Annie and the Old One (Newbery Honor Book) - by Patricia Miles Martin (Paperback)

About the Book

A Navajo girl unravels a day's weaving on a rug whose completion, she believes, will mean the death of her grandmother.

Book Synopsis

A Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the Christopher Award
The concept of death is beautifully presented to young children in this moving story of a Navajo child's love for her grandmother and her reluctance to lose her.

Annie, a Navajo child, resorts to extremes in trying to prevent her dear grandmother from dying. The "old one'' has said she will return to Earth when she has finished helping Annie and Annie's mother to weave their new rug, so the child does everything she can to delay the project. When the grandmother explains her beliefs, Annie understands and no longer attempts to hold back time.

Review Quotes

"An unforgettable story."--School Library Journal

"Many writers... have tried to present the concept of death to children; Miska Miles has done it with this wise story of a Navajo girl and of her grandmother.--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Patricia Miles Martin is the author of several books for young readers. Much of her writing is inspired by the time she spent living on a farm in Kansas and a Navajo reservation.

Peter Parnall is the award-winning illustrator of over 80 books, some of which he also authored. Many of his books involve animals and nature, especially in the desert.

Annie and the Old One received a Newbery Honor and a Christopher Medal.