Have you ever lived far away from relatives? Wanted to go visit but couldn’t? Then The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman by Darcy Pattison, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Harcourt, 2003) is a must read for you.
The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman tells the story of Tameka from Redcrest, California. She writes her Uncle Ray in South Carolina and begs him to come for a visit. Uncle Ray replies that he can’t make it–he’s got to work all summer–but he’s sending his friend Oliver K. Woodman instead.
Well, Oliver K. Woodman is a man that Uncle Ray made from wood scraps (he reminds me of the Tinman in the Wizard of Oz), and he hitchhikes all the way from South Carolina to California. Along the way, Oliver’s benefactors write to Uncle Ray and tell him about Oliver’s journey.
Aside from being a great way to learn geography, the story is told as a series of letters written by different characters. Author Darcy Pattison does a fantastic job with all these different voices. Tameka is simple and straightforward: “Please come to visit us this summer. We will go camping. We can swim and catch fish. You are my favorite uncle. Please say you will come!”
A trucker writes Uncle Ray that Oliver K. Woodman is “an easy fella to travel with. He never needs bathroom stops. He doesn’t care where we eat. And he stays awake with me all night.” Three little old ladies who give Oliver a ride from Salt Lake City to California tell of their “distinct pleasure of entertaining Mr. Oliver K. Woodman for the past 23 days . . . he has the loveliest manners.”
And finally, Bernard Grape, attorney at law, writes that he will deliver Oliver to Tameka’s doorstep: “Our family, currently on vacation, picked up the above named person in what I thought was a misguided goodwill gesture. Little did I know how lucky that gesture would be.”
Oliver makes it to Tameka’s house thanks to the kindness of strangers, and Tameka and her family make it to Uncle Ray’s too. At home with the people you love best. The perfect happy ending.
The site looks great! I’m sorry it took me so long to get here