Ever wish you could turn a child's curiosity to the past? To really think about the generations that came before us and what their lives might have been like? GHOST HANDS by T.A. Barron sends the imagination back in that direction and now we have this book with its intriguing and slightly macabre subject matter entwined with charmingly old-fashioned illustrations that create a warm, light, welcoming balance for the reader.
Transport yourself for the moment to Ireland, a land of bogs made of peat. In these bogs lurk "primitive weapons and tools" and most importantly for our story, mummies. For on this day a young girl, Maeve, and her grandfather, out digging peat for a sweet fire to warm their home, discover a mummy with the blade of their spade. The authorities arrive and the mummy is removed.
Turns out this mummy is a girl with wisps of blonde hair just like Maeve herself. What would the two girls have in common? Did the girl love to wander, picking flowers and feeling the wind blow soft? Curiosity may bloom for those who begin to ask questions about what life was like a thousand years ago in Ireland.
Do we remember to respect those who came before us and do we handle their remains with due respect when we come upon them in our own time? A bit of mystery, a bit of history, a bit of child-like wonder.
Ages 8 and up 32 pages 978-0547558431
Recommended by: Barb
