Willa And Old Miss Annie - Hardcover

A fine author who won Carnegie medals in both 1987 and 1992 for YA novels re-creates the sensibilities of a young child in three linked stories. After moving to ``a big town, far away,'' Willa is lonely. When she meets Miss Annie, her bent, twisted old hands frighten Willa and she doesn't understand her words, ``so tiny that you could hardly hear them. They were more like secrets.'' Willa thinks Miss Annie has a ``ghost'' in her garden; at night, the white form resembles one, but it's really a lonely goat; by the time Willa and Miss Annie find him an appropriate home the two are friends. In the long central chapter they happen on a pony that has nearly died after being tethered and abandoned--a heartwrenching animal story tempered by its happy outcome and the gritty, satirical characterizations of the villains. ``Vicky Fox'' presents the sad probabilities inherent in trying to keep a wild pet and the differing perceptions of old and young towards possession and friendship between humans and animals; here Willa makes another friend, her own age. Astutely observed, elegantly crafted, and easily read, these thoughtful stories deserve a place beside Phillipa Pearce's A Dog So Small and Dick King-Smith's Sophie books. (Fiction. 6-10) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 3-5. When Willa's parents move to a new home far away from all that's familiar, Willa wonders whether she'll ever have a friend again. Then she meets Miss Annie, an old woman with hair like wool and hands full of bumps, like a twig that's all bent and twisted. In three gentle stories, accompanied by black-and-white drawings, old Miss Annie introduces shy Willa (who appears to be about six or seven years old) to a lonely goat, an abandoned pony, and an orphaned fox cub. While aiding these animals, Willa and Miss Annie become friends. The chapter book is illustrated with black-and-white drawings by Kim Lewis, and the text has an easy, conversational tone and an even rhythm. However, the stories, which are set in the English countryside, have an old-fashioned feel that may make them work best when read aloud. The harsh experiences of Bony (the pony) and Vicky Fox, though coming to satisfactory resolutions, may inspire some thoughtful discussion. Karen Harvey