The Sundown Rule

Gr 4—7—Louise lives with her father in a Michigan state park. Her dad works for the Park Services so Louise has grown up surrounded by wildlife. When she was little she brought home so many animals that her father made "the sundown rule"—all creatures must be returned to the place where she had found them by sundown. When her father receives an opportunity to go to Brazil to write an article for National Geographic, Louise is sent to stay with her loving Aunt Kay and Uncle Jack. However, they live in a housing development with manicured lawns and bushes, a far cry from the woods and fields that Louise loves so dearly. She must leave her cat, Cash, at home for the neighbors to feed since Aunt Kay is allergic to animals. When Cash is hit by a car and killed, Louise feels even more alone. Although the plot is mildly uneventful, Townsend creates in this story a girl passionately in tune with all creatures of the wild. The interactions and observations between Louise and an orphaned baby raccoon, a jaguar in the zoo, and the crows she feeds are expertly depicted with truth and elegance. The characters, both adults and adolescents, are truthful with their feelings yet respectful. The strength in this story lies in the author's art of evoking genuine appreciation and reverence for nature.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH