Author's note...
Tom and I love living in the middle of Austin with parks and symphony concerts and museums and old houses. Once we saw a vacant Victorian farmhouse out in the country. If only we could buy that house, move it to the city, and fix it up. Instead, we did it in a book. After Victoria House was published, someone else moved a similar house into central Austin. Later we learned that he had gotten the idea from our book!

 Victoria House
Harcourt Brace. Architect Sarah discovers Victoria House standing alone and neglected in a field overgrown with weeds. She falls in love with the old house and decides to move it to the city. With the help of Big Earl and his boys, Victoria House is prepared and moved in the middle of the night from the field to a lot on Park Street. "[Tom] Shefelman's arresting ink-and-watercolor double page spreads evoke the unfolding drama ..." - ALA Booklist.

 Author's note...
The idea for this story came from a neighbor whose father left Lebanon in the early 1900's and came to Texas to seek his fortune. He started out as a peddler as did many Lebanese immigrants. Since so many of them and their descendants are highly successful, I wondered why and wrote the story to find out. I came to believe it is because they pursued their dreams. As Solomon's wife, Marie, says at the end, "A peddler with a dream is more than a peddler."

A Peddler's Dream
Houghton Mifflin.* Solomon Joseph Azar leaves his village in Lebanon at the turn of the century to seek his fortune in America. He peddles wares from farmhouse to farmhouse while dreaming of a store of his own.Then he can bring his beloved Marie to share life in the New World.
In strong simple words and stunning illustrations, Janice and Tom Shefelman tell the story of Solomon's quest, his troubles and good luck. It is a story that captures the flavor of so many immigrants' experiences."Pick of the Lists" - American Bookseller, Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies - NCSS/CBC, Reading Rainbow Book, Teddy Book Award finalist.
*Now back in print from Eakin Press
ISBN 1-57168-294-5