A young boy describes the favorite places that he shares with his family on his grandparents' farm and in the nearby countryside

- Farms; Fiction.
- Country life; Fiction.

Eli lives in the country and tells of the favorite places of each of the members of his family and why it is that it is their favorite place.

What a wonderful book. For such a simple structure, you can hardly touch it without finding some interesting theme to talk about. The voice is that of Eli telling of his birth on a farm where he lives with his parents and grandparents. He tells of his growing by telling of the favorite places of each of his parents and grandparents. Having introduced all the favorite places, he then tells of the birth of his sister and how he will now introduce her to all these favorite places. So in part this a circle of life story, in part it about our importance to one another as family and how we share ourselves and in part it is about our connection to the land. I find it very moving every time I read it.

And if the story weren't already so good, it is beautifully illustrated as well in a very realistic but gentle style. No gaudy colors, dramatic lines of action. Even without the story one could thumb through this and gain a sense of peace and beauty. Notice how the artist provides a lot of realism and detail around the people and buildings but for his landscapes uses broader less distinct brush strokes.

While the book is primarily about discovering how we understand ourselves by placing ourselves in a landscape and by the places we treasure, it is also an exploration of how we build our community by that which we share with one another. What are the places your child treasures? Why is that place special? How do people connect with one another?

Because this has a strong cycle of life element to it, you see repetition everywhere in the story repetition of phrases from one person to another) as well as in the language (jumping from "rock to rock to rock"). Repetition is often used to hammer home a point but here the author uses it as device to establish connections between people and over time.

Though I have described this as a cycle of life, it actually is missing the sadness of endings, it really is a sequence of beginnings leading to growth. How does the author move the story forward in both time and in place?

The setting is on a farm but the emphasis is on the country rather than the farming. The time could be anytime in the past fifty years.

This a hugely affirming story. While it could be read rewardingly at any time, it is a great bed-time story as it is so peaceful and so quietly positive. If anything prepares your child for truly sweet dreams, this ought to be it.

In what ways are each of the parties connected with one another and how do we know that? What are the wonderful things about growing? Are there any sad parts that we are ignoring? Are the sad parts of our lives made easier by those that share them with us? Who do you share with?

Describe your favorite places to be (not to visit)? What are theirs? Why do we have different favorite places?

MacLachlan is also the author of the Newberry Medal book "Sarah, Plan and Tall" as well as a book with a very similar theme of place, "What You Know First".

Many of MacLachlan's book have a strong element of both place and family. She was born out on the prairies and even though she has moved far from there, she still carries a bag of prairie dirt with her. She has published many children's books and has now written a number with her daughter as well. Your child might know the illustrator, Mike Wimmer, from the illustration of the lion on the Lion King CD/DVD.