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Jack's Basket
When Kate's newborn baby brother Jack came home from the hospital, he was too small for a crib so they got him a straw basinet.
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 27, 2016
This seemed like a warm book and surpassed expectations. I am awed to see it is one of those shining, special books. This is a story that spans the passage of time and points out how little things can be so very important and beneficial. I have always bonded to inanimate objects with tremendously strong sentiment, so if you are the same, you will feel and treasure the poignancy of "Jack's Basket"! It was authored and drawn in 1987 by Alison Catley. Such strong personal memories are so easily associated throughout it that it moves emotional centres and nearly brings me to tears with appreciation.
The illustrations are not only very good; realistic and detailed. They add a layer of heart to the story Alison is telling that the words might not have conveyed. The images add another thread of messages that affected me the most. Especially the little mouse giving her newborn family a place to sleep, just like the pinkie mice of my forest. I cared for a baby mouse for a few days, who was the same age as hers. I treasured the human story too and everything about this book all the way along. Our four kittens grew up still using the basket in which they were born.
We derive so many encouraging morals from this. There is a big difference between hoarding versus an aversion to wastefulness: not consigning things to the garbage if they can be of use in another way. The message I get out of Alison's book most strongly is what I have long believed. What we cherish, use, and touch; the memories we forge are what gives objects value. It is why, for instance, I will always prefer the keepsakes of real letters and books to flat, electronic copies any day.
The illustrations are not only very good; realistic and detailed. They add a layer of heart to the story Alison is telling that the words might not have conveyed. The images add another thread of messages that affected me the most. Especially the little mouse giving her newborn family a place to sleep, just like the pinkie mice of my forest. I cared for a baby mouse for a few days, who was the same age as hers. I treasured the human story too and everything about this book all the way along. Our four kittens grew up still using the basket in which they were born.
We derive so many encouraging morals from this. There is a big difference between hoarding versus an aversion to wastefulness: not consigning things to the garbage if they can be of use in another way. The message I get out of Alison's book most strongly is what I have long believed. What we cherish, use, and touch; the memories we forge are what gives objects value. It is why, for instance, I will always prefer the keepsakes of real letters and books to flat, electronic copies any day.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review