Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles

Illustrated by Peter Parnall. 48 p., Little, Brown, 1971.

Annie, who is about 10 years old, tries to keep her beloved grandmother's death from happening. Because the Old One has said that she will die when Annie's mother has finished weaving her rug, Annie does disruptive things intended to keep her mother from weaving. Finally, with help from her grandmother herself, Annie realizes that we are all part of the earth, and accepts her grandmother's impending death. A limitation of this story is that it uses phrases such as "go to Mother Earth" to represent death. However, this story can help children hold simultaneously their sadness in losing someone they love, and their wonder in the interconnection of all things.

Ages: 8-12
Cultural Context: Native American