Kisses from Rosa: German; Parents' Choice Award Book for Illustration

Drawing on a tumultous experience in her own childhood, when she was sent to stay with relatives while her mother recuperated from tuberculosis, Mathers (Sophie and Lou; Victor and Christabel) steeps this memorable tale in a vivid sense of place and strong emotion. Little Rosa is so homesick she can hardly do anything but cry when she first arrives at her aunt and cousin's farmhouse in the Black Forest. But there's so much to see and do--visiting the cows and neighbors, playing with Waldi the dachshund, picking berries--that the days between letters from her mother pass quickly, until finally it's almost Christmas and (with a twinge of regret) time to hurry home. As an illustrator, Mathers enlivens her naive style with an occasional flight of fancy, as in the scene where Rosa's mother is shown on the sanatorium rooftop, happily receiving all the kisses (Eskimo, butterfly, wet fish, etc.) that Rosa includes in her letters. As a writer, Mathers sets a leisurely pace for the story, lingering lovingly on the small details. The result is a finely polished portrait. Ages 3-8. (Aug.)