Other editions of book What You Know First

The stunning picture book collaboration between Newbery Medal–winning author Patricia MacLachlan and acclaimed illustrator Barry Moser.A young girl comes to terms with the fact that she and her family are leaving the prairie. As she talks herself into acceptance, her Mama helps her let go, commenting that the baby will need someone to tell him where he came from. So the girl gathers mementos—a bag of earth and a piece of cottonwood tree.“As with Sarah, Plain and Tall, the subtext vibrates. So much is told in each perfectly chosen phrase. The story is deep and specific, but the pain and denial of a child leaving a known and loved place is all too universal. Moser’s finely-wrought engravings, enhanced by moody tints, record the departure.”—School Library Journal 1995 American Bookseller Association Pick of the Lists

Mama and Papa say it's time to leave the prairie, to start over somewhere new. But what about all that will be left behind? Things as familiar as a heartbeat -- an ocean of grass, an endless sky, a cottonwood tree. How do you remember those things that can't be packed up and taken away with you? Maybe it's true what Papa says. Maybe you'll remember because the place you know first stays with you forever, no matter where you may go. 1995 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)