reviewed - Michael

AR: 6.5

Ten-year-old Janey Larkin, the daughter of migrant farm workers in Great Depression-era California, clings to the beautiful blue willow plate that once belonged to her mother in this poignant children's novel. As the Larkins settle into a shack in the San Joaquin Valley, while Mr. Larkin goes to work in the cotton fields, Janey befriends Lupe Romero, who lives in the shack opposite the Larkins, and goes to the field school run by Miss Peterson. Slowly, Janey begins to feel that this is a place she could call home and put down roots. But when her step-mother becomes ill and work dries up, it looks like the Larkins will have to move on once more. Can the willow plate, a symbol of Janey's deepest desire for a home and a sense of belonging, save her and her family...?

Published in 1940, Blue Willow was chosen as one of four Newbery Honor books in 1941—other Honor Books that year included Young Mac of Fort Vancouver by Mary Jane Carr, The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nansen by Anna Gertrude Hall, while the Medal Winner was Armstrong Perry's Call it Courage—and it is not difficult to see why. Doris Gates, who worked for many years as a children's librarian in the San Joaquin Valley, spins an immensely engaging and moving story, beautifully capturing Janey's rich inner life, from her changing perception of her wonderful step-mother, Mom, to her puzzling over her father's words on courage, and her discovery of the joys of true friendship with Lupe. This latter is quite interesting, in that it is the earliest example I have encountered, in the pages of popular children's literature, of a genuine friendship across racial and ethnic divides. There were one or two moments that I found dated—Janey wondering why Lupe would prefer a dress that made her look darker, for instance—but on the whole I thought this aspect of the story was very progressive for its time, treating the two friends as equals, delving into Lupe's perspective, and highlighting her many good qualities without making her a saint. The happy ending of the story, while perhaps a tad unrealistic, is nevertheless deeply satisfying.

All in all, I found Blue Willow a wonderful book, and would recommend it to upper primary and lower middle-grade readers who enjoy historical stories, or who are looking for heartwarming tales of children finding a home and happiness. Thematically, it is very similar to Zilpha Keatley Snyder's The Velvet Room, which I have also read and loved, and could be read in tandem with that book. ( )

Janey Larkin and her parents have moved around a lot over the last few years as her father follows the harvest. Most recently, they've found a shack in the San Joaquin valley and a job picking cotton. The only thing Janey owns of value is a blue willow plate that was in the family for generations. As Janey makes friends with Lupe Romero, she starts to wish that they could settle here for good.

This Newbery Honor book from 1940 was a mixed bag for me. It's praised for being one of the first children's literature of its kind, focusing on migrant workers, having a problem the child addresses, and including Mexican Americans one of whom is Janey's best friend. However, for today's sensibilities it's also very much of its time: a little slow to start, moralizing, having a happy ending that stretches credulity, and including some casual racism (a dress Lupe wears makes her look "darker" but Janey chooses not to mention it) and sexism. ( )

"Blue Willow" feels like an historical novel about a migrant farming family during the Great Depression, but since it was published in 1940, it was actually written as a contemporary tale.
10-year-old Janey travels with her Dad and step-mother looking for farming work after Dad lost his own farm in the Dust Bowl. At the beginning of the book, they settle into an abandoned shack to live there while Dad harvests cotton. Janey meanwhile, just wants to belong somewhere instead of moving every few weeks. The only possession the family has that she cares about is the Blue Willow Plate - a blue China plate with a Chinese design. The plate is mentioned in the beginning of the book, then seemingly forgotten, but becomes significant again towards the last quarter of the story.
"Blue Willow" is about Janey finding a friend - Lupe Lopez; and a place she wants to stay; a sense of belonging somewhere. It's a slow quiet story, with an unrealistically happy ending (perhaps appropriate, since it's more of an upper elementary book than a middle grades story). ( )