Mama's Window - Softcover

Lynn Rubright

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1600603351 ISBN 13: 9781600603358

Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 2008

Synopsis

When his mother dies, James Earle (“Sugar”) Martin goes to live with his uncle Free, a gruff crippled man who makes his living fishing in a swamp in the Mississippi Delta. At first Sugar and Uncle Free barely get along, and Sugar is afraid of the swamp and everything associated with it. The only bright spot in Sugar’s life is the building of the new Sweet Kingdom Church, which will be adorned with a beautiful stained glass window that his mother scrimped and saved for while she was alive. As time passes a budding sense of family develops between Sugar and Uncle Free. Then one day Sugar discovers that the money for Mama’s window is being used to construct the church itself. Devastated but unwilling to give up on his mother’s dream, Sugar finds affirmation and support where he least expects it. In a truly heartwarming yet unexpected ending, Mama’s Window shows us all the importance of hope, dreams, and finding a place to call home.

About this title

About the Author:

LYNN RUBRIGHT is a professional storyteller who has taught storytelling courses for more than twenty years. She is the recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association and was awarded a regional EMMY for her work as a co-producer of the documentary Oh Freedom After While: The Missouri Sharecropper Protest of 1939. While researching the life of Owen Whitfield for that film, Rubright came across a few details about his childhood, which ultimately served as the inspiration for Mama’s Window. Rubright and her husband live in St. Louis, Missouri. This is her first book for children.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-6–James Earle Sugar Martin's mother has been dead for six months when this story begins. By her request, he is now living with her brother, a disabled loner. The two of them reside in a one-room shack in the Mississippi Delta and Uncle Free makes his living by fishing the waters of the swamp. He doesn't speak much, and when he does, he sounds gruff and short. Yet, as time goes by, his guidance is firm, gentle, kind, and patient. The story is loosely based on the childhood experiences of Reverend Owen H. Whitfield, an African-American sharecropper, preacher, and union organizer in Arkansas during the 1930s. At the heart of the story is the fact that Sugar's mother had taken on extra work to save money specifically for a stained-glass window when the new church is built. When funds fall short, the building committee decides to use the funds to buy bricks instead. Sugar's keen disappointment and his abiding faith in his mother's dream eventually cause church members to rethink what is important. Rubright's sentences are descriptive, yet never overwhelming; paragraphs are kept short, and the pace is swift–all elements that draw in even the most reluctant readers. The book is simple in style and layout, with plenty of white space and a few small black-and-white illustrations. This touching tale of a boy's commitment to his mother, underscored by the powerful understanding and closeness that develops between him and his uncle, makes this a wonderful first purchase.–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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About this edition

• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1600603351
• ISBN 13: 9781600603358
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96
• Illustrator: Duane Smith