Product Description

During a terrible drought, a mysterious young boy called Drylongso comes to stay at the farm of Lindy and her parents, becoming a member of the family as he teaches them the secret of finding water hidden in the earth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7303113 in Books
• Published on: 1992-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: School & Library Binding
• 54 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Endowing her eponymous protagonist with the mystical qualities of a folk hero and the wry wit of a boy, Newbery Medalist Hamilton has created a provocative tale with both spiritual and environmental allusions. Lindy and her parents rescue a tall, skinny "stick-fella" from a sudden dust storm. Named Drylongso for the periods of drought that "lasted so long, folks thought it was just ordinary. Dry so long, it was common, like everyday," the strange boy brings with him the promise of new life--water. The adults cautiously accept his peculiar nature--his mysterious arrival, his unknown origins, his aphoristic, at times prophetic, statements on growth and life. In contrast, Lindy, who provides the tale with a measure of comic relief, bombards the boy with her curiosity; Drylongso's jokey affection for Lindy saves the story from cloying sentimentality. Pinkney's atmospheric watercolors highlight the strong familial bond central to the story; his characters and landscape superbly vivify Hamilton's barren clime. An afterword offers both a historical account of U.S. drought cycles and a cultural context for this intriguing central character. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Endowing her eponymous protagonist with the mystical qualities of a folk hero and the wry wit of a boy, Newbery Medalist Hamilton has created a provocative tale with both spiritual and environmental allusions. Lindy and her parents rescue a tall, skinny "stick-fella" from a sudden dust storm. Named Drylongso for the periods of drought that "lasted so long, folks thought it was just ordinary. Dry so long, it was common, like everyday," the strange boy brings with him the promise of new life--water. The adults cautiously accept his peculiar nature--his mysterious arrival, his unknown origins, his aphoristic, at times prophetic, statements on growth and life. In contrast, Lindy, who provides the tale with a measure of comic relief, bombards the boy with her curiosity; Drylongso's jokey affection for Lindy saves the story from cloying sentimentality. Pinkney's atmospheric watercolors highlight the strong familial bond central to the story; his characters and landscape superbly vivify Hamilton's barren clime. An afterword offers both a historical account of U.S. drought cycles and a cultural context for this intriguing central character. Ages 8-12.
  (Publishers Weekly )

About the Author
Virginia Hamilton’s books, which combined African-American and Native American lore with contemporary stories and characters, are memorable not only for their inventiveness and rich characterizations, but also for their ability to evoke a wide variety of times, places, and historical figures. She resided in Yellow Springs, Ohio till her death in 2002.

Jerry Pinkney, recipient of the second annual Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, has been illustrating children's books for more than 35 years. He has the rare distinction of being the recipient of four Caldecott Honor Medals; namely, for John Henry by Julius Lester, The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci, Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia McKissack, and most recently The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen. He has received the Coretta Scott King Award four times and a Coretta Scott King Honor Award twice. Many of his books have been cited as notable books by the American Library Association and the National Council of Social Studies/Children's Book Council. In 1990, Tales of Uncle Remus by Julius Lester was recognized as one of the best books of the decade by Booklist. In addition to The Ugly Duckling, he has recently illustrated Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl as well as Julius Lester's Black Cowboy, Wild Horses and Barbara Diamond Golden's Journeys of Elijah: Eight Tales of the Prophet. He has also designed postage stamps for the United States Postal Service Black Heritage Series and was part of the artistic team for the space shuttle Columbia. He has said of his work that his goal is "to continue acting as a role model, sharing my time with young artists and children. As for the work itself, my interest is in doing more multicultural projects." 

Customer Reviews

Drylongso
This book is great! I've read it 4 times and recommended to everyone that loves children's books. It brought back childhood memories of the big dust storms we once had. The writing of Virginia Hamilton, as always, is superb. The characters were real to me and the illustration allowed each character to dance through out the story. I loved Lindy's character. I've recommanded the book to others because of it's down to earth discription of how things were. I remember playing in gullies like the one the garden was planted in. Each of us have out childhood memories. We lived in the dry dusty country of West Texas. Thank you for the opprotunity of being able to tell others how much I loved this book. The reason I found this is because I wanted to buy one to show my grandchildren how it was in the dust bowl days.