In the Land of Milk and Honey

    

A young family's search for a new beginning.  The promise of a better future that lay await in a new place where all people, regardless of their race or culture, can live together in relative peace.  In the Land of Milk and Honey, internationally acclaimed National Book Award-winning author Joyce Carol Thomas lovingly looks back at her childhood, chronicling the long journey that her family took across country by train to seek out a new life in California in 1948.
     Having previously enjoyed reading The Gospel Cinderella, Thomas' clever, updated twist on the classic fairy tale to my second grade classes last year, I was completely in awe of her latest work.  Readers both young and old will quickly be drawn into Thomas' youthful recollections of a trip that lay ahead for her, her mother, her four brothers and her young sister, which was filled with  anticipation and adventure.  Thomas' captivating pose draws you in both literally and visually as she recalls the words of both her mother and father, when describing their new state:

"Daddy says,
     if the lemons are big as oranges
     if the oranges are big as grapefruits
     if you bite into a strawberry and taste heaven in your mouth
     Why, you're in California, the Land of Milk and Honey."

 "Mama says,
     if the redwoods are tall as giants
     if golden bears fish like men
     and quail fly higher than eagles
     You know you're in the Land of Milk and Honey."

     Floyd Cooper's lush illustrations add beautiful detail to the text, as the newly arrived family is greeted by a joyous welcome, as their train finally pulls into the station.  Once settled into town, they enjoy their first tastes of the different local ethnic foods, including warm Mexican hot chocolate, and take in their very first views of the snow-capped mountains in the distance, and feel the cool spray of the Pacific Ocean's majestic waves.  With the family struggles temporarily left behind them at this moment, in this land of milk and honey, they are comforted by a warm sense of stability and belonging.
     Joyce Carol Thomas' subtle, yet beautiful lyrical language graces throughout this poetic memoir, which would make an excellent addition to any classroom/family list of must-read upcoming Black History month titles.

In the Land of Milk and Honey
Written by Joyce Carol Thomas
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Publisher:  Amistad (An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Published in 2012
For ages 4 thru 8
ISBN:  978-0-06-025383-7
Retails for $16.99
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com