The Blue Table: A Picture Book Celebrating Family, Togetherness, and Gratitude for Kids (Ages 4-8) - Hardcover

Raschka, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062937766 ISBN 13: 9780062937766

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2020

Synopsis

It’s time to celebrate family, community, generosity, and giving! Two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka’s stunning picture book is the perfect pick to share whenever family and friends gather together to celebrate and give thanks, no matter the occasion.

Spend the day around the heart of a home: the blue table. A shopping list is written, food is prepared, and the table is set. Guests arrive, thanks are given, and a meal is shared. What then? It’s time to pitch in and clean up, of course!

Limited text, bright colors, and stunning collage illustrations make The Blue Table ideal for the youngest reader and for storytime sharing. In just thirty-two pages, two-time Caldecott Medalist and New York Times–bestselling picture book creator Chris Raschka captures the very essence of community―and gratitude.

A gentle, beautiful book that celebrates what matters most:

• A Celebration of Gratitude: Follows a family as they prepare and share a meal, focusing on the simple joy of being thankful for food and community.
• By a Caldecott Medalist Author: From Chris Raschka, the beloved creator of award-winning picture books, known for his unique and vibrant collage illustration style.
• Welcoming Diverse Families: With simple, inclusive text, the story shows different families coming together around the blue table to connect and share.
• From Garden to Table: Shows the whole heartwarming process of a shared meal, from writing the shopping list and preparing the food to gathering together and cleaning up afterward.

About this title

About the Author

Chris Raschka is the creator of many distinguished and award-winning books for children. He has received two Caldecott Medals—one for The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster, and one for his own A Ball for Daisy. He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? Chris Raschka was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2016 and has been awarded a New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation seven times. He lives in New York City with his family.

Reviews

PreS-K-A blue table is the focal point of this brightly colored picture book that takes the food icons of Thanksgiving-pie, turkey, potatoes, corn-and transcends them for a simple story of gathering and gratitude. First one family comes together, planning and organizing, and then a second family joins in to share a lovely meal. The simplicity is deliberate; there is no dialogue, only two dozen words, and there are no faces of the people planning or participating in the meal. Only the hands of the people are shown, allowing readers to see that the characters are of different races. The bright watercolor pictures will offer opportunities to engage young readers in discussions about what the pictures mean and what they might enjoy for a shared meal. VERDICT A pleasant story, with an indelible blue table as its hearth, and most collections will want to add it to their shelves.-Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elem., FLα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062937766
• ISBN 13: 9780062937766
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Raschka Chris
• Number of pages: 32