books, family life

2 books that cozy up to fall

JOY journal

“He packs wool sheared in April, honey in combs, linen, leather tanned from deerhide, and vinegar in a barrel hooped by hand at the forge’s fire.” American poet Donald Hall, Ox-Cart Man

This book has a permanent place in our collection.

There are a handful of books that have a permanent presence in my life. Most are seasonal in nature, somehow capturing the fleeting essence of time. This is in spite of the fact most are also written for young children, who have all the time there ever has been or ever will be.

Two of these books are the embodiment of fall: Little House in the Big Woods (written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Garth Williams) and Ox-Cart Man (written by Donald Hall and illustrated by Barbara Cooney).

Big Woods, the first in Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, is my favorite of her works. Written from the spectator view of early childhood, the book follows the seasons, with detailed focus on the intricacies and uncertainties of preserving and storing up food for a long winter in the Wisconsin woods. There is also the delight of family and the simple joy of a holiday gathering.

The book is a warm blanket on a cold night.

And, Ox-Cart Man, is a hot cup of tea to go with it.

Actually a poem and clearly meant to be read aloud, the book begins in October and follows an 1800s family through a year of farm life. They fill the cart with a year’s worth of their goods, which the father then takes to a far-flung city market. He returns with a knife, a kettle, a sharp needle, some peppermints and the zeal to begin the cycle of growing and making and doing all over again.

Every time I read it, I want to sit around a fire with my family and whittle. Maybe this will be the year that I actually do.

The illustrations in both books are also a delight. Ox-Cart Man won the 1980 Caldecott Medal, the highest award for picture books. Williams, who illustrated both the Little House series and Charlotte’s Web, is simply stellar.

So, if the nights are getting cold in your neck of the woods …

And, what about you, blog friends? Are there any books that speak fireside joy and fuzzy sweaters to your hearts?

Published by JOY journal

After a long career writing for local newspapers — and, on rare occasions, for publications such as The Washington Post — Nora's word life is now focused on blogging and occasional writing projects of special interest. Also the author of several books, Nora lives in Appalachia with her husband and a goodish dog named Finn, who is delighted whenever the family's two adult daughters are home from college.

22 thoughts on “2 books that cozy up to fall”

      1. Another name is duvet. A thick quilt usually filled with feathers, down, acrylic, or some kind of fleece. It fits in different covers that are taken off for washing.

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      2. “Duvet” I knew. Now, I know a new name for it! I’m making a doona cover as it happens. I’m just having a hard time getting it over the thin comforter — even with expert advice from a Martha Stewart book. It won’t stuff in evenly no matter what I do!

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      3. Fold your insert lengthwise into thirds. Insert it into the cover straight along one edge, all the way to the end, then open it out flat in the cover.

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      2. We have an early edition that is quite lovely — just in a quieter way than many modern books. I wonder if an illustrator like Tasha Tudor or Beatrix Potter would be marketable in today’s publishing world? I hope so. Maybe they’d be retro. 🙂

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  6. Very interesting books! I’ve not heard of any of them before but they sound good. My favourite books to read around fall are children’s classics like Harry Potter or Alice In Wonderland. Makes me feel like a little girl again! x

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