Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Chico: A True Story from the Childhood of the First Woman Supreme Court Justice
Illustrator: Dan Andreasen
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 6 to 8
Penguin, 2005 ISBN: 978-0525474524
When Sandra was a little girl she lived on a ranch. She loved to help her mother with the chores and was friends with all the animals, feeding the horses and calves, and collecting the eggs that the chickens had laid. More than anything Sandra loved the horses. One of the horses on the farm was her own. His name was Chico and he was a gentle and kind animal who did his best to help Sandra learn how to ride.
One day Sandra's father told her that a new calf had been born. Eager to see the new arrival Sandra rode off to see it even though the calf was in the east pasture and a couple of miles from the ranch house. Sandra soon found the calf and watched it as it stood next to its mother. Then Chico began to behave strangely. Sandra saw that a large rattlesnake was coiled up right next to one of Chico?s hooves.
In this warm and personal picture book the author describes a very special day that she experienced when she was just six years old. Through her words the reader is able to see how much Sandra loved her life on the ranch and how special it was, full of interesting animals, a unique environment, and a loving family.
Dan Andreasen's old-fashioned style of painting perfectly compliments the nostalgia of this happy look into the past.
