PORCH LIES Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters

Listeners and their children will enjoy Patricia McKissack's stories so much they might not even notice how this Caldecott winner has subtly woven in African-American history. Take "Aunt Gran," for example, a former slave who allows her home to become a hideout for Jesse James, who is masquerading as a traveling businessman. In explaining this decision to her nephew, she says she will not abandon someone who has placed trust in her for any amount of reward money; her family once felt betrayed when a woman who had been hiding escaped slaves turned them in for reward money. The Ku Klux Klan also figures in the story. Perfect for listeners of all ages. E.D.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2008]