Ernestine's Milky Way

December 15, 2018
Ernestine lives on a farm in the Great Smoky Mountains.Her father is away in "the war" (identified in an author's note as World War II), and her mother is expecting twins very soon. Ernestine's days are filled with chores, and at night there is warm milk and comfort in Mama's assurance that Daddy is looking up and seeing the same stars they are viewing. When Mama assigns her the task of bringing two large mason jars of milk to a neighbor family, she is ready for the task. As she makes the trek she hears scary sounds and imagines dangerous animals lying in wait. She reassures herself by shouting her mantra, "I'm five years old and a big girl," and each time discovers only small, benign creatures instead of fierce beasts. She drops one milk jar, which rolls away, but arrives safely at the neighbor's home with the remaining one. The lost milk jar is found, containing a delightful surprise, and a joyous breakfast ensues. The author employs lovely lilting language to describe the rural setting. Descriptors of the path's vagaries are repeated as Ernestine makes her way, taking readers along with her through the "valley of doghobble and devil's walking stick." Sutton's brightly hued watercolor-and-ink illustrations effortlessly convey the time period, setting, and events, and they express Ernestine's every emotion.Ernestine is a sheer delight in this nostalgic, warm memory of a special time and a remote place. (recipe) (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 2-Ernestine lives with her mama on a remote farm in the Great Smoky Mountains, where they are waiting for Daddy to return from World War II. Ernestine helps around the farm, but, most of all, she keeps watch over Mama, who is very near giving birth to twins. Ole Peg is the heartiest cow around, and when their nearest neighbor needs milk to feed her children breakfast, five-year-old Ernestine sets off with two jars to share. She doesn't share with the skunks, whistle-pigs, and raccoons along the way, but by the time she arrives, she drops one of the mason jars and watches helplessly as it rolls down the hill. Grateful for even the one surviving jar, the neighbors sit down to breakfast when the oldest boy turns up with the errant milk jar. Its lengthy tumble has turned the milk into butter! This refreshing book shows neighbors caring for one another and even the smallest children doing their part. The illustrations portray the beauty of the mountainous terrain and are deftly rendered in ink and watercolor. The endpapers display the Milky Way, which Ernestine would see most nights. When Ole Peg is being milked, she is disproportionate to the barn and the people, which is jarring. The starry endpapers emphasize how we are all one in this great world. Ernestine's private Milky Way is the path she follows daily delivering her milk. VERDICT A lovely read-aloud that teachers can use to introduce the historical era, milk's connection to butter, and so much more.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2019
Grades K-2 Ernestine and her mother, who is pregnant with twins, are keeping their North Carolina mountain farm going while her father is away fighting in WWII. When another family has an urgent need, little Ernestine, only five years old, finds the courage to make her way to the neighbors' house to help. Viewing the constellations comforts Ernestine, knowing that her faraway father can see the same stars. The somewhat serious story gets a welcome addition of playfulness as Ernestine begins the trek. She hears a snuffling sound on the path, which she imagines might be a wolf. Instead, it's a family of skunks. A fearsome grunta-grunta-gruntin is not panthers but rather a group of whistle-pigs, or groundhogs. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations contain a wealth of detail about the rural setting, communicating specifics of the terrain, wildlife, plants, and way of life. An author's note includes instructions for making butter and cornbread, two items that are central to the story. Based on the reminiscences of a real person, this story has humor and heart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)