First edition of Digging to China by Donna Rawlins. Marj inspires her young friend and neighbor Alexis to explore the "exotic" in her own backyard.
Written and illustrated by Donna Rawlins. First American edition, first printing, 1989 Orchard Books, New York.
"Alexis and Marj are very good friends. They both like the same things, especially cacti, which Marj gives to Alexis in tiny terra-cotta pots for her collection. Marj likes succulents: fleshy plants that hold water in their leaves and sometimes look more like strange little animals than plants.
"One day, Alexis was sitting on the edge of Marj's garden while her friend was digging. Alexis saw a plant she had never seen there before. It had vivid red flowers that hung down like bells.
"What's that one?" she asked. "I like that one."
"It's a Chinese lantern plant," said Marj. "A Chinese lantern - it grows in China. That's a place I always wanted to visit. Sort of exotic, they say."...
A charming book, both the story and the artwork. Alexis's older neighbor Marj encourages her creativity and belief in all things possible, including the possibility of digging to China. Another neighbor shows Alexis how to "get friendly" with a spade and she starts digging, digging, deeper and deeper until she's tied sheets together to make a rope for climbing out of the hole. When she finally reaches China, she's greeted by two Chinese children. She returns in time to bring Marj a postcard from China for her birthday.
Donna Rawlins is an Australian voice over actor, musician, and author, and in 2003 received the Lady Cutler Award from the Children’s Book Council of New South Wales for her outstanding contribution to the children’s book industry. She wrote Waves, Skinny the Cat and the Magic of Kindness, Tucking Mommy In, and many others.
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Condition*: Near Fine/Very Good. Dust jacket: Damp stain visible only on the jacket inside, with minor ruffling on the back. No evidence of damp reaching the cover boards or pages.
* Based on Guidelines of the Independent Online Booksellers' Association.
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