Who Came Down That Road?

by George Ella Lyon, Peter Catalanotto (Illustrator)

Mother and child ponder the past in discussing who might have traveled down a very old road, looking backward from pioneer settlers all the way to prehistoric animals

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Historical Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

About the author

George Ella Lyon is a Kentucky author who has published in many genres, including picture books, poetry, juvenile novels, and articles.

Reviews

[Cindy Kelly Benabderrahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of an "old, old, old, old road" - a path really, and those who have come down it since time immemorable. We trace its roots in a reverse chronology as we turn the pages to reveal the surreal illustrations - paintings done in a dreamy, soft glow. So who came down that old road? The narrator's great grandparents, and before them, there were soldiers, and before them there were Pioneers. The book goes back and back, before and before and before through Indians and Buffalo, Wooly Mammoths, fish, and before them the sea, the ice, all the way back to the mysteries of "the making place." The illustrations and text provide a trip back through time, but grounded in place, making this book a delightful journey that ends where it really begins. The illustration of all of the different footprints of the ages is profound and beautiful, and the book ends on a quiet note of the sublime.

George Ella Lyon has a way with words. Though she's sparing with them, she chooses just the right ones, and I think young and old alike can relish them. This is an amazing book for reading aloud, as young people are fascinated with recursive questions like "And what was before that? And what was before that?" And this book takes joy in answering just one. This is one that settles in under the skin, amazes and inspires awe on the first read, and then on subsequent reads, it humbles, makes you feel small, like you are a part of a journey that is so much larger than you are that it is beyond comprehension - another mystery of "the making place" and its questions. There is something eternal here, and children are fascinated with things like this. Because of its simplicity, this is a book that young readers will treasure, and since there are so many more questions that it can inspire (What is a salt-lick? How big was a mammoth? What tribes of Indians came down the road that we live on?), it is a book that we can use as a tool to inspire wonderment.

[Emily McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book and the illustrations... it goes through the settlement of America and goes as far back as the galaxy had to be created first

[Marissa Elera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent.

[Ashley]

Interesting story. I actually think this would be a good story to use in the science classroom, but since that is no where near my forte, I would use this book for background information on historical sequences. Whether through discussing Native American culture and the effect experienced from colonialization, or westward expansion.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presented as a discussion between mother and son, this book is a look back at the many different people throughout history who may have walked down the same roads we walk down today. A fun way to package a history lesson, and a beautifully illustrated book.

[Jamie Tedesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story talks of an old road that has been traveled by many many different people over the last several hindrance years. A good story for a starting discussion of the history of the United States of America.

[Jazzmin]

There is a definite old-world charm to the writing as it combines with the almost ethereal, light-dappled illustrations. It is very simply written, yet evokes nostalgia and wonder about the history of our land.

[Cordellya Smith]

I love George Ella Lyon books. This one is an interesting look back through time that opens conversations about many different things from the Civil War all the way back to mastodons and the seas that covered areas of land now inhabited by humans.

[Morgan]

Who Came Down That Road? is a very good book with even better illustrations. I mainly like the pictures in this book because they are very dark but pretty at the same time. It adds so much to the story to look at the illustrations.

[Robert W.]

A picture book that shows us the many different things that have occurred on our land over the many years.

[Ashley Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would use this book in my classroom when talking about the differences in people in America. I would also use this book to talk about early America in general.

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't what you call a long book, but it is cool and the paintings are lovely. Picked it up in the lobby of a a local hospital and will re-gift it somewhere soon.