Through the Gate

In this unique book, a young girl gets a “new” home and isn’t very happy about it. But things are being changed to her house every day while she is at school. Through the Gate creator Sally Fawcett matched the book’s text perfectly to the illustrations. When I was reading, it felt like putting a puzzle together. As this girl’s (whose name we never know) house improves, more color is added to the black and white world. The first time is when small blue flowers grow between the sidewalk cracks. By the end, her house has become beautiful and colorful. She is happier as the book progresses. I would recommend this book in general, but especially for children six- to thirteen years old who are within two to three months of a move. This dialogue-free book has only one thing that is colored throughout the entire book and that is a couple of red and blue birds. This relaxing but not boring book is really fun to read, and I enjoyed the drawings.