Under Cottonwood tells about mother and dad who reared six children during the Great (or not so great) Depression. It focuses on the Little Kids: Vianna (5) and Jayne (3) as opposed to the Stair Steps, beginning with Adam (16) Angie (14), Beauty (13), and Alice (12).

Of course it’s about hard times, but there’s no whimpering. It’s full of humor and courage. Breathing characters!

Because of the violence and terror in today’s world, life in the 30s and 40s seems almost idyllic.

All ages will like this book and will not be embarrassed by crude language or situation. A good read about growing up. A great gift.

Rosalea Snow didn’t start writing one-act plays until she retired from teaching. This is her first book. She has a wonderful life with her husband, family, and loads of friends who have been helpful-always.

Emporia State University Highlights: President of Kappa Delta Pi , Xi Phi, Omega Literary Society, Who’s Who Among Students, Honor Roll.

Present Organizations: AAUW, SWA, New Theatre Guild, Dramatists Guild, Inc., Playwrights Circle, Church.

Vianna had been taught right from wrong at home and in Sunday School. She would never, never steal anything. For example, for collection at Sunday School, she put a penny in the basket with no thought of keeping it for herself. During the Great Depression no one had any money and a penny was a proper amount to contribute. Of course, the penny came from her parents. Nickles and dimes were scarce and Vianna, herself, had never had either.

Time for Maggie’s party arrived and Dad was going to drive Vianna over, but she didn’t have a birthday present. Dad fished a shiny dime out of his pocket. Vianna fingered the silver coin. She didn’t want to give such a precious gift to a girl who was her rival, a girl who was going to be where she wanted to be: first grade.

Vianna put the dime in a corner of her handkerchief and tied a knot so she wouldn’t lose such a treasure. How could she give away the silver coin? How could she keep it for herself?

Vianna wrestled with her moral dilemma like an old Greek philosopher. It was too bad she was so poor. It was too bad she was tempted. It was too bad she was so jealous. It was too bad she was so sinful as to covet. There was no way she could keep the coin. There was no way she could fork it over to Maggie. She just couldn’t. There was not much time now. Dad was pulling into the lane. Slowly, slowly, Vianna untied the knot in her handkerchief. She managed to lose the shiny coin before she even got to Maggie’s front porch!

Happy Birthday.

***

All animals, even pets, were kept out of the house, unless they were babies failing to thrive. Mother rescued under sized piglets and kept them in boxes behind the kitchen range, until they could hold their own in the pig shed. These runts always turned out well and never lost their special feelings for humans. The animals all had names and were pets.

In the long run, this always proved a mistake.

Very early one morning, Dad put the sides on his big truck. This meant the animals were ready for the county auction . A neighbor helped Dad load the frightened animals, the baby calves bawling for their mothers. Cows left behind returned their cries.

The Stair Steps tried to be realistic, but they cried as hard as the Little Kids. So there you had it in a nut shell: pigs squealed, calves bawled, and tears flowed while Dad drove his truck down the very long lane. Little tender-hearted Jayne thought the calves never stopped bawling. She herself cried off and on for two days.

When Dad got a good price for the livestock, among other things, his barefoot kids all got new shoes for fall.