Blue Bowl Down: An Appalachian Rhyme [Hardcover]

C. M. Millen (Author), Holly Meade (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

C. M. Millen’s lilting, recipe in rhyme and Holly Meade’s inviting world of collage pay tribute to life’s simpler pleasures, and to the special relationship between mother and child.

Lift the bowl to make our bread,
down the blue bowl, little baby.

The sun is about to set, and it’s almost time for bed. But for the family in this cozy Appalachian farmhouse, it’s time for the comforting ritual of making bread. Just as mother and child will soon settle down for their rest, the dough is prepared in its special blue bowl and left to rest on the stove. And come morning, after they (and the dough) have risen, it’s time to savor a warm, satisfying breakfast and the start of a new day.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–A toddler and his mother make bread together in a blue bowl as their evening activity. The sense of place is seen through Meade's evocative watercolor-and-collage illustrations, not through Millen's text–"Light the lantern, little baby./Light the lantern, little baby./Strike the match upon the stove." It is clear that the house is rural, has a wood stove and no running water or electricity, but the process of making bread will remain a mystery to young listeners. What does come through in the lullaby rhyme and charming artwork are the joy and delicious rewards of working together. Cynthia Rylant's When I Was Young in the Mountains(Dutton, 1982) or Appalachia (Harcourt, 1991) have richer Appalachian cadences. For a celebration of bread making, taste David and Phillis Gershator's Bread Is for Eating (Holt, 1995).–Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 1. Cozy as a cabin warmed by a wood-burning stove, this lullaby was inspired, as Millen explains in an endnote, by the evening bread-making ritual that was traditional in more rustic times. Meade, who won the Caldecott Honor for Hush! A Thai Lullaby (1996), interprets Millen's soothing text ("Shake the flour, little baby. Scoop a handful from the bin. / Shake it out and stir it in.") with appealing cut-paper artwork of a mother guiding her rosy-cheeked toddler through the steps of the process--hauling water from the well, mixing the dough, kneading it, and setting it to rise. Though sometimes Millen's syntax may leave readers unfamiliar with Appalachian dialects fumbling to catch the rhythm, the wholesome comforts of hearth and home evoked by text and art are universal: "Sleep you kindly, little baby. Sleep you kindly, little baby. Dream the rising of the bread." The only thing missing is that inimitable aroma--but, perhaps, not for long, as this will have families inaugurating bread-baking rituals of their own. Endpapers reminiscent of blue-and-white speckled graniteware are the perfect finishing touch. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763618179
• ISBN-13: 978-0763618179
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 11.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids and I love this book!, August 2, 2006

By 

Angela O. Dephouse - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Bowl Down: An Appalachian Rhyme (Hardcover)

I was disappointed to read the review by the School Library Journal. This book passes down timeless traditions: baking bread, mothers teaching and caring for their children, bedtime rituals. The lilting lullaby narration is not to be taken literally. The mother in the story, like many of us, talks to her young son as she works. She sings of lighting the lantern, little baby, and stoking the fire, little baby. Your pre-schooler may not learn how to bake bread by reading this book, but it opens the door for conversation about why we sift flour and how yeast works. I think it's a great book. I read to my 3-yr-old and 10-month-old day and night, and this is a favorite!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my mind about this one, November 24, 2006

By 

B. Davis (DALLAS, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Bowl Down: An Appalachian Rhyme (Hardcover)

When I first read this book to our 2-year-old, I wasn't optimistic that she would ever like it and didn't care much for it, myself. However, after a few months we read it again and it is now her favorite book. We read it every night. The illustrations are soft yet sophisticated, and the repetition of the lines is soothing to her, I think. Anyway if our daughter is the judge (and she is), this one merits the top score.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book - a family favorite., June 19, 2006

By 

Karla Cunningham (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Bowl Down: An Appalachian Rhyme (Hardcover)

My 22-month old daughter has enjoyed this book for months and we are constantly checking it out of the library. We are finally buying our own copy! The illustrations are lovely and the writing is very lyrical. There are plenty of objects to point to (and have your child identify) to build his/her vocabulary and the active features of the text encourage acting out various facets of the story such as "walking" the water, patting the bread, finding the kittens and baby's belly button, etc. I highly recommend this book!