Hmm.
I recently read Ox-Cart Man for the first time, and I’m of two minds about it.
On one hand, it is lovely, in both text and image. It is easy to see why it won the Caldecott Medal in 1980. And how could it not be lovely? Author Donald Hall was an accomplished poet: he was poet laureate for the United States, and received the National Medal of the Arts in 2011. Barbara Cooney wrote and/or illustrated over 100 children’s books, and won two Caldecotts and a National Book Award for her book Miss Rumphius. Her illustrations are beautiful and appropriate: they are period landscapes that match Hall’s austere and quiet prose perfectly. This book is a genuine work of art.
On the other hand, I don’t see it reaching many kids. It is more like a poetic meditation for adults on a lost America than a children’s book.
Don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing inappropriate for kids here. But the tone and feel are mature and philosophical.
