The Old Red Rocking Chair

by Phyllis Root, John Sandford (Illustrator)

An old rocking chair is recycled through a neighborhood, broken down bit by bit as young and old find various uses for it, until it ends up as a tiny footstool in the hands of the original owner

Genres: Picture Books, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

"Picture books are performances," says Phyllis Root, quoting some sage advice she once received. "They're performances that involve a child--something both of you do. And once I started thinking of them that way, I started getting much looser about making up words and playing around with rhythm."

Phyllis Root picked up an early affinity for colloquial language while growing up in Indiana and southern Illinois, "where people actually say things like, 'I got a hitch in my git-along'!" She decided to be a writer in the fifth grade, but it wasn't until she was thirty years old that she took a writing course with an influential teacher who gave her "the tools" she says she needed. "That's when I figured out that you could learn to be a writer," she says. What followed was a series of rollicking stories that take on a new life when read aloud, among them ONE DUCK STUCK, a one-of-a-kind counting book; KISS THE COW!, an affectionate salute to stubbornness; WHAT BABY WANTS, a tale of increasingly ridiculous efforts to quiet an infant that one reviewer compared to an episode of I LOVE LUCY, and LOOKING FOR A MOOSE, a buoyant tale with a final surprise discovery.


The author does "endless rewriting" before a book is finished, but often starts out by writing her stories in her head, a trick she learned as a time-pressed mother when her two daughters were very young. For example, RATTLETRAP CAR--a joyful celebration of perseverance--began with her playing around with sounds ("clinkety clankety, bing bang pop!") and calling up bits of old camp songs.


A master of rhythmic read-alouds, Phyllis Root exhibits a range many writers would envy. Her counting book TEN SLEEPY SHEEP is as serene and lulling as ONE DUCK STUCK is rambunctious. "Counting sheep isn't always easy," she notes. "Once, while we were farm-sitting, my daughter and I had to chase down two runaway lambs in the growing darkness, then count twenty-seven frisky lambs to make sure they were all safe for the night. Luckily, they were." OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY is a quiet, classic picture book about a defining moment in the life of a small child--getting lost and having the pluck to find the way home. On the other extreme, Phyllis Root takes on no less than the whole universe in BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD, a powerful, original, down-home creation myth that received rave reviews and won the prestigious BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award. Most recently, Phyllis Root penned LUCIA AND THE LIGHT, a timeless adventure about one brave girl's quest that was inspired by Nordic lore.


When she's not writing, Phyllis Root teaches at Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children program. She lives with her two daughters and two cats in a 100-year-old house in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and loves to read (mostly mysteries with female protagonists) or spend time outdoors gardening, camping, sailing, or traveling. "One of the things I've learned about myself," she confides, "is that when I get really stuck and can't seem to get writing, it's because I've forgotten to take time out to play."

Reviews

[Coleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

We received this book as a gift when Zach was young. I immediately loved this book. This book is no longer in print. I would love to give copies as gifts. If you can find it buy it.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up because more people should learn how to reuse, repair, re-purpose, and up-cycle. This book may inspire some. The only negative is that the pictures are printed out a bit dark.

I do very highly recommend it!

The whole neighborhood makes good use of the chair for awhile, even after it breaks into pieces. And the pictures are a hoot.

Just know that some communities have made it illegal for ppl to go into others' trash. If you want to discard something that somebody might be able to use, set it out 'free' on craigslist, announce it on NextDoor, or at least set it out beside, rather than in, your trash can.

[Amanda Hlava · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story tells the journey of a rocking chair to many different people's homes. At each place the chair changes alittle bit and is moved on to the next person. In the end of the story it ends up back at the house that it first came from, but as a stool.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story of reusing and repurposing; copy I read had pictures a bit too dark

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very lovely story that comes full circle. It's an older picture book, but really holds up well.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet find on the library shelf. Loved it and loved the boys expression when he realized the story had come full circle.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet catalogue of reuse.