This Table

by Alex Killian

For fans of Sophie Blackall’s Farmhouse comes a gorgeous story of one table and the life that grows around it. This moving picture book traces a table and its from a seed to a tree to a treasured object in a home. Strong and stable through the years, the table becomes a space for being for birthday parties and science projects, and meals big and small. With captivating text and lush illustrations, This Table will inspire conversations about the everyday, ordinary objects in our lives, and their role in creating lifelong memories. The table was strong and stable.
It was placed in the middle of a room in the middle of a house, and life grew up around it.
It was perfect for birthday cakes
and catching a slice of morning light,
for drawing imaginary worlds, and unfolding maps to discover real ones.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Storytime, Cultural, Fiction, Plants

36 pages, Hardcover

Published May 28, 2024

About the author

Alex Killian is a picture book author whose debut picture book, This Table, will be followed by In-Between Places. She comes from a film background, and she has worked in both film production and creative development. Alex still has a handmade wooden table she picked up after college, which has occupied a special spot in her living places in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as in her current home in Long Beach, California.

Reviews

[Y.Poston]

Beautiful origin story for a table.
Lovely illustrations

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful picture book takes the reader from a tree’s seed to a finished wooden table, lovingly constructed to become the center of a family’s life. Watercolor artwork shows the tree in nature, woodworking tools in a workshop during construction, and then the finished table “in the middle of a room / in the middle of a house, / and life grew up around it.” Poetic text describes the phases in the life of the table and the family, where many life events happen around the table. Mom, kids, grandparents and friends are racially diverse and grow older as the story goes on.

I loved the many small, tender moments around the table that are depicted by the artwork: birthday celebrations, a quiet moment of breastfeeding, art projects, a puzzle, homework, and time with pets. Youngsters who love all things related to construction can point out tools. The book ends with a two-page spread showing many families, big and small, each around a table, living their lives together. There’s even a small dog eating a meal at his own small table. Another winning picture book from Greystone!

[Paul Sutter]

It is a tribute to an author’s ingenuity when something so basic as a table, can make for entertaining reading for children.
The tree began as a seed, and then grew into a mass-ive tree, that a lumberjack cut down or maybe was struck by lightning, or felled by a windstorm. The tree is then taken to a workspace, and crafted into a table, the type in all our houses. It is sanded, planed, stained and sealed, before it is a finished product.
The story adds that the table has so many uses, when it stands in the middle of our house. It is used for birthday cakes, creating games and finishing puzzles, as a workspace, a place for eating, and much more. But it is also where memories are made. Big things come from small seeds. The illustrations add to the appeal of this charming children’s book.

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did your kitchen table find its way to your home? It starts with a seed and eventually becomes the center of family meals, games, and memories. What stories will your table tell?

This was such a tender book, and I loved it. However, I definitely think it’s one that adults will love way more than children. It’s something that is more meaningful to people who have created their own place and made it unique. This book would be a great conversation starter about how homes are different and what we do at home reflects what is important to each of us.

[Sunnee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet book that I think would be better without any words. The art is what told the story, beautifully. The words seemed incongruent with the targeted age group's average vocabulary. Though I understand that the words were focused on the table itself and the art was focused on the context in which the table existed, the words are what my children latch on to when we read and this one seemed to miss the mark in that sense. Still, very sweet book.

[Kelly]

I love a good slice of life book. I'm impressed it was able to show the origins of the table and how the table was used without seeming disjointed. I thought it was starting like a This is the thing that Jack Built, and it kind of read like that for a bit, but mostly it was just explaining the table.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely tribute to the center of many of our homes, our kitchen table, where we play, eat, grow and change together. The kids growing up leaving mom alone at the end of the book made me so sad! But it's a beautiful sad.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This table began as a seed and grew into a great strong tree
that was felled by a lumberjack, a lightning strike, or maybe a windstorm, then taken to a wokspace filled with tools, and possibly a dog, and probably a mouse or two..." Really lovely.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid book about a "boring" piece of furniture and the memories we can make around it. As someone who was homeschooled around the table, who loves hosting dinners and creating tablescapes on her table, this book reminded me of how I want Audrey to love the table as much as I did growing up

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written story of a table from the seed that grew the tree through making the table and on to the many years it was part of this family's life. We see the characters age and grow throughout. The family's love shines through.

[Hannah Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg crying!!!! Love this book

[Kaitlin Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute one that reminded me of a commercial for a table… but in a good way ❤️

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure this book will resonate with children, but it did resonate with me. Sweet story.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each table begins with a seed that become s tree which is then cut down. Each tree becomes one of the tables that are the heart of a home. Love the diversity in the book.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preschool and school-age

[Grg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful tribute to growing up around a kitchen table. This made me feel warm all over.

[Ranette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since most of us with kids use a table for many activities, I found this book great for all family activities.

[Vicki Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This table book intrigued my toddler. The illustrations hold lots of detail and the book focuses on the gathering of people together.

[ktsonofwill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely book about different families and households.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This phenomenal story follows a table from the tree it is created from through the many uses it has in a family's home.

[Anna Stokkeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and fun book about how important a seed is

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful colors & story