* "Succinct poetry shines in this impassioned celebration of history; the stories of this African-American family traveling the globe are rich with heart and color." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "[A] story that conveys decades of family history with an almost magical concision. Elizabeth Zunon's warm, bright illustrations provide a cheerful balance, but it's the ache of a parent's absence that most powerfully animates the book." -- The New York Times "A gem of a book." -- School Library Journal "Each page turn is like opening that old box in the attic--you never know what is coming next. Young poets (and their parents and grandparents) will be inspired to write poems for future generations." -- The Horn Book "A book about discoveries, this celebrates poetry and the quixotic life of a military family." -- Booklist "Fully in step with Grimes's empathic writing, Zunon's (One Plastic Bag) warmly painted collages .

[highlight] the powerful emotional ties between the girl and her elders, as well as her mother's adventurous spirit." -- Publishers Weekly Arnold Adoff Poetry Award Honor - Board of the Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth Best Books - Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Notable Books in the Language Arts - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Notable Poetry and Verse Novels - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Texas Bluebonnet Award Shortlist - Texas Library Association (TLA).