The Gathering Table
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
The author of Nigel and the Moon delivers a joyful picture book about how a Southern family gathers around a special table for year-round celebrations that highlight the importance of family, community, and coming together.
A NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
In my family,
there are traditions.
And my favorite—
happen around this table.
No matter the season, no matter the reason, the love that surrounds this boy's family table is palpable and neverending. From a golden anniversary to Juneteenth, a special wedding to a new baby sister, here is a family that never forgets to come together and celebrate what it truly means to be there for each other.
Heartfelt illustrations complement the lyrical text in this poignant picture book that reveals how Gullah Geechee culture contributes to a family's love, and reminds us the importance of building community one gathering at a time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In an artfully rendered picture book that spans numerous events, a child recounts a Black family's tradition of standing around a table under a river birch tree that's draped with Spanish moss. Eady (The Last Stand) movingly traces the occasions, along the way highlighting ideals about what the table represents. In an early scene, generations gather to honor "Grandpa and Grandma... for the family they've built." The child protagonist makes a face as the grandparents exchange loving kisses: "This is the table of love. (Sloppy love, if you ask me.)" The family also celebrates with fireworks and shows up for the narrator's uncles' wedding ("This is the table of pride"), before gathering for a low-country boil and a Juneteenth celebration ("This is the table of freedom"). Ladd (When I Hear Spirituals) employs acrylic paint, cut paper, and tissue paper, giving each verdant image impasto-like height, and elegantly underlining themes "Of love. Of hope. Of pride. Of freedom" as the family members come together again and again—never leaving empty-handed. An author's note concludes. Ages 4–8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.
