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Ox-Cart Man
Winner of the Caldecott Medal (1980)
Thus begins a lyrical journey through the days and weeks, the months, and the changing seasons in the life of one New Englander and his family. The oxcart man packs his goods - the wool from his sheep, the shawl his wife made, the mittens his daughter knitted, and the linen they wove. He packs the birch brooms his son carved, and even a bag of goose feathers from the barnyard geese.
He travels over hills, through valleys, by streams, past farms and villages. At Portsmouth Market he sells his goods, one by one - even his beloved ox. Then, with his pockets full of coins, he wanders through the market, buying provisions for his family, and returns to his home. And the cycle begins again.
"Like a pastoral symphony translated into picture book format, the stunning combination of text and illustrations recreates the mood of 19-century rural New England."--The Horn Book
Thus begins a lyrical journey through the days and weeks, the months, and the changing seasons in the life of one New Englander and his family. The oxcart man packs his goods - the wool from his sheep, the shawl his wife made, the mittens his daughter knitted, and the linen they wove. He packs the birch brooms his son carved, and even a bag of goose feathers from the barnyard geese.
He travels over hills, through valleys, by streams, past farms and villages. At Portsmouth Market he sells his goods, one by one - even his beloved ox. Then, with his pockets full of coins, he wanders through the market, buying provisions for his family, and returns to his home. And the cycle begins again.
"Like a pastoral symphony translated into picture book format, the stunning combination of text and illustrations recreates the mood of 19-century rural New England."--The Horn Book
40 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 1979
28 people are currently reading
3422 people want to read
About the author
Donald Hall
180 books201 followersDonald Hall was considered one of the major American poets of his generation.
His poetry explores the longing for a more bucolic past and reflects the poet’s abiding reverence for nature. Although Hall gained early success with his first collection, Exiles and Marriages (1955), his later poetry is generally regarded as the best of his career. Often compared favorably with such writers as James Dickey, Robert Bly, and James Wright, Hall used simple, direct language to evoke surrealistic imagery. In addition to his poetry, Hall built a respected body of prose that includes essays, short fiction, plays, and children’s books. Hall, who lived on the New Hampshire farm he visited in summers as a boy, was also noted for the anthologies he has edited and is a popular teacher, speaker, and reader of his own poems.
Born in 1928, Hall grew up in Hamden, Connecticut. The Hall household was marked by a volatile father and a mother who was “steadier, maybe with more access to depths because there was less continual surface,” as Hall explained in an essay for Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series (CAAS). “To her I owe my fires, to my father my tears. I owe them both for their reading.” By age twelve, Hall had discovered the poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe: “I read Poe and my life changed,” he remarked in CAAS. Another strong influence in Hall’s early years was his maternal great-grandfather’s farm in New Hampshire, where he spent many summers. Decades later, he bought the same farm and settled there as a full-time writer and poet.
Hall attended Philips Exeter Academy and had his first poem published at age 16. He was a participant at the prestigious Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, where he met Robert Frost, that same year. From Exeter, Hall went to Harvard University, attending class alongside Adrienne Rich, Robert Bly, Frank O’Hara, and John Ashbery; he also studied for a year with Archibald MacLeish. Hall earned a BLitt from Oxford University and won the Newdigate contest for his poem “Exile,” one of the few Americans ever to win the prize. Returning to the United States, Hall spent a year at Stanford, studying under the poet-critic Yvor Winters, before returning to Harvard to join the prestigious Society of Fellows. It was there that Hall assembled Exiles and Marriages, a tightly-structured collection crafted in rigid rhyme and meter. In 1953, Hall also became the poetry editor of the Paris Review, a position he held until 1961. In 1957 he took a position as assistant professor of English at the University of Michigan, where he remained until 1975. While at Michigan, Hall met the young Jane Kenyon. They later married and, when Hall’s grandmother, who owned Eagle Pond Farm, passed away, bought the farm, left teaching, and moved there together. The collections Kicking the Leaves (1978) and The Happy Man (1986) reflect Hall’s happiness at his return to the family farm, a place rich with memories and links to his past. Many of the poems explore and celebrate the continuity between generations. The Happy Man won the Lenore Marshall/Nation Prize. Hall’s next book, The One Day (1988), won the National Book Critics Circle Award. A long poem that meditates on the on-set of old age, The One Day, like much of Hall’s early work, takes shape under formal pressure: composed of 110 stanzas, split over three sections, its final sections are written in blank verse. The critic Frederick Pollack praised the book as possibly “the last masterpiece of American Modernism. Any poet who seeks to surpass this genre should study it; any reader who has lost interest in contemporary poetry should read it.” Old and New Poems (1990) contains several traditional poems from earlier collections, as well as more innovative verses not previously published. “Baseball,” included in The Museum of Clear Ideas (1993), is the poet’s ode to the great American pastime and is structured around t
His poetry explores the longing for a more bucolic past and reflects the poet’s abiding reverence for nature. Although Hall gained early success with his first collection, Exiles and Marriages (1955), his later poetry is generally regarded as the best of his career. Often compared favorably with such writers as James Dickey, Robert Bly, and James Wright, Hall used simple, direct language to evoke surrealistic imagery. In addition to his poetry, Hall built a respected body of prose that includes essays, short fiction, plays, and children’s books. Hall, who lived on the New Hampshire farm he visited in summers as a boy, was also noted for the anthologies he has edited and is a popular teacher, speaker, and reader of his own poems.
Born in 1928, Hall grew up in Hamden, Connecticut. The Hall household was marked by a volatile father and a mother who was “steadier, maybe with more access to depths because there was less continual surface,” as Hall explained in an essay for Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series (CAAS). “To her I owe my fires, to my father my tears. I owe them both for their reading.” By age twelve, Hall had discovered the poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe: “I read Poe and my life changed,” he remarked in CAAS. Another strong influence in Hall’s early years was his maternal great-grandfather’s farm in New Hampshire, where he spent many summers. Decades later, he bought the same farm and settled there as a full-time writer and poet.
Hall attended Philips Exeter Academy and had his first poem published at age 16. He was a participant at the prestigious Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, where he met Robert Frost, that same year. From Exeter, Hall went to Harvard University, attending class alongside Adrienne Rich, Robert Bly, Frank O’Hara, and John Ashbery; he also studied for a year with Archibald MacLeish. Hall earned a BLitt from Oxford University and won the Newdigate contest for his poem “Exile,” one of the few Americans ever to win the prize. Returning to the United States, Hall spent a year at Stanford, studying under the poet-critic Yvor Winters, before returning to Harvard to join the prestigious Society of Fellows. It was there that Hall assembled Exiles and Marriages, a tightly-structured collection crafted in rigid rhyme and meter. In 1953, Hall also became the poetry editor of the Paris Review, a position he held until 1961. In 1957 he took a position as assistant professor of English at the University of Michigan, where he remained until 1975. While at Michigan, Hall met the young Jane Kenyon. They later married and, when Hall’s grandmother, who owned Eagle Pond Farm, passed away, bought the farm, left teaching, and moved there together. The collections Kicking the Leaves (1978) and The Happy Man (1986) reflect Hall’s happiness at his return to the family farm, a place rich with memories and links to his past. Many of the poems explore and celebrate the continuity between generations. The Happy Man won the Lenore Marshall/Nation Prize. Hall’s next book, The One Day (1988), won the National Book Critics Circle Award. A long poem that meditates on the on-set of old age, The One Day, like much of Hall’s early work, takes shape under formal pressure: composed of 110 stanzas, split over three sections, its final sections are written in blank verse. The critic Frederick Pollack praised the book as possibly “the last masterpiece of American Modernism. Any poet who seeks to surpass this genre should study it; any reader who has lost interest in contemporary poetry should read it.” Old and New Poems (1990) contains several traditional poems from earlier collections, as well as more innovative verses not previously published. “Baseball,” included in The Museum of Clear Ideas (1993), is the poet’s ode to the great American pastime and is structured around t
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 708 reviews
September 18, 2022
What a wonderful story. Barbara Cooney's illustrations are gorgeous, such beautiful colours and scenes. I love the illustration of the winter scene with snow and pink sky, it reminded me of Bruegel paintings.
In autumn a farmer packs his cart with all their surplus harvest and home made goods to take to sell at market. It's a long way to the market, when he gets there, not only does he sell his wares but he sells his cart and the ox that pulls it. When he says goodbye to his ox he kisses it on the nose. He then buys some things they need and a bag of Wintergreen peppermints. His journey home takes a long time. I felt sad to see his ox and cart go but when he gets home he starts on a new cart and has a young ox to pull it. They start on jobs for the winter and you see the cycle start again.
I loved the illustrations and also the story, the way it took us through the seasons and showed us the ever renewing cycle of life.
I marvelled how the family estimated what they'd need to last through the winter so they know what they can sell. They count the potatoes to save enough to eat and to save enough to sow more.
Also available on open library
In autumn a farmer packs his cart with all their surplus harvest and home made goods to take to sell at market. It's a long way to the market, when he gets there, not only does he sell his wares but he sells his cart and the ox that pulls it. When he says goodbye to his ox he kisses it on the nose. He then buys some things they need and a bag of Wintergreen peppermints. His journey home takes a long time. I felt sad to see his ox and cart go but when he gets home he starts on a new cart and has a young ox to pull it. They start on jobs for the winter and you see the cycle start again.
I loved the illustrations and also the story, the way it took us through the seasons and showed us the ever renewing cycle of life.
I marvelled how the family estimated what they'd need to last through the winter so they know what they can sell. They count the potatoes to save enough to eat and to save enough to sow more.
Also available on open library
June 25, 2018
RIP Donald Hall, at 89.
Poet Donald Hall's children's book about a man and his family living his life in New England. The simple repetitions of the prose mirror the simple, regular life he lives in keeping with the land. The illustrations by Barbara Cooney seem old fashioned... which help us see that this way of life has been around for centuries... there's a lot of muted but still vibrant, warm colors in the illustrations and love and admiration for the man and his family and his way of living and exchanging goods for goods, his family's crafts...
Poet Donald Hall's children's book about a man and his family living his life in New England. The simple repetitions of the prose mirror the simple, regular life he lives in keeping with the land. The illustrations by Barbara Cooney seem old fashioned... which help us see that this way of life has been around for centuries... there's a lot of muted but still vibrant, warm colors in the illustrations and love and admiration for the man and his family and his way of living and exchanging goods for goods, his family's crafts...
July 22, 2020
Now with regard to Ox-Cart Man I indeed absolutely do love Barbara Cooney's expressive illustrations (they are bold, colourful and show a detailed slice of life, an almost palatable sense of time and place). And in my opinion, by contrast and comparison, Donald Hall's presented text, while it is for the most part a more than adequate mirror of the illustrations, I do tend to find it somewhat overly positive and saccharinely optimistic. For the poetic narrative never really seems to expand all that much on the very salient and obvious truth that the Ox-Cart Man is actually away from his family for weeks, perhaps even months on end, that his wife and children must run the family farm on their own during his absence (probably not even knowing how their husband and father is faring unless he has time and/or is able to write them a letter), that the father himself is traveling in a covered wagon, constantly on the road, and that once he has sold his oxen and his cart, he must in fact walk home. And while the narrative of Ox-Cart Man, while Donald Hall's printed words, actually do kind of point out this fact, the potential hardships and even the potential dangers of this kind of traveling (having to walk home), they are in my opinion never really all that detailed or even really all that much acknowledged by the author (and perhaps the illustrations do not actually show this danger all that much either, but yes, they do seem a trifle more realistic than how the text, than how the narrative appears, is presented).
So as a counterpoint, in the Little House on the Prairie series, Laura Ingalls Wilder clearly demonstrates just how difficult it is for the Ingalls when Pa has to leave the family to look for work (even if she never exaggerates, the hardships the family faces, the uncertainty of not having gotten a letter from Pa, that Pa has to walk for many many miles wearing shoes that are falling apart, the fact that chores are much more difficult when Pa is away, these potential issues are always clearly presented and indeed also front and centre). And while I do not necessarily think that Donald Hall needed to have added information about this (about the potential hardships and dangers that this kind of travelling and working could pose) within the text proper of Ox-Cart Man, I think that a supplemental note, explaining the potential hardships faced by the Ox-Cart Man and his family during and because of his forced absence from the farm (and his travels) would have been an added bonus, and increased the teaching and learning value of this otherwise excellent offering. Finally, I also have to wonder, if Donald Hall had in fact added a bit of potential danger and uncertainty to the narrative itself, might that not have made Ox-Cart Man a bit more eventful and interesting (exciting) in scope? For the presented text of Ox-Cart Man it does, at times, read more like a list of things for a farmer to do and for a farmer to sell. Still, highly recommended, especially for Barbara Cooney's illustrations (and which are most definitely much deserving of the Caldecott Medal they were awarded).
So as a counterpoint, in the Little House on the Prairie series, Laura Ingalls Wilder clearly demonstrates just how difficult it is for the Ingalls when Pa has to leave the family to look for work (even if she never exaggerates, the hardships the family faces, the uncertainty of not having gotten a letter from Pa, that Pa has to walk for many many miles wearing shoes that are falling apart, the fact that chores are much more difficult when Pa is away, these potential issues are always clearly presented and indeed also front and centre). And while I do not necessarily think that Donald Hall needed to have added information about this (about the potential hardships and dangers that this kind of travelling and working could pose) within the text proper of Ox-Cart Man, I think that a supplemental note, explaining the potential hardships faced by the Ox-Cart Man and his family during and because of his forced absence from the farm (and his travels) would have been an added bonus, and increased the teaching and learning value of this otherwise excellent offering. Finally, I also have to wonder, if Donald Hall had in fact added a bit of potential danger and uncertainty to the narrative itself, might that not have made Ox-Cart Man a bit more eventful and interesting (exciting) in scope? For the presented text of Ox-Cart Man it does, at times, read more like a list of things for a farmer to do and for a farmer to sell. Still, highly recommended, especially for Barbara Cooney's illustrations (and which are most definitely much deserving of the Caldecott Medal they were awarded).
March 25, 2019
This was a lovely peaceful book about what appears to be an amish family. We see a family who have made all kinds of goods over the winter load them in their ox cart and their dad take them to Portsmouth to sell everything including the Ox. He walks home and they start making everything all over again.
I thought the art really was beautiful. Bold colors for each season and there is a real sense of family unity in this story. This is about cycles of life. Life has a natural progression and this family seemed to be in the flow of it. They were very healthy.
My nephew said it was “like he sold his car and went home to build another one. Why wold someone do that.” He thought the story was slow. He gave this 3 stars. The niece liked the art, but this is a whole new way of life for her and neither child understood it. She gave this 2 stars.
I thought the art really was beautiful. Bold colors for each season and there is a real sense of family unity in this story. This is about cycles of life. Life has a natural progression and this family seemed to be in the flow of it. They were very healthy.
My nephew said it was “like he sold his car and went home to build another one. Why wold someone do that.” He thought the story was slow. He gave this 3 stars. The niece liked the art, but this is a whole new way of life for her and neither child understood it. She gave this 2 stars.
January 20, 2016
An interesting look at pioneer times and the things that people would do to make a living. Our girls enjoyed this book a lot and asked a lot of questions about why the man would sell his mode of transport. The illustrations by Barbara Cooney, as usual, are fantastic.
This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2016- Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2016- Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
January 9, 2016
I remember liking the book from Reading Rainbow* (great episode where LeVar goes to Old Sturbridge Village! ) and I think I appreciated it even more now as an adult. I know I'm romanticizing the past, but as I read and explained the story to my son (he is almost three and was wondering about the old-fashioned aspects, such as why the man was walking with the ox instead of taking a car) I was really struck with the beautiful simplicity and lack of excess in that way of life... how ones work and home were so closely linked together, to the family and to the seasons... how one sold ones own goods directly... how everything was sold, not wasted, even the containers... how useful were the purchases made from the proceeds well, except those precious those wintergreen peppermints! ;-) I still get a little lump in my throat when the man has to sell his ox. I think the kiss on the nose really speaks to how, even though these animals were not pets and had their purpose to the family livelihood, the farmer still cared for him.
As to the illustrations, I love them. I'm a Barbara Cooney fan and I think her work here is just so spot-on to reflect the time period and the seasons. I love the spreads with the village and the one where the apple trees are blooming (my son is convinced that the cow on the hill is the baby ox spoken of earlier -- he kept waiting for that baby ox to show up ;-> )
*Does anyone know where the older episodes of "Reading Rainbow" can be found? There's a hodgepodge on Netflix now but I'd like more from the earlier years--those are the ones I remember as a kid and would love to share with my sons one day.
As to the illustrations, I love them. I'm a Barbara Cooney fan and I think her work here is just so spot-on to reflect the time period and the seasons. I love the spreads with the village and the one where the apple trees are blooming (my son is convinced that the cow on the hill is the baby ox spoken of earlier -- he kept waiting for that baby ox to show up ;-> )
*Does anyone know where the older episodes of "Reading Rainbow" can be found? There's a hodgepodge on Netflix now but I'd like more from the earlier years--those are the ones I remember as a kid and would love to share with my sons one day.
February 25, 2023
Barbara Cooney illustrated three Homeric hymns before she did Ox-Cart Man. That might account for something mythic, archetypal, older-than-New England that I was always drawn to in this book. The works-and-days of it. The Georgic aura and mist.
Now I think of a Caroline Gordon quote (from Women on the Porch). Athena wears homespun. Odysseus ploughs his own fields. The wain. That's what Ox-Cart Man is about. The shapes of the Classical world haunted Cooney's drawing hand, her drafting board.
Now I think of a Caroline Gordon quote (from Women on the Porch). Athena wears homespun. Odysseus ploughs his own fields. The wain. That's what Ox-Cart Man is about. The shapes of the Classical world haunted Cooney's drawing hand, her drafting board.
March 23, 2012
I have actually first seen “Ox-Cart Man” on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I have decided to re-read this book after so many years of not reading it in my adult years. “Ox-Cart Man” is a Caldecott Medal Award winning book by Donald Hall along with illustrations by Barbara Cooney and it basically details the everyday life of how a man and his family keep on making new items to sell at the market and to use the money they earned from selling their items to buy new items. “Ox-Cart Man” might have a good insight on how people lived in America during the Colonial times, but the story might be a bit too boring for most children to handle.
This book is basically about a New Englander and his family and how he usually packs some wool from the sheep, mittens made by his daughter, a bag of goose feathers and birch brooms that his son carved in his ox-cart. The father would then take these items to the market in his ox-cart and sell them and then he would use the money to buy his family provisions and then his family would use the provisions to make the same items they made at the beginning and the cycle starts all over again.
Donald Hall has done an excellent job at explaining to readers about how the people lived in America during Colonial Times. I liked the way that Donald Hall mentions how the family is able to make the items that they are planning to sell such as the daughter making the mittens by knitting it from the wool that came from the sheep and we were able to see the family make the items out of the materials at their own home. It was interesting seeing how the family made most of their items from their own backyard and then sell it to the market to buy new materials for their home. Barbara Cooney’s illustrations contain the old-fashioned look of nineteenth century New England as the characters are dressed in colonial styled clothing such as the wife wearing a white bonnet on her head and the father wearing olive colored breeches with tall black boots. I also loved the way that Barbara Cooney drew the seasons of the year, especially with fall as we can see all the leaves falling off the trees, making the New England landscapes extremely breathtaking to look at.
The biggest issue I had with this book is that the story is a bit too boring since not much really happens in the story. All that happens in this story is that the family makes some items to sell at the market and then the father comes home and brings more materials for the family to make more items to bring to the market and that is pretty much the whole story. There is no action in the story and this might actually bored many children.
Overall, while “Ox-Cart Man” had a great insight on the family life in Colonial New England, the story might be a bit too boring for many children to handle since there is no action involved in the story.
This book is basically about a New Englander and his family and how he usually packs some wool from the sheep, mittens made by his daughter, a bag of goose feathers and birch brooms that his son carved in his ox-cart. The father would then take these items to the market in his ox-cart and sell them and then he would use the money to buy his family provisions and then his family would use the provisions to make the same items they made at the beginning and the cycle starts all over again.
Donald Hall has done an excellent job at explaining to readers about how the people lived in America during Colonial Times. I liked the way that Donald Hall mentions how the family is able to make the items that they are planning to sell such as the daughter making the mittens by knitting it from the wool that came from the sheep and we were able to see the family make the items out of the materials at their own home. It was interesting seeing how the family made most of their items from their own backyard and then sell it to the market to buy new materials for their home. Barbara Cooney’s illustrations contain the old-fashioned look of nineteenth century New England as the characters are dressed in colonial styled clothing such as the wife wearing a white bonnet on her head and the father wearing olive colored breeches with tall black boots. I also loved the way that Barbara Cooney drew the seasons of the year, especially with fall as we can see all the leaves falling off the trees, making the New England landscapes extremely breathtaking to look at.
The biggest issue I had with this book is that the story is a bit too boring since not much really happens in the story. All that happens in this story is that the family makes some items to sell at the market and then the father comes home and brings more materials for the family to make more items to bring to the market and that is pretty much the whole story. There is no action in the story and this might actually bored many children.
Overall, while “Ox-Cart Man” had a great insight on the family life in Colonial New England, the story might be a bit too boring for many children to handle since there is no action involved in the story.
July 8, 2018
Perhaps as much so as any other Caldecott Medal winner, Ox-Cart Man finds the power of its telling chiefly through its incredible artwork by Barbara Cooney.
I think of Barbara Cooney as quite likely the hardest-working illustrator in the children's literature history, given her tendency to go the extra mile (or 2,000 miles!) collecting research for the scenes she creates. In Ox-Cart Man, Barbara Cooney brilliantly evokes the scenes of the simple life portrayed in the story. At times, I hardly noticed Donald Hall's text because the illustrations are the main focus; what makes this book memorable is Barbara Cooney's artistic expression.
Ox-Cart Man meets the gold standard for illustrations in a picture book. You're not likely to find artwork that is better at telling a story than what you see here.
I think of Barbara Cooney as quite likely the hardest-working illustrator in the children's literature history, given her tendency to go the extra mile (or 2,000 miles!) collecting research for the scenes she creates. In Ox-Cart Man, Barbara Cooney brilliantly evokes the scenes of the simple life portrayed in the story. At times, I hardly noticed Donald Hall's text because the illustrations are the main focus; what makes this book memorable is Barbara Cooney's artistic expression.
Ox-Cart Man meets the gold standard for illustrations in a picture book. You're not likely to find artwork that is better at telling a story than what you see here.
August 3, 2014
Nice portrayal of a farmers life in the 19th Century. How the Farmer loads up his cart to products his family works on over the year. It shows many different uses for what a farmer might have access to. Such as mittens made from sheep wool. A great book to introduce your child to a good history lesson.
June 10, 2012
The illustrations of Barbara Cooney really "make" this book. But the "dated" story is touching, how the farmer and his family work the land, harvest and make, knit, carve, weave things to sell at the market, how they make the utmost use of everything the farm and the land give them. It was a great opportunity to explain how people used to live in the "olden days" and how there used to be an age where people did not have stoves (well, okay, some people may still not have stoves), cars, supermarkets, TV, iPads ... All references to gender roles are of course very old fashioned, the daughter knits, the son carves and the father goes to the market and takes care of business. That makes one more thing to talk about, as we read the book. Finally, and again, the pictures are so beautiful, especially the big spreads, depicting the seasons. Some of the pages made me want to tear them out of the book to frame and hang, such as the sunset scene where the farmer is finally making his way home, or the winter scene with the low rising sun putting the clouds on fire. The vocabulary is a little bit challenging for a four year old, especially since so many of the terms and objects described are not part of our modern day reality. Other than that, it could even be an early reader book.
November 11, 2022
This book has been a favorite with both parents and children for 38 years. Barbara Cooney's pictures whimsically capture a farming era of yesteryear. Follow along as the Ox-Cart Man sells his wares, buys/trades for the winter and prepares for the year ahead.
Ages 3+
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
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Ages 3+
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
April 30, 2023
If you didn’t fucking die when this man kissed his ox on the nose to say goodbye then you need to go find Jesus.
August 7, 2018
Caldecott Medal 1980
I had just finished reading this book and it was laying open on my kitchen table when my husband came in and asked me what I was doing. I told him that I had just read a children's book and that I really liked it, I actually gave it five stars. He took one look at the page I had it opened to and said, " Is that Ox-Cart Man? I loved that book as a kid!"
I think my husband's reaction/ memory speaks volumes. It's simply a special book. I even googled real photos from the early 1800's from Portsmouth New England, the setting of this story, and can attest that the the illustrations are tremendous in the way they express the architecture and the countryside of that time period. It's educational and sweet with lovely art work.
I had just finished reading this book and it was laying open on my kitchen table when my husband came in and asked me what I was doing. I told him that I had just read a children's book and that I really liked it, I actually gave it five stars. He took one look at the page I had it opened to and said, " Is that Ox-Cart Man? I loved that book as a kid!"
I think my husband's reaction/ memory speaks volumes. It's simply a special book. I even googled real photos from the early 1800's from Portsmouth New England, the setting of this story, and can attest that the the illustrations are tremendous in the way they express the architecture and the countryside of that time period. It's educational and sweet with lovely art work.
August 9, 2017
The illustrations are just beautiful, detailed and nostalgic, and the story is educational. Lovely children's book.
July 22, 2020
Love Barbara Cooney's illustrations in what I consider a classic Caldecott. Learn about the changes in the seasons in early-mid 1800s through the eyes of a New Englander and his family.
June 17, 2012
Only the illustrations earn the second star. All are classic representations of colonial New England, but only the panoramic depictions of the Ox Cart Man's journeys are anything special. The flowing path evokes a journey of many days while allowing the whole journey to appear in one frame. The colors in these illustrations also portray the beauty of the region missing in the dreariness of the rest of the tale. Unfortunately these three illustrations cannot overcome the boring, repetitive and deeply depressing language of the book. He did this. He did that. He did yonder. He did whatever. It's merely a catalogue of actions, barely even driving the action through time. Worst of all it cycles through to the next year, right into the EXACT SAME activities of the previous year, with only a few pieces of peppermint candy to highlight the year. The story lacks any human touch. The family is waiting for him, but they don't show any joy upon his return. They just take the tools he brought them and get to work sending him off with a new ox cart full of commerce the next year. Sure, the father still has a few coins still in his pocket, but they are forgotten and never directed towards bettering the family in any way. It's like being a Cubs fan - sure, there's next year, but it's going to be as miserable as this year. Wow, now that I've reviewed this and vented I want to take away the second star. But I won't, I did like those three panoramas. This book would have been better without the words.
December 12, 2013
A great educational book for your children of all ages. My 6 yr old loved it as well as my 3 yr old twins. Lots of good information with beautiful pictures that will help keep children engaged. We really enjoyed the illustrations as well. A great addition to any children's library.
November 12, 2025
Beautiful
October 5, 2017
The text of this book is pretty bland and straightforward, but the illustrations are interesting in their resemblance of early nineteenth century folk art. This book makes a nice introduction to the time period for very young kids, or for an early elementary school unit on New England history. I like the way everything comes full circle in the end, getting ready for the whole cycle of the year to start again. It would make a nice companion for Apples to Oregon, which shows another slice of American history, and since the author is a poet, it might also work well for poetry units and poetry month activities.
August 19, 2015
I find myself longing for a life this simple. Not that it isn't hard work, for it certainly is. But this is the old American ideal - to use your wit and ingenuity to provide for yourself and your loved ones. To me, a book like this is about a definition of 'success' that most people have forgotten.
The story is told simply. With repetition enough to get the point across. The illustrations reflect the historical period and the type of man the ox-cart man is, with their beautiful simplicity. Overall, I rather liked this book and wouldn't mind having a copy of my own to look at again and share with my children.
The story is told simply. With repetition enough to get the point across. The illustrations reflect the historical period and the type of man the ox-cart man is, with their beautiful simplicity. Overall, I rather liked this book and wouldn't mind having a copy of my own to look at again and share with my children.
January 5, 2016
I expected to like this book ... but it was disappointing. It basically describes rural life during the colonial period. Maybe it would be of more interest to a child who knows nothing about that era. Maybe, with the right companion, a child could imagine living with the ox-cart family and wonder what they would like better and what they wouldn't like about life pre-modern technology.
November 27, 2025
This Caldecott 1980 winner has warm happy family pictures. Many other Caldecott books might be more vibrant, but I really liked the story of the year in this family. They take all their extra goods to market from their farm (mittens, goose feathers, woolen clothes from the sheep, maple syrup, shingles, etc). They even sell their Ox and cart.
Once our farmer returns home with money and some bought items, they begin the fall/winter/spring on tasks once again, using the new needles and new knives bought, to once again furnish objects for sale and to use on their farm.
There is a lot for a child to realize here, as this older way of life was how most people lived. It is humbling to see how this rural family is happy with their life with all this fruitful work they do.
4.75*
Once our farmer returns home with money and some bought items, they begin the fall/winter/spring on tasks once again, using the new needles and new knives bought, to once again furnish objects for sale and to use on their farm.
There is a lot for a child to realize here, as this older way of life was how most people lived. It is humbling to see how this rural family is happy with their life with all this fruitful work they do.
4.75*
January 5, 2022
What a great picture book that illustrates historic New England farm life and ties together the cycles of the seasons and the farm life activities.
August 11, 2009
This beautifully written story follows a year in the life of a 19th-Century New England family. It echoes the style of Donald Hall’s poetic version of the story, which probably preceded this book.
In the first scene, the Ox-Cart Man loads his cart with goods to drive into town: wool, knitted goods, woven flax, hand-whittled brooms, shingles, and so on. As he loads the cart, the narrator embeds brief descriptions of how the family worked to create them. On selling the goods, the man buys supplies for his family for the coming year: a needle for his daughter, a knife for his son, a cooking pot for mother, and some wintergreen candies. He returns home, and the family incorporates the new supplies into their work, which is now described in more detail. The story ends with unspoken anticipation that soon the man will load a new cart to take this year’s goods to town.
The hard work of colonial life is made very attractive in this story, as the children cheerfully pitch in and the family works together to build their life and homestead. The rhythmic text is gentle and spare, with just the right tone of anticipation for what will come next. Cooney’s beautiful paintings, with earth-toned colors and straight lines, evoke a feeling of peaceful simplicity that encourages the reader to look back to those bygone days with romantic nostalgia. A beautiful book.
In the first scene, the Ox-Cart Man loads his cart with goods to drive into town: wool, knitted goods, woven flax, hand-whittled brooms, shingles, and so on. As he loads the cart, the narrator embeds brief descriptions of how the family worked to create them. On selling the goods, the man buys supplies for his family for the coming year: a needle for his daughter, a knife for his son, a cooking pot for mother, and some wintergreen candies. He returns home, and the family incorporates the new supplies into their work, which is now described in more detail. The story ends with unspoken anticipation that soon the man will load a new cart to take this year’s goods to town.
The hard work of colonial life is made very attractive in this story, as the children cheerfully pitch in and the family works together to build their life and homestead. The rhythmic text is gentle and spare, with just the right tone of anticipation for what will come next. Cooney’s beautiful paintings, with earth-toned colors and straight lines, evoke a feeling of peaceful simplicity that encourages the reader to look back to those bygone days with romantic nostalgia. A beautiful book.
January 28, 2016
I read this book when my kids were young, but the impact of the story didn't hit me until I watched Bill Moyer's documentary about Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon. When Hall explained hearing the story that prompted him to write this book, I decided to revisit the children's book.
It begins in October when an unnamed farmer packs a cart with all the products and produce his family has made and grown. He arrives in Portsmouth and sells the candles, maple sugar, cabbages, etc. When I read aloud to my grandsons this afternoon, "...Then he sold his ox cart," one of them gasped. That reaction delighted me.
The idea of homesteading and self-sufficient living is attractive (as long as it remains theoretical) to me. The cycle of carving, sawing, weaving, whittling, knitting, etc. begins again as soon as he walks home.
The story charmed me. While I know that this won a Caldecott, I wasn't thrilled with her portraits. I liked the panoramas.
It begins in October when an unnamed farmer packs a cart with all the products and produce his family has made and grown. He arrives in Portsmouth and sells the candles, maple sugar, cabbages, etc. When I read aloud to my grandsons this afternoon, "...Then he sold his ox cart," one of them gasped. That reaction delighted me.
The idea of homesteading and self-sufficient living is attractive (as long as it remains theoretical) to me. The cycle of carving, sawing, weaving, whittling, knitting, etc. begins again as soon as he walks home.
The story charmed me. While I know that this won a Caldecott, I wasn't thrilled with her portraits. I liked the panoramas.
January 7, 2016
1980 Caldecott Medal - Favorite Illustration: The winter scene where the family is tapping the trees for maple syrup and the sky is lit up by the sun - so beautiful!
This was a fun story about how people used to work the land they lived on and sold the excess to buy things they couldn't make themselves. My daughter (6) was having a hard time understanding why the man sold everything (especially the ox), and we had to have a talk about how the farmers didn't have a Target to run to whenever they needed stuff, so they had to make what they could to raise money to buy whatever they needed. The illustrations were beautiful and I really enjoyed the discussion that I had with K after we finished it.
This was a fun story about how people used to work the land they lived on and sold the excess to buy things they couldn't make themselves. My daughter (6) was having a hard time understanding why the man sold everything (especially the ox), and we had to have a talk about how the farmers didn't have a Target to run to whenever they needed stuff, so they had to make what they could to raise money to buy whatever they needed. The illustrations were beautiful and I really enjoyed the discussion that I had with K after we finished it.
December 12, 2016
I remember enjoying this book as a child. Reading it again I still enjoy it, but wasn't sure whether it would have quite the appeal for young children like my kids, because it's just so... practical. There's a lot of making and buying and selling, and these aren't things that young children generally give much thought to (I was probably a bit older before I really got to like it). But, if you're trying to find a book that involves all of those things, and gives a glimpse of an earlier, simpler but harder-working time period, and portrays the life cycle of family-oriented farm-based commerce, AND has wonderful illustrations as well, you couldn't do much better than this book.
November 27, 2008
This book was really sweet, the illustrations were lovely and homey, plus I loved all the details of how hard this family worked to make a living. I really enjoyed this book, it was simple, but profound. Definitely something I would recommend.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
January 14, 2010
I love Donald Hall poetry, and while this is not the best example of his work, the tender illustrations certainly do him justice.
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