I had the pleasure of reading the manuscript of this book before its publication in 2023, and I recently reread it so I could review it with a fresh impression. If anything, I liked this book even more on second reading.

I’ve loved Judy’s poems ever since I stumbled on her blog 10 years ago (where she posts a new poem or two every day). The China Bulldog, subtitled And Other Tales of a Small-Town Girl, contains poems and essays about her childhood in rural South Dakota. It’s illustrated with vintage photos of her family. I’m close to Judy in age, so the photos trigger memories of my own small-town childhood, with similar architecture, furniture, clothing, hairstyles, toys, etc., even though I grew up on the other side of the country, in New Jersey.

The story called “Five Gifts for my Sister” gave me one of those flashbacks, when Judy mentions giving her sister a box of “old aluminum tinsel.” The tinsel of my childhood was actually lead foil. Its weight made it hang straight down, unlike the modern plastic tinsel. And the correct procedure Judy described for placing it on the tree reminded me so of my mother’s admonitions—evenly spaced, “draped on the ends of branches so it hung just to the top of the next branch without lapping over,” and never just thrown on the tree—horrors!

The essay “Hail, Hail” is about the family getting a shiny new green Oldsmobile, and Judy’s mother deciding to allow 17-year-old sister Patty drive Judy to summer camp, 200 miles away. Just before arriving at the camp, they were caught in a severe hailstorm that “marbled” the car’s windshield and cratered every inch of the new car’s surface. Now, if that had happened to me, I would have been terrified to drive it back home, suspecting that when my parents saw it, I would somehow be blamed. But throughout the book, Judy reveals her parents’ characters by their words and actions. About the damaged car, Dad said, “Accidents happen. It wasn’t your fault.” Mom said, “I never really liked that color of green anyway.” I’m guessing insurance paid for a replacement, because Judy’s parents picked her up in a brand-new rose-colored Pontiac Bonneville.

My favorite story in the whole book is “Zippy,” about their pet raccoon. Yes. Hysterical.

Who we are in our adulthood is significantly influenced by our upbringing and where we were raised. Judy Dykstra-Brown does a wonderful job of portraying her early life on the prairie. I was transported by her vivid descriptions and reminiscences. This book is definitely worth reading. And rereading.