Golden Tassel’s Graduation, written by Kay Michaels, is a story about stalks of corn growing in a
field. Golden Tassel is the name of one of the stalks. He is the tallest stalk
of corn and can see all the others in the field. Some of the others are
Minigold, Big Ears and Kernel King.
The four stalks of corn, along with all the others, are in
Farmer Kern’s field. Their survival is depends on the weather and the care
Farmer Kern gives them, and sometimes they feel as though the end is near. But,
they look forward to “graduation day” as they dream about their contribution to
the harvest.
But it is more than that. It is a story about farming. It is
a story about believing in God. It is a story about using what we have and not
wasting it.
The author includes different types of corn in the story and
tells how each one will be used. Some are for humans to eat, some are for
animals to eat, some are to use to make baskets, some to use as fuel, some for
corn oil, some to burn in furnaces, and some to use for seed for next year’s
crops.
There is
a black-and-white sketch by Kathy Hoyt at the beginning of every chapter and at
the end of nearly all of them.
Isaiah
64:4 is given as a Bible reference for the story: “For since the beginning of
the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye
seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
What I
Like: I like the way the author ties in the many uses of corn as she weaves her
story around the stalks growing in the fields.
What I
Dislike: Nothing.
Overall
Rating: Very good.
Age
Appeal: 6-9 years.
Publisher Info: Tate Publishing, 2010; ISBN: 9781616631352;
Paperback, 73 pages, $8.99.
Special
Info: Visit the author’s Facebook page.
Read our reviews of other books illustrated by Kathy Hoyt.
The publisher, Tate Publishing, provides an audio download of the book. The web
page and code for the download are given at the end of the book.
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