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The Table Where Rich People Sit (Aladdin Picture Books) [Paperback]

Byrd Baylor , Peter Parnall
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Book Description

July 1, 1998 7 and up Aladdin Picture Books720L (What's this?)
As her family attempts to calculate the value of the desert hills, the colors of blooming cactus, and the calls of eagles and great horned owls, a young girl discovers that her impoverished family is rich in things that matter in life, especially being outdoors and experiencing nature.

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The Table Where Rich People Sit (Aladdin Picture Books) + The Way to Start a Day + The Other Way to Listen
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With the same prose poetry and sparsely colored line drawings that mark their other collaborations, Baylor and Parnall tell the story of Mountain Girl, who begins to see the wealth in her family's simple lifestyle. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-A simple, philosophical, thought-provoking piece. Mountain Girl (nicknamed for her place of birth) would like her parents to earn more money so they could have nicer things. At a family meeting around their "...old, scratched-up, homemade kitchen table," her parents, who work outdoors for a living, convince her and her younger brother that the enjoyment of their natural surroundings and the richness of one another's company are worth a fortune. The girl's first-person account has the feel of a diary. Parnall's familiar, stylized line drawings, colored here with hues of ochre, turquoise, and apple green, provide a dreamlike accompaniment to Baylor's words of wisdom. A devotee of nature, the author reminds readers that, despite the fact that many people may not choose this free-spirited, nonmaterialistic lifestyle, an occasional pause to reflect on personal values is a worthwhile effort. A sound piece of advice.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Age Range: 7 and up
  • Paperback: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Aladdin (July 1, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0689820089
  • ISBN-13: 978-0689820083
  • Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Baylor lives and writes in Arizona, presenting images of the Southwest and an intense connection between the land and the people. Her prose illustrates vividly the value of simplicity, the natural world, and the balance of life within it.

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
(14)
4.7 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Sit a spell July 1, 2004
Format:Paperback
You may not be able to tell from where you read this, but at this moment in time I am punching myself roundly. Why? For the simple reason that I made a bizarre and irrational assumption about this book when I first heard about it. Picture this... it is 1997 and I'm rooming with a dear hippie friend in a Quaker college dorm. She's describing to me her favorite book: "The Table Where Rich People Sit" by Byrd Baylor. As she explains the plot of the book to me, even (I now sigh) handing me a copy, I jump to what I felt was a logical conclusion. Obviously this book was originally published in the 1970s. After all, it deals with the price of happiness, the glory of the natural environment, and the beauty of the world around us. Flash forward some seven years later and I'm reading "The Table Where Rich People Sit" once again. It is, undoubtedly, a magnificently beautiful book in all respects. Then I flip to the publication page and find the year "1994" staring me in the face. 1994? This book... this lovely free-flowing book about leaving "civilized" society to accept the world on your own terms... this was written in the 1990s? Well there you have it. I made the ridiculous assumption that this tale simply was a part of a larger social upheaval when, in fact, it was a small rebellion in and of itself. My bad. My bad.

In this story Mountain Girl has called a meeting of the members of her family. She lives with her mom, dad, and brother in a home outskirting cliffs, canyons, deserts, and mountains, and it has just occurred to her that they are by no means rich. To make her case, Mountain Girl insists that the family recognize that they are seriously lacking in funds. They own a beat up old truck, wear clothing that's patched, and eat at a table that was constructed out of lumber someone else threw away. Says Morning Girl, "Understand, I like this table fine. All I'm saying is, you can tell it didn't come from a furniture store". She insists that her parents consider getting better paying jobs, possibly in an office building. To prove to their daughter that they are far richer than she may think, they ask her to calculate the price it's worth to work outdoors, say $20,000. Then she adds another $30,000 for the sound of coyotes howling in the hills. That doesn't even include the price of seeing the changing colors on the faraway mountains, or the color of a cactus bloom, or even the beauty of living amongst day and night birds at all times. By the time Morning Girl considers it all, actual money seems to have become a lot less important, and she joins her family for a walk to find the sliver of the new moon in the sky. She pats the table, and the reader comes to understand the title of the book a little better by the end.

Oh it's hippy-dippy all right. No question. But the book is far more practical and spiritual than your run-of-the-mill "love all living creatures" picture books out there. First of all, the main character is only called Mountain Girl because that's the nickname her parents gave her. When she was born they lifted her to the sky just eight minutes after her birth to view the sunrise on the mountainside. You can guess why her brother's nicknamed Ocean Boy. Any practical person reading this story will certainly sympathize with Mountain Girl's attempts to talk some sense into her parents too. While she's talking about practical financial matters (think of her as Alec on "Family Ties") her parents are talking about practical soulful matters. They certainly don't starve and their lives are just as they would want them to be, a fact that initially eludes their eldest daughter. What the book is truly asking is, what price freedom? When do you stop worrying about things that don't matter and grab a hold of the things that really do?

Accompanying this message (one that I think kids have an easier a time of understanding than their parents) are artist Peter Parnall's gorgeous illustrations. Using a fascinating combination of fine line pens and bright vivid watercolors, each picture in this tale is an intricate decision of what to and what not to fill in. The delicate line work here creates rocky craggy cliffs and deep swirling ocean depths. Here, an illustration accompanying text describing the beauty of cactus blooms shows a pair of hovering brown eyes with the barest of outlines creating the impression of hair. In the foreground, a perfectly rendered flower opens up to the opposite page's warming sun. You can find hidden pictures of horses here, or luminous mountain shadows that change from aquamarine to deep forest green. Parnall is intelligent enought to know that the grandeur of nature can only be truly hinted at on the page. Therefore, these are pictures that show snatches of breathtaking beauty in every scene. Every white space here is just as important as every color and shade.

There are people who will pick up this book, scoff at its message (without reading it) and degrade its content sight unseen. There are also people who will read it all the way through and find themselves uncomfortable with its presentation and message. Then there are those who truly believe what the book is saying. They will understand what it teaches, what it implies, and what it means to those kids who read (or are read) it. For them, this book will find its way into their hearts. Even if you don't like it, you must concede its beauty. I suggest you find yourself a copy and snuggle down for a fascinating read. You may be surprised at your own responses.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This made me re-evaluate my priorities... February 27, 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I checked this book out for my son (4.5 y.o.) at my college's library, and every day since I brought it home, he has wanted me to read it to him. I love this story, personally, because it not only reflects my own values so perfectly, but it has served as a reminder of the really Important Things in life.

Money isn't what counts ~ it's the sunrise... the colors of the shadows on mountains... the feel of squash on hands dusty with earth... the stretch of blue sky overhead. I cannot think of a book that better illustrates these than The Table Where Rich People Sit.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars the Table where rich People sit October 8, 2006
A Kid's Review
Format:Hardcover
The Table Where Rich People Sit touched my heart. It made me realize that I have more riches than I knew. Simple riches like the colors of Autumn. Mountain Girl didn't understand about her riches either. But by the end of the story she knew that nature and family were the best kind of riches. Read this book so you can realize what your riches are, too.

Brielle age 9 parker, colo.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars The easiest thing to change is your mind
This book is a lovely blend of cultural differences mixed with a different perspective. My 7 year old and I had lots of great discussion about how we were rich after the book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by bookclub girl
5.0 out of 5 stars I didn't actually read this but......
My 9 year old son read this at school a few weeks ago and he came home telling me about it. Today he brought home all of last weeks tests and assignment papers for me to see and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Shawn L. Grube
2.0 out of 5 stars The Table Where Rich People Sit
Not as good as I had wanted. Very length pages. I lost several of my students attention when reading it. Read more
Published 16 months ago by EC teacher
5.0 out of 5 stars great for kids and adults
This book is a great reminder of what is really important in life, which is as important for adults as it is for kids! Read more
Published on November 5, 2010 by SMH
5.0 out of 5 stars A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTFUL BOOK TO GIVE YOU AND YOUR CHILD SOMETHING TO...
This is certainly one of those books that should and will cause the reader, both child and adult, to stop for a moment of reflection. Read more
Published on October 10, 2009 by D. Blankenship
5.0 out of 5 stars Table Where the Rich people Sit
This book show individuals that we are all rich, even in the most ordinary ways.
Published on December 26, 2007 by Ginny Mapes
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
This book brings tears to my eyes. It reminds me of the benefits of living surrounded by nature and does it in a fun way (through a child's eyes while she's learning the monetary... Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by Miriam de Levie-Krock
5.0 out of 5 stars table where rich people sit
The young girl in this story doesn't notice that her family is rich. I think her family is rich because they get to sit under the stars so shiney at night and there is always a... Read more
Published on October 7, 2006
5.0 out of 5 stars table where rich people sit
I love this book. It was an amazing story. I liked how they called the girl Mountain Girl. But the one thing that I didn't understand is how the parents thought they were rich. Read more
Published on October 7, 2006
5.0 out of 5 stars table where rich people sit
I think this story is wonderful. I think this book has beautiful art.

This book is about a girl who wants to be rich. Read more
Published on October 7, 2006
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