Walking Home to Rosie Lee

"What a treat! LaFaye has applied her considerable literary gifts to tell a post-Civil War story we rarely, if ever, hear, and has done so in a style as musical as any poem I've ever read. The voices truly sing. Brava!"

"A. LaFaye tells the story in an authentic southern voice, with an emotional arc that tugs at the heart. Newcomer Keith D. Shepherd's rich acrylic paintings bring the story to life. A truly wonderful pairing of words and pictures."

"Set at the end of the Civil War, this account of a freed slave boy's search for his mother is distinguished by a vivid narrative voice and page-turning suspense."

"Applying paint in thickly brushed impasto, Shepherd views Gabe's world and encounters from a child's-eye height but gives the barefoot, raggedly clad boy a look of hard-won maturity that points to past sorrows and underscores the depth of his determination. His distinct voice will draw readers into caring about his quest and sharing the tide of joy that accompanies his ultimate success. . . A deeply felt narrative."

"One of the few titles to describe the cruel breakup of family under slavery from a small child's viewpoint, this honest story also makes clear the anguish of the many loved ones who were lost and never found."