Sherlan, the next-to-the-youngest daughter in an African-American family, describes a typical day working in the fields with her parents and three sisters. Although the author has fond memories of her family (most particularly her father), there is not the smallest hint of nostalgia in this reminiscence of her childhood spent as a migrant worker. Byard's expressive full-color paintings brilliantly evoke the summer heat, the immensity of the cotton fields, and the strain of hard work on child and adult. In the midst of adversity, the strength of Sherlan's family comes through in both the lyrical language and the illustrations depicting tenderness in the facial expressions of Byard's characters. Honor Book, 1992 CCBC Coretta Scott King Award Discussion: Illustration. (Ages 6-9)

This child's view of the long day's work in the cotton fields, simply expressed in a poet's resonant language, is a fresh and stirring look at migrant family life. "With its restrained poetic text and impressionist paintings, this is a picture book for older readers, too."--Booklist