Strike!

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

Molly’s mom is on strike, and the family is beginning to suffer the
material effects of the loss of her pay. Molly joins her mother on the
picket line and notices an unmanned gate. She provides a picketer for it
by propping against the gate her stuffed bear with a sign entreating
truck drivers not to cross the picket line. Molly’s ingenuity helps to
save the strike.

This story’s inspiring theme of self-empowerment and Molly’s Norma
Rae-ish appeal get lost in Bayless’s preoccupation with the
fundamentals of strike action—an area too complex (and, in this book,
too political) for a picture-book audience. Yvonne Cathcart’s
uninspiring illustrations add nothing to the story. Not a first-choice
purchase.