This beautiful story captures the resilience of children, the power of imagination, and the strength of friendship.  <BR>Laurie “grew up afraid of daffodils.  To her, the yellow flowers were the beginning of summer, the start of polio season.”  Laurie’s father is a fundraiser for polio research, but the book starts before the polio vaccine.  <BR>When Laurie’s adventurous (and only) friend Dickie contracts polio, Laurie ventures alone into the polio ward to visit him.  With the help of a sweet, brave nurse, Laurie learns how to reach out to Dickie and the two other children trapped in iron lungs.  She tells them a fairy tale that takes them all away from their reality.  Then Laurie herself becomes ill,  and her friends continue the story, taking turns controlling the destiny of the characters, and regaining some power in their own lives.  This is the kind of book I love to give: one that a reader will not forget.  <I> ~Tegan</I>