The Basket Moon [Hardcover]

Mary Lyn Ray (Author), Barbara Cooney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

In a lyrical, elegant coming-of-age picture book, a boy begins to doubt his heritage when he hears taunts of "hillbilly" and "bushwhacker, " while accompanying his father to the big city. Color illustrations throughout.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Weaving in authentic details as seamlessly as Pa weaves the splints in his baskets, Ray (Mud; Pianna) pays homage not only to a time-honored craft, but to the way traditions link one generation to the next. A boy growing up in the hills above the Hudson Valley longs to accompany his father to town, where each month he takes his baskets to sell: "He always went when the moon was round, to have it for a lantern if he was late returning." As the seasons turn, the boy continues to watch and wait, listening to the stories Pa tells, observing the men at their basket weaving. Then after his ninth birthday, "I began to see Pa studying me the way he checked a basket when it was finished"; at the next full moon the boy is allowed to go to town. The journey opens the world to him, in more ways than one; the boy will never view his life the same way again. Ray's subtle symbolism and poetic language create a story that will linger with readers for many moons. And Cooney's (Ox-Cart Man) scenes are as pristine as the narrative. From countryside to bustling early- 20th-century metropolis, her deft brush picks out a few carefully chosen details to balance the ethereal simplicity of each scene: delicate fern fronds decorate the forest's undergrowth; a boy's red mittens counterpoint the muted grays of a winter scene; the iron filigree on a rooftop in town adds an elegant touch to the skyline. Author and artist unite in a tribute to the natural world humanity, and their abiding interconnectedness. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3 This engaging book tells about a young boy's coming-of-age in an isolated rural community around the turn of the last century, and about the special baskets made by the people who live in the hills above the Hudson River. For years, the child has been eager to join his father on his monthly walk to the nearby town to sell the baskets. Pa always goes at the time of the "basket moon" (the full moon) because he needs its light to find his way home. Finally, after the boy's ninth birthday, he accompanies his father to town. He is excited by all the new things he sees there, but when a townie taunts them with "A tisket, a tasket, hillbilly basket! That's all a bushwhacker knows," he is devastated. He wants nothing further to do with basket making and wants his family to stop, too. One of his father's helpers, seeing the boy's distress, helps him to understand the artistic nature of their craft, and to value such work. The story is told by the boy in lyrical prose, and is graced by Cooney's soft-hued oil-and-acrylic paintings. The artist makes the mountains and forests glow with a suffused light that enhances their beauty and softens the family's hard life, and she artistically incorporates the various steps of basket making described in the text. An afterword explains a little of the history of these baskets and the people who made them. A luminous and deeply satisfying look back in time. Virginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316735213
• ISBN-13: 978-0316735216
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,336,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The end of the collection, November 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Basket Moon (Hardcover)

This beautiful book was the last one Barbara Cooney illustrated before her death in March of 2000. The story and pictures are great. A must-have for Cooney fans.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle, entertaining story for young readers., February 14, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Basket Moon (Hardcover)

A young boy growing up admires his father's basket-making skills and anticipates the time when he'll be allowed to go to town to help sell them - but when the time arises, he's taunted for being a country boy. Should he be a basket maker? Barbara Cooney's illustrations enhance this gentle story.