MIST OVER THE MOUNTAINS

A superb photoessay from Bial (With Needle and Thread, 1996, etc.), documenting a pocket of American life and history that exemplifies enduring values of hard work, self-reliance, strength of character, and adherence to principle. Although the text deals frankly with the more troubled aspects of the Appalachian experience—the Cherokee removal, clan feuds, the hillbilly stereotype, labor strife, stripmining and clearcutting, black lung disease, and poverty—Bial consistently emphasizes the strengths of the people, their unique traditions, and the beauty of the landscape. The photographs suggest the remoteness and isolation that both engendered and preserved a proudly independent culture and also left the region vulnerable to economic marginalization. There are no scenes of deprivation or denuded hillsides among his lovely full-color images or among the scattering of black-and-white photos. Get out a map and put this work next to Rylant and Moser's Appalachia (1991). (bibliography) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-12)