Starred Review Two families, two homes, two stories, one table. Set amid the sweeping hills and meadows of Appalachia, The Table begins in the home of a coal-mining family. In the kitchen, the table bears witness to the everyday joys and sorrows of the family: painting Easter eggs, sewing a church dress, learning to read, sorting bills that can be paid from those that must wait. When the family loses their home and is forced to move to a smaller one, the table is abandoned under a tree. Another family soon rescues it, and the old table becomes a new table in a home that is similarly filled with discipline, love, traditions, and gratitude. Told through poetic text and gorgeous multimedia illustrations that show hands, shoulders, the dog's whiskers, a beam of light, this book contains a simple message: we are more similar than different. Sparse, precise lines of text are scrawled on collage strips over the surface of the tabletop, which is also often the background of the pages. Pale-skinned hands and dark-skinned hands denote a racial difference between the families, highlighting, by contrast, their similarities. A beautiful allegory that will stand the test of time and be enjoyed by readers young and old alike.

The story of a table belonging to two different familiesA poor white family owns a wooden kitchen table. It holds the biscuits that Meemaw bakes, as well as the plate of peas the child narrator leaves after devouring cornbread and pork-fat pinto beans. The table also holds a book that the child reads aloud to Meemaw, who's illiterate, along with bills that Mama can't pay. The mines that have made Grandaddy sick have also left Papa unemployed, and the family soon loses their house. Since the table won't fit in their next home, they leave it on the side of the road, where a Black carpenter and his family pick it up. "This a good table right here," Daddy tells his child, the narrator of the book's second half. And once it's cleaned up, the table holds beef stew, which this youngster dislikes as much as the other child hated those dreaded peas. As the story draws to a close, the youngster wonders about the previous owners of the family's new-old table. Bingham and Blevins write with a mixture of melancholy and hope, using masterfully chosen details to draw rich portraits of two different families, each united in their love for one another. With his stunning use of textures, Griffin's ingenious mixed-media illustrations show only the characters' hands-an intriguing choice that leaves readers to fill in many gaps.A moving, elegantly constructed celebration of differences sure to foster empathy and stir the imagination. (creators' notes)(Picture book. 4-8)

Gr 1–3— It can be said that everything has a story to tell, but perhaps a beloved kitchen table collects the most stories of them all. From children who are not interested in eating what is placed in front of them to the many activities that take place in a family's life, a kitchen table is a place for gathering, working, playing, and remembering. And when circumstances change and a table no longer fits in one family's space, it just might find a new home where more memories can be made. This poetic picture book transports readers to life in the American countryside, where time moves slowly, home-cooked meals are frequent, and family is everpresent. No faces are ever shown, but hands are frequently used as the focal point of the illustrations. These hands are depicted in many hues and clearly showcase the work they have done throughout their lives. Perhaps most interesting is the way the text is presented, primarily in dialogue, but handwritten on rectangles of color that look like strips of paper. The choice vocabulary and onomatopoeia used within the story bring rural America to the readers' ears, and the inclusion of conversations about church, cornbread, and working class families enhance this design. Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written, this is a story that will encourage family discussion and reflection. VERDICT This unique addition to the shelves celebrates the American experience through the lens of a beloved kitchen table.— Mary R. Lanni

The story of a table belonging to two different familiesA poor white family owns a wooden kitchen table. It holds the biscuits that Meemaw bakes, as well as the plate of peas the child narrator leaves after devouring cornbread and pork-fat pinto beans. The table also holds a book that the child reads aloud to Meemaw, who's illiterate, along with bills that Mama can't pay. The mines that have made Grandaddy sick have also left Papa unemployed, and the family soon loses their house. Since the table won't fit in their next home, they leave it on the side of the road, where a Black carpenter and his family pick it up. "This a good table right here," Daddy tells his child, the narrator of the book's second half. And once it's cleaned up, the table holds beef stew, which this youngster dislikes as much as the other child hated those dreaded peas. As the story draws to a close, the youngster wonders about the previous owners of the family's new-old table. Bingham and Blevins write with a mixture of melancholy and hope, using masterfully chosen details to draw rich portraits of two different families, each united in their love for one another. With his stunning use of textures, Griffin's ingenious mixed-media illustrations show only the characters' hands-an intriguing choice that leaves readers to fill in many gaps.A moving, elegantly constructed celebration of differences sure to foster empathy and stir the imagination. (creators' notes)(Picture book. 4-8)