Ten Cents a Pound is a beautiful story about a parent’s love for her child and the sacrifices that she will make to see that child achieve successes. It’s also the story of a child who is reluctant to leave the safety and security of her home, of her need to be a good daughter and help her mother who grows old and weary from the physical labour of her work in the mountains to earn ten cents a pound. This incredible story is very moving. Many of us have found successes in our lives because of the care and sacrifice of our parents, none more so then those who have had to leave their homelands and create new homes here in Canada. A tale for every school library shelf so that all of our students can see themselves reflected in the books we share. Also an important book for those who have grown up knowing only privilege to gain some understanding of how other people live, what they have to do and give up in order to gain an education that will allow them to achieve their dreams. Josee Bisaillon’s art in this book is stunning. She clearly captures the reflection of the girl from her mother’s eye and vice versa. The page where the mother is drawn but the eyes are white out to show her deteriorating vision is haunting. The art has such life and contains all the hopes of the future.

Very good, sensitive portraits of two generations - one bound to land and desiring a better future for her child through education, the other guilt-ridden at the thought of leaving the mother behind in the fields where she has (cheap) labored all her life. The illustrations / images are bold, bright and big. The verses are short, get the point across, and hummable. This is a conscientious humanistic book, and should be part of any young 'uns reading list.

I am an ESL teacher, so I am constantly looking for books that are culturally relevant for my students. Many of my students are refugees from around the world so a book written by a Vietnamese refugee was a great find.

I loved the flow of this book. I love how each time the child expressed what she thought she wanted that the mom pushed back with how much more she wanted for her. I felt so much love between the mother and daughter.

I also loved the careful attention to detail with each part. The descriptions of the hands, feet, etc. were so well written that you could see and feel the dust and callouses. Each time the daughter mentioned the mom's body the mom turns it around to what the daughter can find through education.

So basically what I loved most about this book (besides that my refugee students can relate to it) was that it pointed to the importance of education. I love that it shared how important literacy was for the mom in the story just like I know it is important for the parents of my students.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A delightful story about the sacrifices the parents make for the children to have a better life.

Thanks to netgalley

Ten Cents a Pound is a story of a Mother's love for her daughter that her daughter struggles to see. The daughter is torn between staying and helping her mother with the hard, heavy work required of her and going to learn and grow outside of the village. Ultimately, the daughter sees how her mother is demonstrating her love towards her by pushing her to go and be better. The promise of return at the end is beautiful. The book told closely in verse was beautiful. The relationships in this book were amazing.

This is quite an emotional book about everything the mother is potentially giving up as a sacrifice so her daughter can have a better chance at a good life. It is well thought through and flows very well with some lovely images - 5 stars from me, a very good book!

This story, though short, really hit home for the sacrifices parents need to make in some areas of the world for their children to have a better life. I think, as the story is told in a call and response style, it could be used as a story for two voices in a classroom. It's a touching tale. Illustrations were spare, but lovely,

This book is a conversation of sort between a mother and daughter. The mother works hard day in and out to earn money for her daughter so she can live the life 'over the mountain'. At first the daughter is hesitant to go as she feels her place is beside her ailing mother but her mother perseveres with her goal of sending her daughter to learn.

The is not a high-text book but does contain some interesting vocabulary, particularly at the beginning. The book uses a lots of simple sentences to convey its message. The illustrations are fitting for the book and complement the text well with lively colours.

The point behind this book is that each generation want something more for the next. I have no doubt that this story was at least partly inspired by the author's own personal journey fleeing with her mother and siblings from Vietnam to Canada. With many countries in the world experiencing refugees settling into communities this book provides some insight in to just how different the life they had before is to what 'normal' Western standards perhaps are.

"Ten cents a pound is what I'll earn,
To buy these books and set you free."

Thus is the mantra of a very loving mother as she sacrifices herself to give her daughter a much better future.

We are privileged to listen in to a very intimate conversation between the two. The little girl sadly looks at her mother's worn feet and hands because she daily picks coffee beans and receives a measly ten cents a pound for her backbreaking labor. The little girl has so much empathy for mother and insists she should stay home to help her survive the often unbearable conditions. Unconditional love flows from her mother's heart and she insists that her daughter look beyond their simple village life and the barrier of mountains, read educational books and dream big. Her mother tells her that she can achieve a much better quality of life than what is offered to her now if she does so.

The little girl cares for her mother so much. She wants to stay and help her. She sees that her mother's back is always bent and aching from incessant toiling and her eyes can no longer thread a needle or count her meagre coins at the end of the day. Her mother's response back is pure love...

"My child listen with your ears if you refuse to see.
I am bound to these mountains and our villages,
Where the coffee grows, row on row,
For ten cents a pound is all that I know" ...

"Yes, where the road winds high and low,
Is where a spirited flower like you should grow,
The sights beyond these mountains and villages
Are for you to behold."


Does the little girl heed her mother's wise advice and leave the poverty that they now live in? Will she receive an education and never return to her village and her mother once she is freed? Sadly, sometimes that happens. What will she choose to do?

This gentle, heartfelt story will pull at your heartstrings and you will realize how blessed you are not to have to make those difficult and challenging decisions with and for your child. How totally beautiful that this precious mother will give up everything in her world to see her daughter escape from their cycle of poverty and achieve a fulfilling and prosperous life. If her daughter chooses to go it will make her mother's dream for her come true and her heart will be filled with joy. I highly, highly recommend this book.

It's like The Giving Tree, but not gross.
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An unnamed narrator, a young girl, and her mother have a conversation about the sacrifices the mom makes so she can get an education.

The title, Ten Cents a Pound, refers to the amount of money the mother receives for picking coffee beans. She'll use this money to buy her daughter books and supplies to attend school.
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The daughter, meanwhile, asks her mother why she continues to toil despite the toll the work is taking on her hands, feet, and eyes. In response, her mom makes it clear that she does it for the love of her daughter, and because she wants her daughter to have more options than she does.
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I found this book delightful. I like the interaction between the mother and daughter. There's almost a call-and-response feel, as the daughter asks, "why do you ___?" and her mother replies, "because I love you." (that's subtext, not the actual wording)
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The language is lyrical, and even feels a lot like a storyteller's song. I thought the arrangement of words and the progression of the story were beautiful. To be honest, the flow of the words is very calming to me. I could see reading this to a restless child to calm him/her down.
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I received this book as a digital arc from netgalley.

Ten Cents a Pound is a short, poetic, back-and-forth conversation between a mother and daughter, portraying their bond and love for each other. The mother gently encourages her daughter to dream, to learn, and to leave the village to attend school, while the daughter highlights the hard work her mother does and thus her reluctance to leave her.

The book simultaneously draws attention to the difficulties of living with low wages, while optimistically looking forward to the opportunities and possibilities of the future due to education.

The lovely illustrations are both realistic and wistful, and while this story may require some additional explanations for young children, it paints a beautiful picture of determination and potential.

This is a beautiful origin story for anyone whose parent has ever attempted to empower them to be successful in life. Ten Cents a Pound showcases a parent's determination to enable their child to be better off than they were. Lovely, evocative illustrations and a clear, consistent, hopeful message.

I loved the page where the child is sitting on the tree, feet bare, reading a book with butterflies flying out and up to freedom.

Delightful children's book, which very clearly shows how a mother toils so that her child can get an education and escape the poverty that she has been under.

Love that the girl wants to help her mother, and when she realizes education will do so, vows that she will come back, and get her mother as well.

Good waya to introduce first world children to the world beyond. Well done book.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This children's book evokes emotion galore while shedding light on the migrant experience, as a mother and daughter come to terms with their cycle of sacrifices towards achieving success!