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The Bravest of Us All
by Marsha Diane Arnold
Dial Books for Young Readers 2000
Jacket Copy
Reviews
Awards and Honors
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Jacket Copy

“Of us seven brothers and sisters, Velma Jean was the bravest of us all,” says Ruby Jane.

“Velma Jean could walk barefoot ‘cross the sandbur patch that lay between the house and the barn. When neighbors came to visit, they’d look at Velma Jean breaking a new colt and say, ‘Why, Velma Jean, you are brave.’ Some days I wished I was the bravest of us all, but I was afraid of most everything.”

But when a twister blows through Ruby Jane’s dusty farm, it leaves behind an important truth: It’s the choices we make in an instant that separate the heroic from the merely daring.

Clever and endearing characters face a natural calamity in this tender story about the meaning of bravery. Brought to life by artwork as zesty and animated as Velma Jean herself, The Bravest of Us All proves courage comes in many forms.

Reviews

From Booklist: “…This picture book connects the terror of the storm with a family story of courage and love…”

From School Library Journal: “A simple story told with the authenticity of oft-told family history is set in flat, Midwestern farm country…”

Awards and Honors

  • Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award nominee
  • Atlanta Parent Monthly Best Books of 2000
  • Show Me Readers Award nominee
  • The Volunteer State Book Award nominee
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