A touchingly luminous tale based on true stories of basket- weaving families outside of Hudson, New York. Every spring a boy helps the men make baskets from tree splints and twigs. He yearns to accompany his dad to Hudson to sell the baskets, but it’s not until he turns nine that his father agrees to take him along. At first he’s overwhelmed by the sights, both indoors and out, but his trip is soon marred by the taunts of others, who call his people “bushwhackers” and “hillbillies.” Returning home, the boy feels ashamed of his family’s trade, and in a fit of anger, kicks over the piles of baskets in the barn. Big Joe explains how they must listen to the wind in order to weave their baskets. The boy realizes that his gifts are far more meaningful than the comments of bullies. Ray’s eloquent story is matched by Cooney’s poetic paintings, which are graced by moonlight or leaf-dappled sunlight. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-316-73521-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There is something profoundly elemental going on in Smalls’s book: the capturing of a moment of unmediated joy. It’s not melodramatic, but just a Saturday in which an African-American father and son immerse themselves in each other’s company when the woman of the house is away. Putting first things first, they tidy up the house, with an unheralded sense of purpose motivating their actions: “Then we clean, clean, clean the windows,/wipe, wipe, wash them right./My dad shines in the windows’ light.” When their work is done, they head for the park for some batting practice, then to the movies where the boy gets to choose between films. After a snack, they work their way homeward, racing each other, doing a dance step or two, then “Dad takes my hand and slows down./I understand, and we slow down./It’s a long, long walk./We have a quiet talk and smile.” Smalls treats the material without pretense, leaving it guileless and thus accessible to readers. Hays’s artwork is wistful and idyllic, just as this day is for one small boy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-316-79899-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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