Once Upon a Time

A struggling young reader triumphs

There is something worrying Sarie at school. Every time her teacher says, “Children, take out your reading books,” Sarie feels sick. The letters in the book all run together, tripping her up so that she stumbles and falters, and the girls in the back always make fun of her. Only Sarie’s old friend, Auntie Anna, seems to understand that letters and words can be difficult things to grasp. And it is Auntie Anna, with the help of a book from her own daughter’s childhood, who makes a unique Sunday ritual out of giving Sarie the help she needs, until the letters that were once her adversaries begin to seem friendly – just in time for Sarie to prove herself to the laughing girls at school.

Niki Daly’s illustrations set Sarie’s tale under the vast and beautiful skies of the South African Karoo, and his encouraging story conveys the power and magic of a good book and the joy of having a good friend to share it with.

A struggling young reader is inspired by her aunt in the South African Karoo.

A struggling young reader triumphs

There is something worrying Sarie at school. Every time her teacher says, “Children, take out your reading books,” Sarie feels sick. The letters in the book all run together, tripping her up so that she stumbles and falters, and the girls in the back always make fun of her. Only Sarie’s old friend, Auntie Anna, seems to understand that letters and words can be difficult things to grasp. And it is Auntie Anna, with the help of a book from her own daughter’s childhood, who makes a unique Sunday ritual out of giving Sarie the help she needs, until the letters that were once her adversaries begin to seem friendly – just in time for Sarie to prove herself to the laughing girls at school.

Niki Daly’s illustrations set Sarie’s tale under the vast and beautiful skies of the South African Karoo, and his encouraging story conveys the power and magic of a good book and the joy of having a good friend to share it with.

Publishers Weekly

Sarie, a rural South African girl, dreads reading aloud in school: words on the page "tripped up her tongue. She stuttered and stammered over them." Everyone in class mocks her except Emile, who reasons that the ringleaders are jealous because Sarie is "as pretty as a princess." Daly (Jamela's Dress) brings in a host of elements to turn Sarie's eventual mastery of reading out loud into a Cinderella story. The elderly Auntie Anna, who lives across the veld, entertains Sarie in her rusted-out car, which sits comfortably on the dirt without its wheels; she and Sarie pretend to drive it far away. Shortly after Sarie confides her fears about reading to Auntie Anna, Sarie finds a battered copy of Cinderella in the back seat of the car, and with the old woman's help, she reads it aloud. Auntie Anna dubs Sarie a Cinderella and identifies Emile as her prince, and back at school, Sarie reads and "the words poured out as clear as spring water." While Daly's watercolors have lots of life, from the quick studies of Sarie's classmates to the vast expanse of the dry veld, the story's mix of fairy tale motif and real-life problem seems forced. Despite Auntie Anna's loving care in aiding Sarie with her difficulties, kids who struggle with reading may not find enough here to help them. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Niki Daly is the author and illustrator of many picture books, including Old Bob’s Brown Bear, What’s Cooking, Jamela?, and Jamela’s Dress, an ALA Notable Book. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa.