Don't Forget to Write

by Martina Selway

When Rosie reluctantly goes to Grandad's farm for a visit her letters home become a daily journal reflecting an increasingly positive attitude toward absence from home. Perfect for any child facing that first trip away from home.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Contemporary, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1992

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this artfully illustrated story of Rosie, who has to go for a visit to Grandad and Aunty Mabel on their Vermont farm, but DOES NOT WANT TO GO!! The whole book is just Rosie's letters to her mother who leaves her on the farm despite her objectons. Her first letter home begins, "Dear Mom, I didn't want you to leave me at Grandad's. When you left, I cried and cried." Haven't we all felt that way?

I love those mad/sad/apprehensive/delighted faces Selway has created that make the story so vivid. And loved the way her letters home change gradually over the course of her visit to finally begging "PLEASE let me stay a little longer with Grandad. I don't want to come home yet." and signs her name, "Old Ginger Nut", which is what the Grandpa called her.

As I've said before, our response to what we read is always auto-biographical; for me this evokes memories of kind grandparents who indulged their grand daughter, and of times when grown-ups dictated what would happen, regarless of my feelings. And it shows how life can turn out better than we think it will, if we'll just give it a chance. I love the watercolor illustratons! The author/artist has made a great story beautiful.

[Capn · Rating 3 out of 5]

NB: If you think this is set in Vermont, then Ideals Children's Books of Nashville has pulled a fast one on ya, son. ;) These are the fabulous Yorkshire Dales depicted by Martina Selway (who was a background illustrator on the Beatles' film, Yellow Submarine!).

A Red Fox Picture Book
'This is a delightful variation on an old theme. A little girl, protesting at being sent off to stay in the Yorkshire Dales is told, 'Don't forget to write.' The pages of her letter form the text of the book. Gradually her homesickness changes to enjoyment and her relationship with her grandfather grows until she is begging to have her holiday extended.' School Librarian
'A teasing, reassuring charmer' Guardian
'A reassuring story for any child who is apprehensive about making a solo trip' Publishers Weekly
'Immensely appealing. . . lots of big, evocative pictures' Northern Echo

Boilerplate - cute pictures of Yorkshire, specifically Arklegarthdale*, Yorkshire, from a girl from Molesey, Surrey.

Bizarrely, there are TWO reviews that make this very tree-less, non-maple-syrup-producing old world countryside with dry stone walls to be VERMONT, which is... well, laughable to me! Did they seriously do a specific-to-Americans U.S. edition and pretend this is American scenery?! :O

Mine's a reprint (2000). First printed in 1991 in the U.K. - I have to get to the bottom of this. I think it's a joke!

(*in real life, there's an Arkengarthdale (not Arkle-) in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in Yorkshire, and it features in Earthfasts by William Mayne. Here's a link to the page for Arkengarthdale at the National Park: https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/pla... - see the scenery?! Rural Vermont is flatter (or at least isn't roly poly and bare), certainly has many, many more trees (colourful maples!), and red American-style barns, for starters...)

EDIT: OpenLibrary has a U.S. version of this (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL35044...), by "Ideals Children's Books, Nashville, Tennessee" (1994 - their first (U.S.) edition). And yes indeed they have rewritten the very same book and claimed it to be of Vermont!!! "Griggs Farm, Manchester, Vermont"

They also changed "rock cakes" (and thereby rendered Granddad's joke about them breaking the tiles a little less funny) to raisin cookies.

"Darn pests - they're a darn nuisance" replaced "Bloomin' pests, they're a bloomin' nuisance." "Cabinets" replaced "cupboards"; "Silly as a goose" replaced "daft as a brush"; "river" replaced "brook"; "fish sticks" replaced "fishfingers" ("dinner" replaced "tea").

"We had to get up very early to go to town" replaced "to go to market". "Candy" replaced "sweets", and "cattle market" was just removed altogether ("Then we had to sell some sheep").

"The auctioneer spoke so fast that I couldn't understand a single word" replaced "spoke so fast it sounded like gobbledegook!" And instead of saying, "Happen we'll make a farmer of you yet, Old Ginger Nut." they just dropped the 'happen' ("We'll make a farmer of you yet,..").

They "mailed" the letter rather than "posted" it in the U.S. edition, changed "Lots of love from" to "Lots of love,", and Rosie sent it home to:

Ms A. Lee
1764 Hill Road
Hartford, Connecticut

rather than

Mrs. A. Lee
26A Tower Flats,
Molesey,
Surrey

Wow. Didn't anyone think "Vermont" looked a little off?? XD Astounding!!! Also, another 'dumbing down' example - surely there are Americans who would like to read about Yorkshire, too! And learn some Yorkshire dialect phrasing, too?! I mean, surely that's more interesting than just, you know, Vermont (nothing against Vermont, but I wouldn't think U.S. citizens would view it as 'foreign', would they?).

I wonder what the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing makes of this! XD

[Kelly Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very touching book. Introduces ideas of how to write/format a letter. Language is rhythmic and flows nicely.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie is from Connecticut, but she is spending two weeks with her grandfather and great-aunt Mabel in Vermont. Rosie's mother tells her, "Don't forget to write", so she writes everyday. Rosie didn't want to leave and she misses her mother. When she writes her early letters she talks about how she misses her mother, her home, and how she doesn't like her new nickname. As the two weeks progress Rosie starts signing her letters with 'Old Ginger Nut' and talking about the things she'll miss when she has to leave.

This book is a great example to children how opinions can change and how even things they don't like at first can become enjoyable. The art is very appropriate to the story and even has colored pages to represent the letters Rosie sent to her mother. Overall it is a sweet story to share with kids and adults will enjoy the nostalgic elements as well.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A girl visit's her grandfather's and Aunt Mabel's farm. The book is a series of letters to her mom. At the beginning she doesn't want to stay, but at the end of the book, she doesn't want to go home.

[Rachel Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really sweet book that was a great example of how people's feelings about something that seems uncomfortable and new at first can change gradually. It would be great in the classroom when working on character analysis and change.

[Ashlyn Barker-Salyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a young girl who spends several days at her grandpa's house. While reluctant at first, she slowly begins to enjoy her trip. A good example for students of letter writing and its purposes.

[Tammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

@
This is a book my girls and I love .We have read it many times and each time it's more enjoyable then the last . My girls are twenty and twenty one and were heart broken when we could find our book when they come home from college . A must read

[Angela Record · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great to show kids how to keep a journal. Also it helps kids cope with those first steps of leaving home and going to school or anywhere else!

[Katie Pszczola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story for letter writing. This book would be a good book to have in the classroom library for when children are learning about letter writing.

[Jamie Tedesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good way of showing how important writing can be by writing letters about what is personal. You could see a good development of a child's attitude as well.

[Taylor Darst · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a sweet book. It showed how important it is to keep in touch with people, even through letters. It also showed that not all experiences that might seem bad are not.