There are some things that Rosa just knows. She knows that she can't wait to meet her new baby cousin, due to be born at any minute right upstairs. She knows that she will grow up and move away and maybe go to college, and perhaps even become the president of the United States. And she knows that the chair--that wonderful, beautiful, beloved chair, the chair for her mother--will always be there.
Always.
Just the way it is. Covered in velvet with roses all over it, ready for who-knows-what new adventure . . .
Vera B. Williams began her career in children's books by illustrating Hooray for Me!, written by Remy Charlip with Lilian Moore. Her beloved A Chair for My Mother won multiple awards, including a Caldecott Honor, and "More More More," Said the Baby also received a Caldecott Honor. Vera B. Williams was the recipient of the Jane Addams Children's Book Award; she was awarded the 2009 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature; and she was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2004. Vera B. Williams died on October 16, 2015, shortly before her final book, Home at Last, was completed.
"A tale filled with warmth and vitality...In this national economic turndown, a story that emphasizes sharing with family and friends and realizing what is important in everyday life will be a welcome choice, and children who have loved Rosa before will find this book equally appealing." -- School Library Journal (starred review)
"The ingenuous text captures Rosa's excitement...[and] Williams's inimitable gouache illustrations personalize the family members in this very satisfying tale." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Soft, brightly colored gouache art...affectingly captures the close bond among family members as they celebrate a new arrival and an old friend: Rosa's treasured chair. The bustling scenes of family life that stuff the pages of this warm intergenerational story should prove irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly