Little Cliff and the Cold Place

Little Cliff

by Clifton L. Taulbert, E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)

Excited about the many things he has learned about the Arctic, Little Cliff can't wait for Poppa Joe and Mama Pearl to take him there to see everything in person, but the trip is too long a journey from Mississippi and so Poppa Joe decides to do the next best thing--using a little imagination and creativity.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Geography, African American

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2002

About the author

also see Clifton Taulbert

Reviews

[Abigail]

Clifton L. Taulbert returns to the world of his childhood in this, his third autobiographical picture-book - the first two being Little Cliff and the Porch People and Little Cliff's First Day of School - focusing on an incident involving his desire to visit the Arctic, after a particularly vivid geography lesson in school. Convinced that his Poppa Joe will be able to drive him to this strange land, where the children wear furs, and live in houses made of ice, Little Cliff instead learns a little bit about distance, the scale of maps, and - when he and Poppa Joe visit his great-grandfather's friend, Mr. Jacob Goldstein - about traveling to far places. But the best is yet to come, as Poppa Joe sets up a little "fishing trip" in a very cold locale!

As with the first two Little Cliff books, I enjoyed the depiction of family love and warmth to be found in Little Cliff and the Cold Place, as well as the sense of community. This title is the first of the three in which we see someone outside the tight-knit African-American world of Glen Allan, Mississippi - in this case, Jewish Mr. Goldstein, depicted wearing a yarmulke, in E.B. Lewis' illustrations. Given recent tensions between the wider African-American and Jewish communities here in the USA, I was particularly happy to see this depiction of friendship - an important reminder of the reality of a few decades ago. I also appreciated the evident loving care Little Cliff's Mama Pearl and Poppa Joe take of him, trying, to the best of their ability, to ensure that he has the experiences he wants and needs. All in all, this was just a heartwarming family tale, and is highly recommended to all!

[Angela]

This fiction book tells the story of a young African- Amerian boy named Cliff. The story is set in the 1950’s South. Cliff’s teacher tells him about the arctic and how it is a very cold place and Cliff is interested in going to see the place for himself. His grandfather tells him that he cannot go there, but instead can visit a friend who has pictures of his experience going on a trip to Alaska. Cliff’s grandfather takes him to an ice house the next morning and they fish out of an ice bucket and say that they have been “ice fishing,” as if they got the genuine experience of going to the arctic.

Taulbert, a well- known author and lecturer, does a great job at displaying African-American culture without marginalizing it. Taulbert creates a main character that explores other lands and culture other than his own which allow readers of all backgrounds to possibly relate in some way. It is free from bias but still in some way is able to reflect African- American culture. It is very reader friendly with vivid imagination and illustrations to engage the reader. It is a loving tale that displays positive relationships within a community and family. I would recommend this book for children and readers of all ages.

[Matthew]

It's hard not to like a book when E.B. Lewis illustrates. Still, even with another illustrator, I would still have liked this story. It plays with the idea of children's perceptions of the world. Set in the mid-century South, this was a story of a child who wants to see the Arctic that he heard about in school. He has no idea of the distance between himself and the actual Arctic though. The way his great-grandfather handles that misunderstanding demonstrates a wisdom that only a lot of time with children can provide. It's a nice story.

[Dorothy Reynolds]

I felt so warm and loved while reading this one. It is such a tribute to good grandparents and teachers. The legacy of love and nurturing is such a jewel to children. It does not mention the parents, but these grandparents certainly fill the gap for Little Cliffie. Good job Mr. Taulbert. I plan to read this one with my grandson the next time he visits.

[Kortney Rupprecht]

Set in Mississippi in the 1950’s, a young boy named Cliff learns about the arctic or “cold place” at school and immediately gets excited and wants to go there. Cliff’s Poppa Joe explains that “the cold place” is too far away to travel too, but with the help of his retired friend, the two elderly men lovingly recreate an arctic ice-fishing adventure right at home. The third person point-of-view, repetitious text and bright watercolor illustrations do a wonderful job portraying a child’s perspective of the world around them.

AK: Ice Fishing, Parka, Cold

Activity: Teach a lesson about the different climates and environments around the world. Have students pick a location to do a research project on, and have them present their presentation with a display board.

[Angela]

Feel-good story where a child learns about an interesting place at school, & his grandpa helps him experience it. The painted illustrations are very nice too.