My Great-Aunt Arizona

Gloria Houston's My Great-Aunt Arizona is a delight from start to finish, presenting a biographical sketch of the author's aunt, a book-loving girl who grew up to be the teacher in her small Appalachian community's one-room schoolhouse, nourishing the minds and spirits of many generations of students. Named after the state of Arizona, where her older brother was stationed at the time of her birth, Arizona Houston (Arizona Houston Hughes, as she would one day become) was a girl with many interests, from growing flowers to square dancing on a Saturday night. But nothing ever eclipsed her love of words, and nothing - not the death of her mother, not the necessity of caring for her father and younger brother - ever put an end to her desire show more to get a good education.

A tribute both to a beloved family member, and to the noble profession of teaching - the "most influential profession in the world," according to the author's dedication - this lovely picture-book is also a visual treat, featuring beautiful illustrations by Susan Condie Lamb. The artwork sings with joy, from the scene in which Arizona leaps about with abandon, at the square dance, to that in which she returns home as a teacher, striding confidently into her bright new future. I don't know that My Great-Aunt Arizona, for all its charm, is a particularly earth-shattering book, but its almost perfect blend of textual and visual narrative gives it immense appeal. show less

Arizona was born in a log cabin her papa built. She grew into a tall girl who liked to sing, square-dance, and -- most of all -- read and dream of the faraway places she would visit one day.

Arizona never did make it to those places. Instead she became a teacher, helping generations of children in the one-room schoolhouse which she herself had attended.

Gloria Houston's Joyous recounting of her great-aunt Arizona's quiet yet meaningful life reminds us of the magical place a special teacher can hold in our hearts.

This was a truly inspiring book that all children can relate to. Children have had at least one teacher that has made a huge impact on their life. They can remember so many details from that teacher’s class even if they had that teacher years ago because the teacher was so inspiring. This book gets children to remember and reflect on their past teachers and truly appreciate all that they have done for them. Arizona had never had a chance to go explore far off places but encouraged all her students to. She wanted her students to experience all the world had to offer and truly believed that they would. Her students eventually grew up and took Arizona’s memory with them everywhere they went because she was such a great teacher. This show more book shows children that most of their teachers really care about them and want to inspire them to reach their full potential. It encourages them to succeed in order to make their teachers proud. show less

I loved this book because it was not only touching, but was easy to relate to. The main character was the narrator's great aunt, who was described as being strong, independent, and wise. She was a teacher who taught generations of kids, encouraging them to travel and explore the world. The illustrations were graceful and appealing, providing the reader with a sense of nostalgia and warmth. The author's use of descriptive words added more interest to the book along with the illustrations which brought the book to life. This would be a great book to read to students because they would be able to discuss how the main character grew as a person, how the time period affected the events in the book, and make predictions on what will happen show more next. Students can even make deeper connections with this book because of how emotional it is. show less

Summary: Gloria Houston writes of the accounts her Great-Aunt Arizona had of her entire life. Arizona was born in a very small town and loved going to school and learning. Her mother passed away at a young age, which meant that Arizona had to stop school and help out at home with her papa and brother. Her papa remarried after sometime and this meant that Arizona could go back to school! She as so excited and she was even able to go live with her aunt to become a school teacher. She came back to her hometown to teach and she married a man and they had a child together. Arizona stayed at the same one room school house for many years and always talked about the far off places that she would love to visit. Arizona taught for fifty-seven show more years and touched many lives with her stories.

Review: What a beautiful portrayal Gloria Houston gives her Great-Aunt Arizona. Houston leaves her readers with the central message that anyone can go to the faraway places that Arizona talked about as long as they pay attention to their teachers. Arizona continuously talked to her students about faraway places, but when asked, she always said that she had never been, but that they [her students] would go someday. She was in love with her job and her students, which is shown by the relationships she held with each and every one. She personally got to know her students and helped teach them the tools that they needed to go to the faraway places that only she could dream about. Arizona constantly encouraged her students to think outside of the box and she comforted them when they felt discouraged or stuck. Houston truly captured the footprint that her Great-Aunt Arizona left on this earth. show less

Intensely moving. Smiles, joy, sunshiny colors, rhythmic text - about a woman who lives to be 94 years, teaching children for 57 of them, and never going to the faraway places of which she dreams. I'm all torn up inside.

This fiction book is about a beautiful girl named Arizona who grew up loving to read and write and dream of adventure. Arizona learned how to read and write in a small school house where she ended up becoming a teacher. Throughout her life she dreamed about going to far away places and living an adventurous life. As she grew older she inspired her students and family to go on adventures of their own. This book has notable features such as colorful and vibrant pictures and repetition. I would use this book as an instructional application to impart purpose and encouragement to my students.