Ada Ruth's mother temporarily moves to Chicago for a job cleaning railroad cars, an opportunity for African-American women occurring because World War II siphoned off so much of the work force. Ada Ruth stays behind with her grandmother, waiting for news and much-needed money to arrive in the mail from her mother as the icy rural Michigan winter sets in; even a starving stray kitten is a financial burden in this quietly contemplative first-person narrative. The appealing watercolor illustrations convey yearning and pride in the midst of poverty. A 2005 Caldecott Honor Book.

HEARTWARMING!