Ox-Cart Man PB/CD [Paperback]

 

 

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In The Ox Cart Man, a 19th century farmer loads up his cart with the produce from his farm, and items his family has crafted, and takes it all to the city where he sells everything, even the ox and cart. He then returns back to his farm to start growing and making everything all over again. He even starts work on a new harness for the young ox in his barn.

The first time I read through this book I was slightly confused--there doesn't seem to be much of a story here. Where is the conflict, where is the action? In truth, this is one of those rare stories that breaks the rules of what makes a good story, and succeeds.

There is no conflict, there is not even any adventure, but there is so much richness to this book that my two-year old son always enjoys having it read to him. And I enjoy it too. The way the book chronicles the peaceful-old fashioned life on the farm, and the changing of the seasons, is strangely comforting to us today, we who are used to a much more frantic pace of life. The prose is repetitive and soothing.

And children will also find the book to be interesting for its mention of skills and crafts that are much less common today than they used to be. Even the little boy in the story whittles brooms for his father to sell, and the little girl knits mittens (from yarn made from wool from the family's sheep) and does embroidery.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a gentle book for bedtime reading, or to anyone looking for illustrations which give a view of 19th century rural life.

Most books that focus on continuity and the circle of life/the seasons/etc. like to concentrate on that theme via animals munching on other animals. We sometimes forget that there are subtler ways to present this same theme. Consider the lovely "Ox-Cart Man" by Donald Hall. A 1980 Caldecott Award winner, the tale focuses on the yearly passage of one man selling his goods only to do it all over again the next year. Ultimately this is one of the most comforting books out there.

The book takes place in what looks to be the mid 19th century. A man that is never named lives on a farm with his wife, daughter, and son. The book begins with the family packing his cart with the various goods they have to sell. There are mittens knit by his daughter, shawls spun and woven by his wife, and birch brooms carved by his son. The book catalogues the items packed away in an oddly riveting fashion. Next, the man travels on foot to a harbor town named Portsmouth. There, he sells the items including his beloved ox. There's a shot of the man kissing his ox good-bye on the nose, which (when you consider the slime factor) is simultaneously touching and gross. He next goes out and buys an iron kettle, an embroidery needle for his daughter, a knife for his son, and two pounds of wintergreen peppermint candies. The man walks home to his family waiting for him and as the seasons pass they build up their items to sell once more. One of my favorite lines is the last one. "And geese squawked in the barnyard, dropping feathers as soft as clouds".

Those people who follow poetry will recognize the name Donald Hall and appreciate the simplicity of his writing in this book. I loved that it began without explaining or pausing, immediately launching into a description of the man loading up his cart. When adult writers or poets write for children, they usually haven't a clue how to go about it (paging Madonna...). Mr. Hall does not suffer from this dilemma. He knows exactly how to make a book that could have been dry and dull, fascinating. Therefore, he uses the repetition of lines to catch the ears of kids. There's an entire page in this book that contains ten lines all beginning with the words, "He sold". I'm both old and young enough to remember when "Ox-Cart Man" was read on Reading Rainbow (one of the very few Caldecott winners to appear on that show) and even as a kid I loved the words in this story. I assure you that this book, for whatever other flaws you may chose to find in it, is not boring in the least.

I was especially taken with the illustrations in this book as well. Illustrator Barbara Cooney is no stranger to Caldecott medals. Having already illustrated the magnificent (and I highly recommend it) "Chanticleer and the Fox", her award count is higher than most. For this book, Cooney adopted a style that has a great many similarities to the kinds of outsider art created during the 19th century. The characters in this book have a kind of purposely flat presence on the page. At the same time, Cooney hasn't sacrificed perspective or the illusion of distance in these prints. Each page is both beautiful and simple, matching the text word for word with appropriate pictures. If the book says that there were turnips, cabbages, a wooden box of maple sugar, and potatoes then by gum you're going to see every single one of those objects on the opposing page. As a kid, I'd always be disturbed by picture books where the words failed to match the text. Here I have no such fears.

Some picture books are filled with bright snazzy flash-in-the pan illustrations and narratives that will date themselves in ten years or less. Others are quiet simple offerings that display beauty as well as a kind of central integrity. "Ox-Cart Man" is in the latter category. This is a book that will be loved for decades and that will only grow more precious in the eyes of children as the years go on. For a fun pairing, try reading it to your kiddies with "Swamp Angel", by Anne Isaacs. Books like this one should be treasured. Fortunately, I think this one already is.

Between my husband and I , we must have read this book hundreds of times. My daughter always found it a source of comfort before bedtime. Why? Who knows for sure, but it is a lyrical, yet matter of fact, tale of a family that produces all it needs to live that is reassuring and lovely.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book for teaching history
I used this book with my third grade class in talking about the skills that our ancestors needed in order to survive. Lisez davantage

Published on May 29 2002 by Paul Burelle

5.0 out of 5 stars Life in Historical America
The journey of a settler who packs up his cart with surplus that was grown, handmade, and raised on a farm in historical New England. Lisez davantage

Published on Jan 27 2002 by skcteacher

3.0 out of 5 stars Daft plot pleases children
Although my three year old son likes this story it allways jars with me. The story tells of how a settler loads up his oxcart with surplus produce in the autumn; drives into town... Lisez davantage

Published on Dec 19 2001 by keithr3

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best!
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! Lisez davantage

Published on Mar 29 2001 by Deborah Ava Esposito

5.0 out of 5 stars A New World
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,... Lisez davantage

Published on Jan 24 2001 by seren42

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the simplicity!
It is so wonderful to read a book that is simple in its message and style. A needed break for our children from the lifestyles of today. Lisez davantage

Published on July 24 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it again Mommy!!!!!
I have read this book to my three children-ages 3-7-almost every day for about three years. They have learned about how life was in the past. Lisez davantage

Published on July 5 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars How a farm changes with the seasons
This children's book, about nineteenth century New England farm life through the changing seasons, was illustrated by Barbara Cooney and won the 1980 Caldecott Medal for best... Lisez davantage

Published on May 17 1999 by R. D. Allison (dallison@bioche...

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