THE ALMOND ORCHARD

Macmillan Publishing, 1991. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. New/As New. Laura Jane Coats. CONDITION: UNREAD, but not quite perfect, 1991 Macmillan hardcover (pictorial boards) & dust jacket (short repaired tear top DJ edge at spine), first edition, first printing. Lovely color illustrations by the Author. CONTENT: This book is really for kids who have a love of farming and farm technology. In this fine book, Coats combines a slice of agrarian history with a warm evocation of her grandmother's experiences on a California almond farm from the turn of the century to the present. The life cycle of the almond tree, the procedure for harvesting and preparing the nuts for market, and the many products in which they are used are all woven into the narrative in a simple yet skillful explanation. Coats conveys the passage of time by describing how the processing stage has developed over the years and in drawings that show changes in both equipment and dress. At the story's end, the narrator (Coats narrating in her grandmother's voice), is an old woman who runs her inherited business from afar but always goes home when the orchard is in bloom. Illustrations are well integrated with the text and extend it, clarifying unfamiliar terms such as "smudge pot" and "mechanical shaker." The scenes are technically well executed and convey not only information but also feelings. A nice glimpse of American life, presented without sentimentality. K - 4.