KLARA'S NEW WORLD
by Jeanette Winter & illustrated by Jeanette Winter
When a drought brings tough times to her Swedish family, Klara—not yet eight—fears she'll be hired out to work on the manor. Then a letter arrives from a friend in America, urging them to sell out and join him. Hesitantly, they decide to do so, leaving home, friends, and Grandfather forever. Crossing the Atlantic in a sailing ship, they continue by train and steamboat to their Minnesota destination, where Papa's friend Bertil helps them establish a new home. The text here is somewhat plodding, and the expressive, stylized figures, set amid heavy blue-greens and purples in the flat, decoratively designed illustrations, may put off some young readers. Still, the underlying story, authentic and relevant to many families, holds its own excitement. A concluding note sets it in the 1860's. (Picture book. 7-12)