This selection provides a look at the “temporary” mother-child relationship. Twelve-year-old Larkin returns home one day to discover a baby sitting in a basket in the driveway of her family’s house. The only clue to the baby’s appearance is a note from the child’s mother. “This is Sophie,” the note reads. “She is almost a year old and she is good . . . I will come back for her one day. I love her.” The story tells of the love and bond which quickly forms between Sophie and her family.
Ibid:
Sarah, Plain and Tall
, New York: Harper Trophy, 1985.
This touching tale is set in the context of the early American prairie. The father of two young children advertises for a wife, and receives a response from Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton, of Maine. The children demonstrate a cautious and careful attachment as they get to know Sarah.
Porter, Connie:
Addy’s Surprise
, Middletown, WI.: Pleasant Company, 1993.
Addy Walker and her mother know that christmas will be hard without Poppa, Sam, and Esther. When Addy spots a beautiful red scarf in a secondhand shop, she determines to get it for Momma to brighten her holiday. To save the money, Addy decides to keep half the tips she earns by making deliveries for Mrs. Ford’s dress shop. But when Addy sees the plight of newly freed slaves, she feels torn. Can she help them and still get the scarf for Momma? Addy’s christmas surprise for Momma ends up being different than she planned. And a surprise awaiting Addy is better than she even dared to hope for.
Ibid:
Meet Addy
, Middletown, WI.: Pleasant Company, 1993.
This is the introduction of Addy Walker, who on one night during the summer of 1864, overhears her parents talk about an exciting yet terrifying idea-escaping slavery. But before Addy’s family can make the escape, the worst happens to them. The family is separated when Master Stevens decides to sell some of his slaves. Addy and her mother take the terrible risk of escaping by themselves because they want to be free, and because they hope the family eventually will be free together again in Philadelphia. Set during the Civil War, Addy’s story is one of courage and love.
Sharkin-Langer, Ferne:
When Mommy is Sick
, Morton Grove, Ill: Albert Whitman and Co., 1996.
This short story tells of the changing relationship of a young girl as her mother enters one of many hospital stays. This mother-daughter relationship is somewhat of a cyclical nature, as the reader infers the presence of a long-term illness and its impact on the family unit.
Spelman, Cornelia:
After Charlotte’s Mom Died
, Morton Grove, Ill: Albert Whitman and Co., 1996.
Written from the point of view of a young girl who has experienced the death of her mother, this short story deals with the anger, hurt, and desolation that follows such a loss. Eventually the girl and her father enter therapy, where mourning takes its necessary course and the healing process begins.