THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH

A day in the life of a modern-day blacksmith.

The poem begins: “Under a spreading chestnut tree / The village smithy stands.” The illustrations show that a neighbor’s wrought-iron gate is broken, but the “mighty” blacksmith, with arms “strong as iron bands,” is up to the task of fixing it. After he collects scrap metal and drives it back to the smithy, he begins his work. The “bellows blow.” He swings his heavy sledge “with measured beat and slow.” When his three children come home from school, they visit their dad in his smithy. They try to “catch the burning sparks that fly”—from a safe distance, of course. As they attend church on Sunday, where his daughter sings in the choir, the blacksmith is reminded of his late partner. The cycle goes on: “toiling—rejoicing—sorrowing— / onward through life he goes.” With contemporary illustrations that enhance the original source material, Karas forges new life from Longfellow’s 19th-century poem. The textured illustrations deftly utilize cool, desaturated colors, making the reds, oranges, and yellows of the smithy pop. Backmatter explains the tools of the trade and offers a short history of blacksmiths. Dedicated to Karas’ blacksmith son, the book beautifully parallels Longfellow’s own familial inspiration for the original poem. The blacksmith and his family present white; their neighbor has brown skin.

A well-forged adaptation.