gingerburke 's review for:

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard

5.0

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I can’t remember the last time I cried when reading a picture book (before today, I mean). Mary Walker desperately wants to learn to read, but first she’s a slave, then she has to work hard to support her siblings and later her sons. When Mary turns 116 (YES! One hundred sixteen!!) she enrolls in a reading class in her retirement home so she can finally learn to read her Bible. She lived until age 121. The story is wonderfully written and the illustrations are perfect for it.