TheTale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

Where do I even start? I love, Love, LOVE! this book!!! For enjoyment alone, it has broken into my top 5 reads. 

A young woman travels alone to a remote island to uncover a past she never knew...

When a mysterious letter lands in Hallie James’s mailbox, her life is upended. Hallie was raised by her loving father, having been told her mother died in a fire decades earlier. But it turns out that her mother, Madlyn, was alive until very recently. Why would Hallie’s father have taken her away from Madlyn? What really happened to her family thirty years ago?

In search of answers, Hallie travels to the place where her mother lived, a remote island in the middle of the Great Lakes. The stiff islanders fix her first with icy stares and then unabashed amazement as they recognize why she looks so familiar, and Hallie quickly realizes her family’s dark secrets are enmeshed in the history of this strange place. But not everyone greets her with such a chilly reception—a coffee-shop owner and the family’s lawyer both warm to Hallie, and the possibility of romance blooms. And then there’s the grand Victorian house bequeathed to her—maybe it’s the eerie atmosphere or maybe it’s the prim, elderly maid who used to work for her mother, but Hallie just can’t shake the feeling that strange things are starting to happen . . .

--

The Tale of Halcyon Crane (what a wonderful name!) opened up to me as a favorite hand-made quilt and a gentle fire insulated me from the suddenly cool weather that October has brought. Curled up in an oversized chair, I turned to the first page and became utterly lost to Ms. Webb's novel.

The tale is woven richly through description and memory. With detailed settings, old mansions begging to be explored and the Gothic atmosphere in a modern world, this mystery is not of the dropping breadcrumbs variety, but one that hovers on the edge of the personal journey that Halcyon is taking.  Nor is this a horror story, rather this is the eerie haunting of a family that prevails through the generations and their shrouded secrets.

As Iris, the elderly maid, relates Halcyon's own family history, generation by generation, I felt as though I became Hallie and it was my story she was telling. So engrossed by the words I was surprised more than once to look up and see that it was still light out and I was, in fact, still in my own living room. This is that magic given by books...to transport one so completely that we forget it is but a novel.

The Tale of Halcyon Crane was Wendy Webb's debut novel.  She has since added 2 more titles to her collection about ghosts and family secrets and are also set on the Great Lakes.

  

Finding Books that "Look" Like You: What Does Your Family Look Like?

Looking for children's picture books that reflect your family portrait?  Check out some of these titles.  Add your favorite titles in the comments section.

Different Types of Families


The Family Book by Todd Parr.  
This colorful story celebrates many different types of families, including step-families, families with two moms or two dads, and single-parent families.


Picnic in the Park by Joe Griffiths
The story of Jason's birthday picnic and his guests, including a range of family structures, including two- and one-parent families; adoptive and foster families; gay and lesbian families; and step-families.

Who's in a Family? by Robert Skutch
Depicts a variety of non-traditional families, including interracial, same-sex and single-parent families.

Same-Sex Parents


And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.
Silo and Roy, two male chinstrap penguins, fall in love and raise baby Tango together. 

This is my Family : a first look at same-sex parents by Pat Thomas
This picture book introduces children to families that have parents of the same sex. Whether a family has a mom and a dad, or two moms, or two dads, this book shows boys and girls that all parents love, care, and support their children in the same way. 

A Tale of Two Mommies; A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager
*A Tale of Two Mommies is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too.
*A Tale of Two Daddies is a simple story about a little girl with two daddies: Daddy and Poppa. When a boy on the playground asks her what it's like having two dads, he wants to know things like "Who tucks you in at night? Which one helps with homework? Which one braids your hair?" The little girl happily explains which of her day-to-day activities are best performed by Daddy, Poppa or both. 

Adoption

We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families by Todd Parr

This book depicts an array of children and families—including one with a single parent and one with two dads—and emphasizes the rewards of adoption for adults and children alike.

Tell me Again about the Night I was Born by Jamie lee Curtis
The story about the night adoptive parents get the call that their new child has been born.

Sisters by Judith Caseley
Kika has just been adopted. There's so much that's new to her: a different language, new friends to make, and something she's never had before -- a family. Melissa has a new sister -- and she's excited. There's so much to share with Kika: trips to the playground, afternoons at the library, and birthday parties.

The Little Green Goose.  by A. Sansone
Mr. Goose finds an abandoned egg, hatches it, and raises a peculiar green-skinned long-tailed chick, who worries about his identity but comes to recognize that he has a loving parent.

Foster Family

Zachary's New Home: A Story For Foster & Adopted Children by Blomquist

A story about Zachary the kitten, who is taken from his mother's house when his mother is unable to take care of him. The book follows Zachary as he first goes into foster care and then is adopted by a family of geese.

Our Gracie Aunt  by Jacqueline Woodson. 
Johnson and his sister, Beebee, have to take care of themselves after their mother leaves. Then they’re moved to the Aunt Gracie’s house and things start getting better.

Murphy's Three Homes: A Story For Children in Foster Care by Gilman

Murphy's Three Homes follows this adorable pup through his placement in three new homes, as well as through his anxiety, self-doubt, and hope for a new, loving family. Finally, Murphy is placed in a caring foster home where he feels comfortable and valued. 

Incarcerated parent

Visiting day by Jacqueline WoodsonA young girl and her grandmother visit the girl's father in prison.

Mama Loves Me from Away by Pat Brisson. 
Shows the loving bond between Sugar and her single-parent mom through memories. But now Sugar now lives with Grammy, and they travel every Sunday on three long bus rides to visit Mama.

Multiracial families

The Two Mrs. Gibsons  byToyomi Igus. A young girl tells of her very different but loving relationships with her Japanese-American mother and her African-American grandmother.

My Rainbow Family  by K. R. Vance

 The story of Drake, a child with a black mother and a white father. Drake's brother and sisters are of varying races. His brother is Cherokee, and one of his older sisters is Hispanic and the other two African. Growing up in their special family, the children are exposed to a uniquely multicultural environment. Drake even learns to speak Spanish from his eldest sister. The children also grow up with a positive attitude about differences in the people around them. When children at school ask Drake how it is possible for him to have a black mother, his response is, "Families come in all colors". 

Single Parents/ Divorced Parents

A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams A single mom and grandmother raising a girl.

Good-Bye Daddy! by Brigitte Weninger

After spending the day with his daddy, a young bear is sad and angry that his father has to leave. The bear comes to learn that even when a father lives in another home, the love and caring never go away.

Love is a Family by Roma Downey

This is the story of a young girl being raised by her mother. She longs for a large noisy family like that of her friend. At the school family fun night, she sees all the different family combinations, and realizes it is love that makes a family.

 A Day With Dad by B. Holmburg

 Tim waits with excitement for a train to bring his father, who lives in another town, then spends an entire day with him, doing all of their favorite things, until it is time for Dad to catch the train home.

Two Homes by Claire MasurelA young boy named Alex enjoys the homes of both of his parents who live apart but love Alex very much, in a comforting story about the reality of divorce.

Step Families

The Not So Wicked Step-Mother by Leslie Allgood Venable
Olivia & Maria are two young sisters who are coping with the recent divorce of their parents. Later, when their dad begins dating again, the sisters decide to make sure he's dating someone who is right for them too. When Dad does meet that someone, Olivia and Maria are happy. Then Dad announces his plan to remarry. Now the girls must cope with the experience of having a stepmother. 

My Bonus Mom! by Tami Butcher
My Bonus Mom! shows children of divorced families that a positive attitude can lead to a happy outcome and springs open their hearts and minds to accept their own bonus moms. It captures the mixed emotions that surge through young children as they deal with divorce and adjust to remarriage. The children work through their feelings of dismay, fear and anger, and grow to love dad's new wife, whom they come to think of as their bonus mom.

Grandparents

Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas, Not Mommies and Daddies by Gayle Byrne

Shares a child's experience living with and being cared for by grandparents through the eyes of a  little girl.

Military Parents

While You Are Away by Eileen Spinelli

Three different children with parents in three different branches of the military (the Navy, Air Force and Army) talk about the things they miss doing with their parents and wonder if their parents are missing them.

Sometimes We Were Brave by Pat Brisson

Jerome's mom is a sailor. When her ship is in home port, she and Jerome bake cookies, read books together, and take their dog, Duffy, for walks. When his mom's ship goes to sea, she gives Jerome a hug and says, "Be brave, Jerome. I'll be back as soon as I can." Jerome doesn't feel brave at all. But he does what he needs to do every day—goes to school, helps his dad with chores, and takes care of Duffy.

Letters to a Military Mom by Tucker McElroy

Lizzie's mom is a soldier with an overseas posting.  The story is told as a series of letters from Lizzie to her mom, from the time she leaves until she returns home.

A Paper Hug by Stephanie Skolmoski

A Paper Hug follows a child as his father is called to deploy overseas. It covers emotions and issues that are likely to be experienced by both children and the parent left behind.

29. Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky

When a white couple gives birth to a baby with distinctly black features, a family is thrown into turmoil. Hugh Clarke, born into a pedigreed New England family that can trace its roots to the Mayflower, devotes his professional life to championing minorities but is blindsided by his daughter’s color. He urges his wife Dana, whose heritage is unknown, to start digging for answers. Dana adores her baby and resents her husband’s demands. Unearthing her family’s past raises issues for her that go well beyond that of her daughter’s racial mix.

Hugh’s father, Eaton Clarke, a renowned writer, anxiously awaits the results of Dana’s search. Eaton is weeks away from releasing a book based on his well-documented family tree, and will be discredited as an historian if the very foundation of his book is undermined. To make matters worse, his wife, Dorothy, is taking an uncharacteristically independent stand with regard to their newest granddaughter.

Family Tree delves into issues of trust, honesty, privilege, and identity. It debates the way people define ourselves, and explores the duplicity of political correctness and personal prejudice.

The basis of the book has so much potential.  How would any of us react if our child was born looking so different from any of out family?  How would our friends and family react?  what hidden prejudices would we encounter?  

I enjoyed this book while I was reading but a few things stood out enough to bother me.  Hugh's initial reaction to the appearance of their child seemed understandable and the strength of his defence for his wife's faithfulness to his own parents was wonderful to see.  And yet, he doesn't seem to understand why Dana is upset when he continually insists on a paternity test to prove the truth to his parents.  His almost desperate need for Dana to track down her unknown father and find an explanation was relentless and didn't seem to match with who he was show to be elsewhere in the book. The issue of trust played a huge role in this novel.


Hugh's parents were unsympathetic and stereotypical as the stuck-up, social climbing rich couple whose main concern in life is what others would think of them. For such two dimensional characters, they had a huge influence over their son's actions.  There were several minor sub-plots that interwove throughout but most were not fleshed out and many were unresolved at novels end. While they were not essential to the main story, the failure to follow then to some end made the novel feel choppy at times. I think this story could have been told with more depth and focus on the underlying issues and motivations of the characters and less reliance on their initial reaction to the appearance of the child. Only Dana and Hugh seemed to evolve somewhat past the knee-jerk reactions they have. A good read as long as you don't think too much or expect much of the characters.