Laurel Croza

Recommended in The Horn Book Magazine, which also chose it as the 2010 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award-winner, in the Picture-Book category, Canadian author Laurel Croza's debut title, I Know Here, the poignant story of a girl who has just learned that her family will be moving from rural Saskatchewan to urban Toronto, has specific geographic roots, but far more wide-spread significance and meaning. Many young readers will identify with the narrator's dismay - "This is where I live, she show more states, going on to describe her world, and the many magical experiences she has had in it - and with her firm statement: "I don't know Toronto. I know here."

It didn't surprise me to learn that this story is based upon the author's own childhood experiences, as Croza is very successful in evoking a young person's sense of connection to her home, the multitude of ways in which the reality of that home - the smell of fox fur, the sight of the trailers lined up by the road - are experienced. Matt James' accompanying illustrations, done in acrylic paint and India ink, are well suited to the narrative, with a magically surreal quality that lends itself to that feeling of enchantment, that very strong, almost mystical pull of home, that is found throughout. It is to both author and artist's credit that, having been so successful in evoking that home-magic, they also convince the reader that the narrator will survive the coming separation, and take that magic with her.

All in all, this was a strong debut, and more than enough to convince me to give any subsequent Croza titles a try. show less

A young girl worries about her family’s impending move from a remote village in northeast Saskatchewan province to Toronto once her father finishes working on a hydroelectric dam, until a caring teacher helps her find a way to take her memories with her. The first person narration of this picture book is both lyrical and true to a child’s voice, while the painted illustrations are suffused with color, evoking a child’s sense of place. This book could be read to children who are anxious show more about moving; the anxiety that the narrator expresses is true to life, while the solution offers solace. However, I Know Here is also very specific about where it takes place and the remote provinces of Canada are likely to be unfamiliar to many readers. To make the most of book, readers could be encouraged to think about what they know about where they live, since the life of the narrator is not generalizable. Though the format is small for a read-aloud, this book is also a good way to introduce Canadian geography, and would be a valuable addition to a libraries looking to build stronger international picture book collections. show less

This is a powerful and exquisitely gentle story about coming to terms with moving away from a beloved place and finding a way to hold onto the memory of it. Set at the building site of a dam in a remote part of Saskatchewan, the little girl in the story finds out that the dam will soon be finished, prompting her family to move away from their tiny trailer village to Toronto.

She expresses her concern- "This is where I live. I don't know Toronto. I know here." She describes her surroundings: show more the school she attends with eight other kids from the site, the road lined with trailers and the trailer she shares with her parents and four siblings, the wildlife, the solemn and majestic forest and swooping over her hamlet in a small plane. She then asks, "Have people in Toronto seen what I've seen?"

An inspired centerfold depicts the girl gazing up at the sky, facing the profound unknown. She says simply "I know what to do". She will draw pictures of her home so she can remember it and pay respect to the life she has known. Leaving is hard. Adult readers may be moved to tears by the universality of her ordeal and the courage with which she faces it. Read this book.

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This book was interesting to me because even though this child was about to move to a new place he has never been, he still kept a positive outlook. Instead of complaining that he had to move he talked about all the things he knew and loved about his street and neighborhood. He looked at change in a positive way rather then a negative way. I think this book would be inspiring to young children who are about to move or go through a big change in their lives.