Marianna Dengler

I came across this in the Cascade Elementary Library and brought it home to read because I am a worrier and because I loved the art. I know how difficult it is to draw people; Gerig, whose training is in medical drawing, captures faces, hands and attitudes perfectly. The story is framed by an elderly woman seeing a lonely boy in the park where she sits every day, and remembering, then retelling the story of the worry stone she found as a child and her beloved grandfather who spoke of its powers. The story within the story is a Chumash Indian legend about the princess whose tears form the worry stones. The lilting words and tone make the reader feel that they are in the story.… (mais)

In the Ozark Mountains, a man named Fiddlin’ Sam who owned nothing but a lion head fiddle. He was always happy and enjoyed traveling to farms and back roads. Whenever he visited people, they would stop whatever they were doing to listen to the magical tunes of Fiddlin’ Sam. They exclaimed he could fiddle away their worries and pains. Sam would play until dark when the people would feed him only the best food and dessert. He never took up the offers to stay overnight since he enjoyed sleeping under the stars. He would always recall what his father taught him when teaching him the fiddle; that it wasn’t a gift but a loan to pass on through music. One day Sam was walking along to a cold creek on a hot day and was suddenly stricken by a poisonous snake. He rushed to the pond soaking his leg overcoming with feelings of uneasiness then fever. He was concerned about dying and leaving his fiddle in the hot sun unprotected. He awoke under beautiful pine trees to a red headed young man who rescued Sam out of the pond while his fever broke. He even saved his precious fiddle. Once he was feeling better he helped the boy building a cabin to prepare for winter. The boy gave Sam the biggest rattlesnake tail he had ever seen saying it held power. Sam picked up his fiddle and played with the snake tail then left the boy. Sam continued traveling playing music for local Ozark people still in search of someone to pass his fiddle on to. One day Sam was beginning to feel his old age in his joints and was worrying about passing the fiddle. Another red headed boy came walking along who Sam figured to be the young man’s son after all of these years. He walked with him all the way to Hatley place in the pines, running out of time. It was cold now, but the boy took an interest in Sam’s “loan” of fiddling. Just in time, the boy began playing and laughing happy with the new gift he received. Sam passed away that very night, and was buried under the pine trees. The boy showed off his fiddling to his father who remembered his time with Sam.… (mais)