One of the envelopes used in the collage on the back cover of One Thousand Tracings was this one:
Nothing in the book mentions that the story takes place in Michigan. But it does. Lita’s grandparents lived in Pinckney Michigan during the time they organized the relief effort. They didn’t move to Plainfield Wisconsin until1949. Michigan readers found the subtle clue and the Library of Michigan contacted Lita last summer stating that One Thousand Tracings was nominated for the 2008 Michigan Notable Book selections. Hyperion sent off a pile of books to the committee. We didn’t expect to hear back—about 300 books were nominated—but in January it was selected as one of twenty Michigan Notable Books! Only two of the selections were children’s books—the other was Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.
So Lita’s excited for two upcoming trips to Michigan this spring. On March 15-18 she’ll be doing two presentations at the Michigan Reading Association Conference in Detroit, and then she’s visiting 5 different elementary schools, including one in Pinckney Michigan. On April 26 she’ll be at the “Night for Notables” which starts at the governor’s mansion and then moves to the Library of Michigan. Then she’s doing library visits and events in the Detroit area through April 29. I’ll stay home and feed the cats.
(Click here - PDF of Michigan Notable Book Poster - if you want to download the full sized pdf which is about 1MB.)
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2 responses so far ↓
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your grandparents and mothers story, One Thousand Tracings. I was fortunate enough to see it on display in my local library in Portland, OR. The cover caught my attention and I took the time to read it as I waited for my daughter to research some books. What an incredible and wonderful story. I’m grateful I was able to learn of yet another powerful positive story in our history. What a precious heritage you have. Thank you again.
Sincerely CA Jones
Hello CA. Thanks for your kind comments. And the next time you’re in the library please thank the librarian for displaying Lita’s book! Lita and I miss being in Oregon - Lita grew up in Prineville and Roseburg, we both went to Oregon State University in Corvallis, and we lived in Redmond, OR for four years after college. It’s a beautiful state.
Thanks again!
-Dave