Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Killian, making a picture book debut, and Smart (Families Belong) celebrate how a farm-style dining table, born from a single helicopter seed, becomes "the heart of someone's home." Expertly shaped, sanded, stained, and sealed so it radiates a warm luster, the former tree becomes "strong and stable," serving as center stage for a busy extended family, portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. The table holds birthday cakes, puzzles, and projects of all kinds; becomes the infrastructure for a blanket fort for "secret club meetings"; and hosts "many meals big and not so big." Warm-hued, close-lined double spreads occasionally depict the table in two different time periods, as when its left side is the scene of a brightly lit and cheerily decorated birthday party, while the right side suggests a moment early the next day--remnants of the decorations still linger, and the grown-up who orchestrated the party is now feeding a baby as morning light streams in. Pieces of furniture like the table may no longer strictly be living things, but they are essential parts of human life, creating spaces for "gathering, and sharing stories, and being together." Ages 4--8. (May)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
The main table in a home is often where memories are made. Killian's debut picture book explores this table's many roles in one family's life. The easy-to-read story starts where a wooden table begins: "as a seed that grew into a great strong tree." The tree is felled, taken to a workshop, and carefully crafted. The top is sanded, legs attached. The wood is stained, sealed, and set to dry. The family places the table "in the middle of a house, and life grew up around it." Smart's watercolor illustrations add to the story with playful and inventive scenes. The number of people grows and shrinks, and scenes evolve from the quiet act of arranging flowers to a birthday party spilling over with family and friends. Their table is filled to overflowing with the chaos of an unfolded map, children's drawings, and more. A clean, empty table shown near the end prompts discussion about readers' own experiences around family tables. The story concludes where it started: "This table began as a seed and became the heart of someone's home." Joan YolleckMarch/April 2024 p.70 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A table is at the center of a home. This cozy book about a hand-hewn wooden table starts and ends evocatively: "This table began as a seed." The seed grows into a "great strong tree" that's felled by a lumberjack…or perhaps by lightning…or, possibly, a windstorm. Later, a skilled, brown-skinned carpenter cuts and measures the timber, sands it, attaches legs, stains and seals it, and leaves it to dry in the sun. Now it's a "strong and stable" table, ready for use. And what stories the table could tell as it stands "in the middle of a room, in the middle of a house, and [as] life grew up around it." It serves as a dining space, as well as a place to play and draw, to do puzzles and schoolwork, and, mostly, "for gathering, sharing stories, and being together." Readers learn that this table, the "heart" of a home, centers people and families--a nice thought. This simply told Canadian import is quite lovely; children may wish to volunteer thoughts about how tables in their own homes compare with the one in the book. The inviting, homey watercolor illustrations, especially those of the table, have an appropriately grainy appearance, and the racially diverse characters also have an air of sturdiness, giving them not only a slightly "woodsy" appearance but also suggesting strength of character and purpose. A warm charmer that will help readers reflect on life's most important things. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
