Grand Prize Award for best portfolio at the 2011 SCBWI National Conference.
Eliza grew up in northern Wisconsin in a family of teachers, musicians, and artists. Some of the strongest influences on her creativity have been the wild Wisconsin seasons, canoeing the Brule River, picking blueberries with her grandmother, and digging through the snow with her brothers. Eliza currently lives with her husband in Los Angeles, California. See her work at www.wheelerstudio.com
Eliza grew up in northern Wisconsin in a family of teachers, musicians, and artists. Some of the strongest influences on her creativity have been the wild Wisconsin seasons, canoeing the Brule River, picking blueberries with her grandmother, and digging through the snow with her brothers. Eliza currently lives with her husband in Los Angeles, California. See her work at www.wheelerstudio.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 416 reviews
October 17, 2019
This book is just beautiful. Knowing that it's based on the true story of the author's grandmother made it even more special.
Marvel is six years old when her father passes away in 1932. Because of this, Marvel, her mother, and seven siblings must start their lives over. In the woods of Wisconsin they discover a tar-paper shack and they quickly move in. At first, the living circumstances are difficult and they struggle to make ends meet, especially during the first frigid winter. The children adapt, but they miss their father. Through the seasons they learn how to entertain themselves and just enjoy being together as a family.
This book made me emotional. My grandparents went through the Great Depression, but losing a parent or husband on top of every other struggle during that time had to just be harrowing for this family. I think the author did an amazing job writing this story into a children's book so they can be aware of the events from this time period and think about what's really important in life.
5*****
Marvel is six years old when her father passes away in 1932. Because of this, Marvel, her mother, and seven siblings must start their lives over. In the woods of Wisconsin they discover a tar-paper shack and they quickly move in. At first, the living circumstances are difficult and they struggle to make ends meet, especially during the first frigid winter. The children adapt, but they miss their father. Through the seasons they learn how to entertain themselves and just enjoy being together as a family.
This book made me emotional. My grandparents went through the Great Depression, but losing a parent or husband on top of every other struggle during that time had to just be harrowing for this family. I think the author did an amazing job writing this story into a children's book so they can be aware of the events from this time period and think about what's really important in life.
5*****
April 6, 2021
I love northern Wisconsin and have spent a lot of time there, so that helped me appreciate this northern Wisconsin tribute Eliza Wheeler makes to her great-grandmother. They were evicted from their home during the Depression, and found a tar-paper shack in the deep woods, but her great-grandfather died of cancer before they even moved in. A 34-year-old woman then raised eight children there for several years. The story doesn't have a lot of details, but is arranged by seasons, with images that stay with you of family, of working together, making food, canning, preserving it, fishing, sewing quilts, shooting game, learning the names of animals and trees and plants.
They play games such as General Store where they fantasize about all the things they could buy there if that had the money (my sister and I did this with the Sears Catalogue in my working class house). Many struggles, but much joy, laughter, love in this fine book. I really loved the optimism in it.
They play games such as General Store where they fantasize about all the things they could buy there if that had the money (my sister and I did this with the Sears Catalogue in my working class house). Many struggles, but much joy, laughter, love in this fine book. I really loved the optimism in it.
February 9, 2020
Not so much a story as a wonderful tribute -- told in vignettes -- to the author's great-grandmother, who created a warm and loving family environment for her eight children despite living at poverty levels in a shack in the woods of Wisconsin during the Great Depression immediately following the death of her husband. Beautifully drawn.
(I didn't find out until afterward that Wheeler also provided the art for the delightful Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series.)
(I didn't find out until afterward that Wheeler also provided the art for the delightful Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series.)
March 21, 2025
HOME IN THE WOODS is a beautifully written and illustrated book based on the author's grandmother's experience during the Great Depression.
Marvel is just six years old when her father dies, and her mother and seven siblings move into a tar-paper shack in the Wisconsin woods. What starts out as a dismal place is transformed into a cozy home through cooperation, determination, and lots of love. It's an inspiring story for children, and also a glimpse of how real people persevered during this difficult time in history.
I originally received a digital copy of this book through Edelweiss, but checked out a physical copy from the library to really appreciate the gorgeous pictures. This is a book I'd love for my keeper shelf as well.
Marvel is just six years old when her father dies, and her mother and seven siblings move into a tar-paper shack in the Wisconsin woods. What starts out as a dismal place is transformed into a cozy home through cooperation, determination, and lots of love. It's an inspiring story for children, and also a glimpse of how real people persevered during this difficult time in history.
I originally received a digital copy of this book through Edelweiss, but checked out a physical copy from the library to really appreciate the gorgeous pictures. This is a book I'd love for my keeper shelf as well.
January 20, 2021
Eliza Wheeler writes these really unique and unexpected picture books that are both beautiful and lovely to read. Knowing the personal significance of this story to Wheeler's family makes it even sweeter, and she's right: we should be preserving these stories from our grandparents now.
October 23, 2019
This awesome historical fiction picture book takes readers to the Great Depression of the early 1930s when many families struggled to find work to make enough money to buy the basics - a home, food, clothing, etc. The author based this story on the experiences of her grandmother's family in northern Wisconsin. Without a home, Marvel's mother and her children moved into a small abandoned shack in the woods. Through the seasons, hard work and determination allowed this family to have everything they need to live comfortably. This would be a good book to share as part of a study of this time period. It also could be a good mentor text for young writers who wish to explore and share their own family narratives.
December 9, 2019
An absolutely gorgeous picture book that I picked up just because I thought the illustrations were so enticing- reminded me of the Barbara Shook Hazen books that I loved so much when I was a kid--Home in the Woods is a sweet story about a large family and how they manage to find happiness living in a tar paper shack in the woods after losing their father during the years of The Great Depression. The details about how the family worked together, lived off the land and managed to have fun despite not having any money, I suspect will be comforting and charming to children today, and I think this book would make a fantastic read aloud for kids between the ages of 4-7, or independent read for kids aged 6-8. Four stars, a lovely children's book with beautiful illustrations.
February 7, 2023
An excellent picture book with a heartwarming story based on the author's grandmother's life. It begins, "Dad lives with the angels now, and we need to find a new home." A recent widow and her seven children, with almost no possessions, are forced to seek a new living situation. In the woods, they find a shack. Mother says, There's no telling what treasures we will find. Although six-year-old Marvel is a little afraid of her new home, soon she begins to love the treasures they find in the woods.
With hard work and everybody helping, the little family survives and happy laughter rings out in the home in the woods.
With hard work and everybody helping, the little family survives and happy laughter rings out in the home in the woods.
March 10, 2024
I absolutely love this book! Beautifully written with such gorgeous illustrations and a deeply moving true story that has stuck with me since I first read this in 2020, a year after its release. This is by far one of my all-time favorite children's picture books.
Behind the book (please watch this): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMNc0...
This book is displayed and read aloud here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLblA...
The author/illustrator's website: https://wheelerstudio.com/
Behind the book (please watch this): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMNc0...
This book is displayed and read aloud here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLblA...
The author/illustrator's website: https://wheelerstudio.com/
December 1, 2024
A beautifully illustrated book based on the true story of the author/illustrator’s grandmother’s childhood experience during the depression.
Oh my! Do we all not need to learn or be reminded of the difficult times endured by so many who came before us!
This is a story of a single parented family who experienced painful grief and great loss but pulled together as they were lovingly led by their amazingly resourceful widowed mother.
This is a wonderful read-aloud!
Oh my! Do we all not need to learn or be reminded of the difficult times endured by so many who came before us!
This is a story of a single parented family who experienced painful grief and great loss but pulled together as they were lovingly led by their amazingly resourceful widowed mother.
This is a wonderful read-aloud!
November 19, 2020
Wow. Went straight to my heart. Beautiful, inspiring. Brought tears to my eyes as the author mentions in her afterward that most of the generation of the Great Depression are leaving us and we need to collect their stories while we still can. (This is her grandmother's story.) I also appreciate that she encourages others to share their family stories at her website. Highly recommend.
October 14, 2019
This is one of my top children’s books of the year. In 1932 in Northern Wisconsin, a widow and her eight children make a new home in a run down shack in the woods.
June 4, 2024
I loved this book! Such a beautiful story of a family finding a new home, beauty, and healing even in the midst of struggle. The illustrations were lovely, too.
September 16, 2019
A uniquely sentimental historical picture book that is about Wheeler's grandmother, Marvel. Her and her seven siblings and their mother no longer had a home and soon after, her father died of cancer. They trudged into the woods and found an abandoned tar paper home and promptly made it a home.
It's a lesson in perseverance as all of the children pitched in to help and Marvel's mom found ways to engage and entertain her children with literally nothing. They canned fruits and veggies. They traded cans for eggs. They invented games in lieu of actual toys. And they were content.
It's a beautiful message about the creativity and inventiveness amid devastation from the great depression, all surrounding this "magical" home in the woods that kept them all together.
Added bonus is her author's note about her grandmother that also asks the reader to ask questions and talk to our elders to find stories just like this.
It's a lesson in perseverance as all of the children pitched in to help and Marvel's mom found ways to engage and entertain her children with literally nothing. They canned fruits and veggies. They traded cans for eggs. They invented games in lieu of actual toys. And they were content.
It's a beautiful message about the creativity and inventiveness amid devastation from the great depression, all surrounding this "magical" home in the woods that kept them all together.
Added bonus is her author's note about her grandmother that also asks the reader to ask questions and talk to our elders to find stories just like this.
February 4, 2020
This was a beautiful story about starting new after a loss, and the hope and hardship that comes with it. Gorgeous illustrations too.
November 21, 2023
Jako lijepe ilustracije. Pravo slikovite. Umirujućih boja. A poput velikih fantasy romana posjeduje i kartu! Rekla bih da je zbog priče više za odrasle, no ako je neko dijete izgubilo tatu mogla bi mu, kao i njegovoj obitelji, pomoći. Čita se s knedlom u grlu, ako ne i sa suzama. Drago mi je što je na kraju ispričana i istinita priča koja je inspirirala nastanak slikovnice.
November 6, 2025
Beautiful pictures and touching story.
October 29, 2019
Follows a family of 8 and their widowed mother as they move into a shack in the woods during the Great Depression. They make a home for themselves and fill the woods with their love and laughter as they do chores and pick berries. A sweet reminder of how much we truly have even when it appears we have nothing. Also, this would make a great picture book to read before moving on to the Little House on the Prairie books.
November 5, 2019
I wish I could give this more stars, but this story of a year living off the land has been told many times before and better by others. There is nothing that makes it stand out - even less so because this is a picture book and there are only a couple dozen words on each spread.
March 19, 2021
I'm blown away by this picture book, its beautiful illustrations and simple-yet-remarkable story. Based on the author's grandmother's family during the Great Depression, it takes place in northern Wisconsin, not far from my own home in the land of four distinct seasons. The art and story went straight to my heart. Living in the woods, the dazzling jars of preserved berries and vegetables, wood splitting and wildflowers, sons returning to the yard with a fresh harvested wild turkey.
"What an incredibly hard time it must have been, and yet they recall the memories from those years as some of their best. They all had purpose and found inventive ways to work together and make it fun.
..This book is inspired not only by the stories from their childhood, but by the entire generation that experienced the Great Depression. They will soon be gone, and if we haven't yet collected their stories, the time is now."
(from the Author's Note)
"What an incredibly hard time it must have been, and yet they recall the memories from those years as some of their best. They all had purpose and found inventive ways to work together and make it fun.
..This book is inspired not only by the stories from their childhood, but by the entire generation that experienced the Great Depression. They will soon be gone, and if we haven't yet collected their stories, the time is now."
(from the Author's Note)
January 11, 2025
Had to leave a review because this children’s book makes me tear up every time I read it to my daughter.
Illustrated and written by Eliza Wheeler, based on the true events of her grandmother’s life as a child during the Great Depression. Heartbreaking and beautiful. Many life lessons in this story.
Illustrated and written by Eliza Wheeler, based on the true events of her grandmother’s life as a child during the Great Depression. Heartbreaking and beautiful. Many life lessons in this story.
July 17, 2020
Cozy :)
June 30, 2020
Well. Shit.
I have NEVER had a book rip your heart out and make you want to cry on the first page until yesterday. Hoe. Lee. Shit.
I have a soft spot for the depression era stories. People are circling back around to them now during a time of economic uncertainty and this book could not be more timely. But Eliza. Eliza, you knew what you were doing on that first page. Don't play. Imma not going to trust you again the future not to rip our hearts out.
I highly recommend this for any family that wants a solid description of what so many families lived through. My grandmother and her siblings were sent to live with other families as "help" or became train hoppers, looking for work across the country, occasionally hopping on a train to come home and visit. These kids grew up fast. I wish I had written down my own grandmother's story. I do know that their family stayed poor even into the 50s, with a house that still didn't have electricity or running water. Anyway, I digress. This book is amazing. Read it today and be ready to answer ALLLLL the freaking questions lol. Kids will find it super interesting.
I have NEVER had a book rip your heart out and make you want to cry on the first page until yesterday. Hoe. Lee. Shit.
I have a soft spot for the depression era stories. People are circling back around to them now during a time of economic uncertainty and this book could not be more timely. But Eliza. Eliza, you knew what you were doing on that first page. Don't play. Imma not going to trust you again the future not to rip our hearts out.
I highly recommend this for any family that wants a solid description of what so many families lived through. My grandmother and her siblings were sent to live with other families as "help" or became train hoppers, looking for work across the country, occasionally hopping on a train to come home and visit. These kids grew up fast. I wish I had written down my own grandmother's story. I do know that their family stayed poor even into the 50s, with a house that still didn't have electricity or running water. Anyway, I digress. This book is amazing. Read it today and be ready to answer ALLLLL the freaking questions lol. Kids will find it super interesting.
August 9, 2022
This book has it all. Beautiful illustrations, an interested lot of characters to favor, and a message that is timeless less the children of the world forget that depression eras come and go. I enjoyed every minute of reading a digital copy of this book, Home in the Woods. I wouldn't hesitate to add a physical copy to our shelves.
I read an eARC via Edelweiss 2019
I now own a jacketed hardcover 2022.
I read an eARC via Edelweiss 2019
I now own a jacketed hardcover 2022.
February 3, 2020
A beautiful, very simple picture book about a family who faces very hard times after their father dies of cancer, and then are evicted from their home in the Great Depression. This was based on a true story.
It is a great way to introduce children to Memoirs, and could serve as a prompt for then to write a picture book of their own memoirs.
Very highly recommended.
It is a great way to introduce children to Memoirs, and could serve as a prompt for then to write a picture book of their own memoirs.
Very highly recommended.
August 6, 2020
I wish I had 10 stars to pour over this book. It captures a family's story with such insight and love. This is one to be read by all of us - the determination and hard work demonstrated by them in the midst of extreme sadness and poverty...oh that we all could emulate them to the world around us!
July 12, 2023
Such a beautiful book about love and loss as a child!
November 4, 2019
Richie’s Picks: HOME IN THE WOODS by Eliza Wheeler, Nancy Paulsen Books, October 2019, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-399-16290-9
“January is the coldest month of the year in Wisconsin, as it becomes exceedingly difficult to stay outdoors even for a few minutes. The temperatures are deathly cold, often dropping below -10°F (-23.3°C) and even plummeting to -30°F (-34.4°C) in the northern highlands.”
-- from “Monthly weather forecast and Climate Wisconsin USA” at weather-us.com
“Deep in the woods, we find a shack
all wrapped in tar paper.
It’s hot outside, but the shack
looks cold
and empty,
like I feel inside.
‘You’ll never know what treasures
we’ll find,’ says Mum.
In the shack, we don’t see
any treasures.
But Lowell and Eva find a door in the floor.
Below is a root cellar
filled with old glass jars,
a tin pail,
a pile of rags,
and a pitcher pump that goes
up and down,
up and down,
and out comes a stream
of cool, clear water.”
If you do an internet search for “10 Things to Consider Before You Buy a Fixer Upper,” you will discover an amusing photo of a long-abandoned dwelling with multiple conifers growing upward, bursting through its roof.
Depending upon the era and the locale, there have always been places where it is possible for kids to discover old, abandoned houses. I’ve read how, during the Roman Empire, children inadvertently made important archaeological discoveries of Ancient Greek culture while merely searching for props with which to play house.
As a child in mid-1960s suburban Long Island, and as an adult in mid-1980s Sonoma County, California, I had opportunities to wander through falling- and fallen-down homes, some of them with trees growing inside. I recently visited a cousin in upstate New York, and found that places with falling-down houses in the woods still exist today in quiet corners of the country.
Playing house comes as naturally to children as having a baby doll and playing mom. ROXABOXEN (1991) an old favorite of mine, written by Alice McLerran and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, portrays a neighborhood of kids who utilize rocks and some old wooden boxes to create an entire pretend neighborhood. This is imaginative play at its best.
While it evokes a similar feeling, HOME IN THE WOODS does not involve imaginary play. Based upon the life of the author’s grandmother, the story depicts a single mom and her eight children in Depression-era Wisconsin. On the death of the father, the family is forced to find a new home. They find a falling-down shack in the woods, and they move in.
I’m sure that the mother who was responsible for keeping these eight children housed, fed, and healthy, recognized, on some level, that the family was engaged in a life-or-death struggle. But no sense of such adult sensibilities ever creeps into this joy-filled account of siblings cooperating as they participate in all the tasks necessary to keep the family warm and fed.
This picture book story, which covers the four seasons of a single year, is narrated by Marvel, the six-year-old character who represents the author’s grandmother. In contrast to the rare glimpses of sadness, such as when the children look into a general store display window at all the alluring non-essentials they cannot afford, the story overflows with the excitement of new discoveries and the satisfaction of a job well done. These kids seem truly happy despite the absence of screens and plastic toys.
The illustrations are as notable as the text. They were created with dip pens, India ink, watercolors, acrylics, and pastel pencils. My favorite is of the children, who have wandered off into the woods, finding a wide expanse of ripe blueberries and raspberries, and proceeding to fill hats, pail, bag, and tummies with them. I love how the illustrations portray the haziness into which the woods fade as we peer into the distance.
We learn from the Author’s Note that the story takes place in 1932-1933, that the family lived in the shack for five years and that, as of the book’s writing, four of the eight siblings are still alive. The author concludes with a valuable pitch for learning one’s own family stories before it’s too late. I can readily imagine utilizing this book with K through 2 students as a conversation starter for having them go home and learn some of their own families’ histories.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“January is the coldest month of the year in Wisconsin, as it becomes exceedingly difficult to stay outdoors even for a few minutes. The temperatures are deathly cold, often dropping below -10°F (-23.3°C) and even plummeting to -30°F (-34.4°C) in the northern highlands.”
-- from “Monthly weather forecast and Climate Wisconsin USA” at weather-us.com
“Deep in the woods, we find a shack
all wrapped in tar paper.
It’s hot outside, but the shack
looks cold
and empty,
like I feel inside.
‘You’ll never know what treasures
we’ll find,’ says Mum.
In the shack, we don’t see
any treasures.
But Lowell and Eva find a door in the floor.
Below is a root cellar
filled with old glass jars,
a tin pail,
a pile of rags,
and a pitcher pump that goes
up and down,
up and down,
and out comes a stream
of cool, clear water.”
If you do an internet search for “10 Things to Consider Before You Buy a Fixer Upper,” you will discover an amusing photo of a long-abandoned dwelling with multiple conifers growing upward, bursting through its roof.
Depending upon the era and the locale, there have always been places where it is possible for kids to discover old, abandoned houses. I’ve read how, during the Roman Empire, children inadvertently made important archaeological discoveries of Ancient Greek culture while merely searching for props with which to play house.
As a child in mid-1960s suburban Long Island, and as an adult in mid-1980s Sonoma County, California, I had opportunities to wander through falling- and fallen-down homes, some of them with trees growing inside. I recently visited a cousin in upstate New York, and found that places with falling-down houses in the woods still exist today in quiet corners of the country.
Playing house comes as naturally to children as having a baby doll and playing mom. ROXABOXEN (1991) an old favorite of mine, written by Alice McLerran and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, portrays a neighborhood of kids who utilize rocks and some old wooden boxes to create an entire pretend neighborhood. This is imaginative play at its best.
While it evokes a similar feeling, HOME IN THE WOODS does not involve imaginary play. Based upon the life of the author’s grandmother, the story depicts a single mom and her eight children in Depression-era Wisconsin. On the death of the father, the family is forced to find a new home. They find a falling-down shack in the woods, and they move in.
I’m sure that the mother who was responsible for keeping these eight children housed, fed, and healthy, recognized, on some level, that the family was engaged in a life-or-death struggle. But no sense of such adult sensibilities ever creeps into this joy-filled account of siblings cooperating as they participate in all the tasks necessary to keep the family warm and fed.
This picture book story, which covers the four seasons of a single year, is narrated by Marvel, the six-year-old character who represents the author’s grandmother. In contrast to the rare glimpses of sadness, such as when the children look into a general store display window at all the alluring non-essentials they cannot afford, the story overflows with the excitement of new discoveries and the satisfaction of a job well done. These kids seem truly happy despite the absence of screens and plastic toys.
The illustrations are as notable as the text. They were created with dip pens, India ink, watercolors, acrylics, and pastel pencils. My favorite is of the children, who have wandered off into the woods, finding a wide expanse of ripe blueberries and raspberries, and proceeding to fill hats, pail, bag, and tummies with them. I love how the illustrations portray the haziness into which the woods fade as we peer into the distance.
We learn from the Author’s Note that the story takes place in 1932-1933, that the family lived in the shack for five years and that, as of the book’s writing, four of the eight siblings are still alive. The author concludes with a valuable pitch for learning one’s own family stories before it’s too late. I can readily imagine utilizing this book with K through 2 students as a conversation starter for having them go home and learn some of their own families’ histories.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
July 25, 2020
This story of life during the Great Depression in the early 1930s was inspired by the author/illustrator’s grandmother Marvel, who in this book is a six-year-old girl, one of eight children. The book, which is narrated by Marvel and which revolves around the seasons, begins in summer. Their father recently died (“Dad lives with the angels now”) and they must find a new home and a way to feed themselves. The author writes:
“Deep in these woods, we find a shack
all wrapped in tar paper.
It’s hot outside, but the shack
Looks cold
And empty.
Like I feel inside.
‘You never know what treasures
We’ll find,’ says Mum.”
Indeed, they discover a root cellar with fresh water from a pump and storage space for canning. They plant a garden in the rich, dark soil and find berry patches in the woods. Mum goes to town to do odd jobs for money, and the kids take turns doing chores. They invent games, learn to quilt, and learn to read:
“Rich teaches me that letters, put together, make words . . . and words, put together, make stories.”
After a year, they have mastered the art of survival, and find a measure of happiness:
“Here in these woods,
I find my brothers, my sisters,
Our mum, and me (Marvel).
The shack all wrapped in tar paper
Looks different now -
Warm
And bright
And filled up with love . . .
. . . like I feel inside.”
An Author’s Note explains how the author, Eliza, when growing up, heard many stories from her grandma Marvel and her great uncles about how they survived. She writes:
“What an incredibly hard time it must have been, and yet they recall the memories from those years as some of their best. They all had purpose and found inventive ways to work together and make it fun.”
The ink and watercolor illustrations by the author are lovely. She varies the palette to match the seasons. While spring, with its flowers, has beautiful scenes, my favorite is a double-page spread showing a winter night, in which the world is covered with snow that sparkles like the stars above.
Evaluation: This is one amazing family. I can’t imagine being a young mother, newly widowed at age 34 with eight children, including a baby of three months, and having the will not only to carry on, but to make it a fun and rewarding time for the whole family. Children who don’t know much about the Great Depression, or who are not aware of what the hardships of deep poverty must be like, will benefit from reading this story, and be inspired, as I was, by how this family coped.
“Deep in these woods, we find a shack
all wrapped in tar paper.
It’s hot outside, but the shack
Looks cold
And empty.
Like I feel inside.
‘You never know what treasures
We’ll find,’ says Mum.”
Indeed, they discover a root cellar with fresh water from a pump and storage space for canning. They plant a garden in the rich, dark soil and find berry patches in the woods. Mum goes to town to do odd jobs for money, and the kids take turns doing chores. They invent games, learn to quilt, and learn to read:
“Rich teaches me that letters, put together, make words . . . and words, put together, make stories.”
After a year, they have mastered the art of survival, and find a measure of happiness:
“Here in these woods,
I find my brothers, my sisters,
Our mum, and me (Marvel).
The shack all wrapped in tar paper
Looks different now -
Warm
And bright
And filled up with love . . .
. . . like I feel inside.”
An Author’s Note explains how the author, Eliza, when growing up, heard many stories from her grandma Marvel and her great uncles about how they survived. She writes:
“What an incredibly hard time it must have been, and yet they recall the memories from those years as some of their best. They all had purpose and found inventive ways to work together and make it fun.”
The ink and watercolor illustrations by the author are lovely. She varies the palette to match the seasons. While spring, with its flowers, has beautiful scenes, my favorite is a double-page spread showing a winter night, in which the world is covered with snow that sparkles like the stars above.
Evaluation: This is one amazing family. I can’t imagine being a young mother, newly widowed at age 34 with eight children, including a baby of three months, and having the will not only to carry on, but to make it a fun and rewarding time for the whole family. Children who don’t know much about the Great Depression, or who are not aware of what the hardships of deep poverty must be like, will benefit from reading this story, and be inspired, as I was, by how this family coped.
August 14, 2020
Do you have a big family with lots of siblings? Growing up, Marvel did! She had seven siblings and her Mum. Who is Marvel? She’s the main character and also the grandmother of Eliza Wheeler, the author and illustrator of this book. This story was inspired by Marvel’s childhood experience of finding a new home with her family and learning together, how to survive life in Northern Wisconsin when she was only six years old.
The family lived during the time of the Great Depression. With the recent passing of her father, Marvel, her Mum, and seven siblings (ages 3 months to 14 years old) had to find a new place to live. They ended up calling a forgotten shabby structure in the middle of the woods home. At the beginning of the book Marvel couldn’t see herself ever being able to call the decaying tar papered shack “home”. But through hard work, sacrifice, and discovering how to make their own “fun,"they brought life and love into the structure and to each other.
Rose D. / Marathon County Public Library
The family lived during the time of the Great Depression. With the recent passing of her father, Marvel, her Mum, and seven siblings (ages 3 months to 14 years old) had to find a new place to live. They ended up calling a forgotten shabby structure in the middle of the woods home. At the beginning of the book Marvel couldn’t see herself ever being able to call the decaying tar papered shack “home”. But through hard work, sacrifice, and discovering how to make their own “fun,"they brought life and love into the structure and to each other.
Rose D. / Marathon County Public Library
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