Ox-Cart Man

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!
Review: This fantastic book depicts the story of an early farm family who raise animals, work their land, and make just about everything they need. That is only the begining! The story flows well, starting with a family working together preparing goods for papa to trade in town. It continues with papa trading or selling everything he has brought, including the ox team which he rode into town. He comes home bearing new items, (and a few treats!)to give to his family so they can begin preparing for another year, and another harvesting of goods to sell and trade. Gorgeous color illustrations will transport little ones into the more simple setting of a slower paced life, feeling of clean air, no electricity, and the satisfaction of seeing accomplishments and the rewards of patience and tasks well carried out.

Rating:
Summary: A New World
Review: When I was a child, I asked my mother to read this book to me over and over again. The customs and tasks described in the book, so different from our society's modern customs, absolutely fascinated me. When I was a little older, I read the book myself many times. Needless to say, my copy is dog-eared, well-worn, and much-loved. I can honestly say that someday 'Ox-Cart Man' will be included in the list of books that I read to my future children. Open up a new world to your children or students; they will appreciate it forever!

Rating:
Summary: OX- CART MAN
Review: When my second son was born, we somehow expected him to instantly cotton on to books the way our eldest had. As it turned out, sitting and listening to a story was not his idea of fun. That's one reason we were surprised when he suddenly got very quiet and snuggled down while Daddy read Ox-Cart Man to his big brother. From the age of one onward, it's been his favorite book.

The historical value is great, but to me, the real value lies in the listing quality of the text, which soothes my son and helps him to settle down. He loves to look at, and touch, the paintings by Barbara Cooney. There's a lot in these illustrations, and as he's grown older he's changed his focus from the man and the ox to the background detail, looking to spot a dog stealing a piece of meat in one picture, or to see the tiny new ox on the hill in another.

It's a truly lovely story. There's no traditional story arch. Nothing exciting happens. In the end, we find that, like the seasons he's just lived through, the Ox-Cart Man's life is cyclical. He will be doing the same thing over again next year.

There's another comforting element to this story. It's about family. The hard and necessary work can get done only with a close system in place. The relationships of the man and his wife and children are never stressed in the prose, but in the illustrations we can see how their very necessity is what binds the family together. They have to work seamlessly with one another.

There are very few books illustrated by Barbara Cooney that I wouldn't recommend. She seems to lend her talents only to the priviledged few who've earned it. This book is a particularly nice one, however.