Under the Lilacs, written by E.B Goodale, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This beautiful story is about a girl who is feeling alone and neglected by her family and sets out to solve her problems. When her mom and sister both ignore her she runs away from home. But she does not run too far away. The girl builds her own house under the nearby lilacs where she feels she will be able to live and survive. But as she creates rooms for her sister and mom and they come to her in her new home she realizes that she has been found and is part of a loving family. Young children may see themselves, like the girl in the story, in feeling alone and neglected and have probably thought about running away from those people and feelings. When they see the girl's response to her situation and the results of her efforts they may feel some comfort. This book is a great book for talking about parents, emotions, lonliness, siblings and how all of it makes one feel. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This is a great book for discussing young children's emotions about family. Where do they fit in? How do they see themselves in the family? Do they feel neglected? Do they feel alone? What can they do to face those emotions?