Ox-Cart Man

This book is appropriate for young children and reinforces the value of working to be successful. We read this to our children and they loved it. We now are buying this for other families to enrich their children's lives! If you buy this book, you won't be disappointed!

This beautiful Caldecott winner offers a heartfelt but spare story about the necessity and love of family, teamwork and sustainability in nineteenth-century rural New England. The story begins as a father packs up an ox cart against the backdrop of a colorful October day.Every item loaded into the cart has been carefully made by a family of four. There is wool sheared from their own sheep, items woven on a loom from yarn spun from the wool, mittens knit from yarn spun at the spinning wheel. There are homemade candles, birch brooms, apples, maple sugar, goose feathers and so much more. Once packed, the ox-cart man walks for ten days at the ox’s head toward market.We soon see that the city folk need candles, mittens, and goose feathers. We see the ox-cart man’s efficiency. My grandchildren and I are amazed that every single thing is sold. The man buys an iron kettle for the fire and one embroidery needle for his daughter. (Eyebrows were raised from our grands, “She got ONE needle?” That drives home an important point.) Soon the ox-cart man is traveling home.Now readers see the rest of the cycle—all the work this small family must now do to prepare for the following year. They will work throughout the winter, spring and summer making shawls, embroidering linen. A new ox-cart will be constructed and a new yoke carved. What we see is the life cycle of a nineteenth-century rural New England farm.This short story by Donald Hall, illustrated by Barbara Cooney offers children simple clarity about the circle of life and how this family is not only connected to each other, they are also connected to the land, the orchard, the animals. We need each other. Sustainability is essential. The Ox-cart Man is moving and wonderful.

Enjoyed reading to my kids

Absolutely adore this book and the illustrations— it’s a timeless classic. My daughter (1 year old) already enjoys this book

As for the story, this review says it best: "This is the kind of picture book that you can return to again and again, for as pretty as it is it's better than pretty; it's true in a way that moves children and grown-ups alike" -New York Times Book Review.I've bought so many copies of this book; I was a nanny for five years and any child who heard it fell in love with it, so of course I let each one keep it, finding a new copy each time. Then it went out of print just as I was having my first kid of my own. So I bought a used paper back copy. Then I needed yet another copy and the one that arrived that time had such peculiar, wash-out pictures, like a bad photocopy. This isn't a seller-feedback-posing-as-a-review: I'm only mentioning it because if you happen to get a copy and are underwhelmed by it, it may be that you got a bad printing. In a good printing, the colors are so rich you can practically smell the sun on the autumn leaves, the mist collecting in the hollows in the evening seem to swirl, the windows of the homes at night glow. I hadn't realized how much the pictures contribute to the whole story until I got a 'bad' copy.Hopefully, hopefully, The Ox-Cart Man comes back into print one day. I don't think I'll ever stop needing copies of this book.

A friend who is a kindergarden teacher said this was one of her very favorite books...so I bought it for my grands. It opens your eyes to the notion of where so many of the things we use come from; the power of human labor/transformation and the inevitability of change -- an Ah, Ha! book for the little littles with the charm of Berenstain Bears!

I have always loved this book, (sigh), if only life was this way - we are working to get back to this!I have 3 daughters 12, 9, 3 and each have enjoyed the book and the artwork. My 3 year old and I read this at least twice a week and I still have not grown tired of the illustrations and the rhythm of this book.

This was one of my favorite books to read as a child and I'm so excited to share it with my kids!

This book was much loved when my children were small, and I have now bought a copy for the second family of grandchildren. It is the story of the yearly routine of a family of settlers in New England, I suppose somewhere in the 1800s. Once a year, the father made the long journey to the market town to sell 'everything they made or grew all year, that was left over' , which provided their cash income for the year. A gentle story told in simple, lyrical language . My 2 year old granddaughter particularly loves the pictures of sheep and geese.

A charming book about life in rural Maine many decades ago.I used to read this to my children years ago, and ws reminded of it by an article in The Atlantic about Rosemary Cooney. So I got a new copy to read to my grandchildren.The illustrations are beautiful, water-colour style, with enough detail that you can always spot something interesting in them.

I bought this after looking at reviews left by other readers. I was initially disappointed when I received the book due to the serious nature of the story, which is a description of life on a nineteenth century farm, but I have come to like it very much. It is a fascinating glimpse of a much simpler world.

Still waiting to read this book to a 5 year old so I will review later

Wouldn't it be great in some respects to take a lesson from the days when life was simpler. When you worked and gardened and sold your produce and crafts to make a living. When you traded for what you needed. When you raised your own livestock. When every member of the family had a responsibility to help. When skills were necessary and people knew how to make things from home, by hand? When traditions were passed down and skills taught instead of everyone Googling everything and knowing nothing? If you think so too, then have a read. It's an inspiring and simple and quiet little story, but I like it.