A Picture's Worth...

A thousand words-we get it, we've all heard the saying.  But for young Hollis Woods her pictures are worth more than a thousand words, they are priceless.  Patricia Reilly Giff's pictures of hollis woods is the story of, who else, Hollis Woods a young girl in foster care searching for a family.

Hollis is one of those characters you feel immediately drawn to, you are rooting for her right from the very beginning.  You feel her longing for a family and you are desperate for that wish to be granted.

The story is told both in present time and through flashbacks to Hollis' summer spent with her favorite foster family yet.  Hollis is a gifted artist and her drawings are often described but never pictured.  I wish this book had illustrations so I could see what Hollis drew.

Pictures of Hollis is filled with wonderful characters and  a depth of story you don't often find in books of this length.  I would recommend this book to any of my students who are looking for something to read.  The charm of this book is that it doesn't hide the fact that life isn't always easy, but at the end you aren't left feeling discouraged you are left feeling loved.

Finding a home...that's kids stuff.