Gwenyth Swain

Collected by noted folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles in 1933, the Appalachian Christmas carol I Wonder As I Wander was originally performed by a young girl named Annie Morgan, about whom very little is known. This lovely picture-book from author Gwenyth Swain and illustrator Ronald Himler presents a fictional account of Annie's life, imagining her as the daughter of a wandering preacher, driven onto the road by grief over the recent death of his wife (and Annie's mother). Finding show more themselves in Murphy, North Carolina one day, the father-daughter duo are involved in some preaching on the courthouse steps, until the sheriff arrives to move them along. It is then that Annie, who has silently imbibed many of her father's ideas about Jesus, and who has some of her musical mother's talents, steps forward with her beautiful song:

"I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
How Jesus, the Savior, did come for to die.
For poor on'ry people like you and like I -
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.
...
If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
Or all of God's angels in heav'n for to sing,
He surely could have it, 'cause he was the King."

A poignant picture-book that touches upon issues of family and loss, of faith and calling, and of tough times - the Great Depression is felt throughout the story, in the poverty of the communities through which Annie and her father travel - I Wonder As I Wander is a beautiful exploration of the meaning of this (now) well-known Christmas song. Teasing out some of the ideas in the song lyrics, and incorporating them into her story - Annie and her father do indeed wander, traveling amongst the ordinary people of Appalachia; and Annie wonders about Jesus, and why he made the sacrifice he did, when he could have had anything he wanted - Gwenyth Swain presents a powerful story through her text. Ronald Himler, whose evocative watercolor artwork can also be seen in such picture-books as The Wall and Fly Away Home, beautifully captures the emotional pitch of Swain's story in his illustrations. The sadness of Annie and her father, after the death of mother and wife; the huddled want of so many of the impoverished people they meet along their journey; the snowy cold of the courthouse steps upon which Annie's father preached, and next to which Annie sang - these can all be felt through the images, in this lovely book!

Recommended to young readers looking for stories set during the Great Depression, or in Appalachia, as well as to those interested in the song I Wonder As I Wander. show less

Riding to Washington is a book about a young white girl who rides a bus with her father to Washington D.C. to hear Dr. King speak and along the way, she begins to understand why Dr. King's message and actions are so important. I enjoyed that the book highlighted the relationship between African Americans and White folks who supported the hope of equality for all. We see Janie's father supporting his neighbors and colleagues, and then eventually Janie herself begins to understand her show more responsibility to stand up for what is right. One of the characters in the book, an African American woman Mrs. Kennedy, becomes a friend of Janie. She helps Janie understand that people may look different, but we are all just people who want the same basic rights, happiness, and freedoms. In Riding to Washington, the bus stops at a gas station, and after multiple attempts at finding a place that will allow Mrs. Kennedy to use the bathroom, Janie decides to repeatedly ask the gas station clerk to allow them to use their bathroom. Janie tells him, "You got the choice to do the right thing or not. Mama says I make a lot of wrong choices, but I think letting us in would be the right one now." Janie challenged the "way things are done around here", forcing the clerk to really understand that he had a choice on how to proceed, and he chose to allow them to use the bathroom, even though he did not acknowledge that fact. The illustrations in this book are very nice to look at and also allow the reader to really see what is happening in the story. I also liked the character development that took place, showing that people can grow and change. Overall, I enjoyed this book. show less

“Riding to Washington” was a very powerful book that I enjoyed immensely. It told the story of a young white girl named Janie who gets into trouble, and as a punishment her mother makes her ride to Washington on a bus overnight with her father. Janie and her father are going to see Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. give a speech, but Janie does not understand what his speech has to do with her and her father. She is reluctant to go at first but meets an African American lady on the bus, named show more Mrs. Taylor, who she immediately bonds with. While on the bus Janie and her father experience what it is like to be an African American in the 1960’s because they are denied entrance into many restaurants and even public restrooms. Finally, Janie and Mrs. Taylor become fed up and demand to use the bathroom at a gas station. At first, the little boy manning the desk denies them but Janie says, “It’s like my mama and daddy always say, “You got the choice to do the right thing or not. Mama says I make a lot of wrong choices, but I think letting us in would be the right one now.” Startled, the boy shoves the key to Janie and Mrs. Taylor and lets them use the restroom. In Washington, Janie, her father, and Mrs. Taylor along with millions of other people stand and listen to Dr. King’s speech. As Janie is listening she still does not understand what Dr. King’s message has to do with her until she feels Mrs. Taylor’s hand on her shoulder. As she looks up she sees tears streaming down Mrs. Taylor’s face and says, “And that’s when I knew it: that the dream belonged not just to Dr. King and Mrs. Taylor and her husband, but to me and Daddy and, maybe even to that boy at the gas station, too.” I love this story because of the powerful and unique message it conveys to readers. I also like it because it is unusual to hear stories about equality for African Americans, from a Caucasian’s perspective. The big idea of the story is to showcase the implications Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech has for all races. Janie is a white girl who at first does not understand how speeches about freedom for African Americans have anything to do with her. However, by the end of the story Janie understands that Dr. King was not just speaking to African American people, but to all people of every race. Janie finally becomes aware that everyone, no matter the color of their skin, has a right to be free and treated equally. Just because she is white does not mean she should ignore what is happening to other races or be treated unfairly herself. On the last page Janie finally realizes that freedom is a natural human right for everyone and that Dr. King was an advocate for all people, which is the main idea of the story. show less

This is a powerful book. It's short and not very difficult, but it's really a powerful portrayal of the time. It's unique in that it describes the events of traveling to the March on Washington from the viewpoint of a naive, white child. She describes how little she comprehends the events of the day until personal experience starts to bring the reality of the situation into focus. Really well done.