Me and Momma and Big John

When John's mother trudges home from her first day as a stonecutter, "She is gray as ashes, from her headscarf to her boots. Even her bouncy beaded earrings have gone dull as dirt." What's more, it's all from cutting just one stone, "and it's not done yet." But Momma doesn't mind the hard work because she's a stonecutter at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, and what she does "isn't just a job.... It's an art." With Rockliff's (My Heart Will Not Sit Down) plainspoken lyricism providing scaffolding for Low's (Machines Go to Work) incandescent realism, the story of a struggling family transformed through the joy and power of meaningful work is woven into the history of a beloved spiritual landmark. Whether the scene is inside the narrator's modest apartment or looking down from the barrel vault ceiling onto the cathedral's magnificent nave, every page is infused with golden light, quiet pride, and soaring hope. An afterword provides background on the still-unfinished cathedral and the training program that employed people like Momma. Ages 3-8. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 2--When Momma comes home from working as a stonecutter for New York City's St. John the Divine, affectionately known as "Big John," she is tired and covered with dust. It is hard work, and no one knows how many decades it will take to finish the cathedral. Her middle son, the narrator, is amazed when he finds out that all this time she has only worked on one stone. His mother explains that what she does is an art, and the boy proudly imagines Momma's name on display in a museum. When they visit Big John, the boy is disappointed to find that his mother's stone looks identical to all the others, and that no one will ever know which is hers. But as they experience the majesty of the cathedral and lift their voices in song, he realizes that there is an art to being part of something bigger than yourself. Luminous digital paintings create warm family scenes and bright cityscapes, and capture the majesty of the building. Light and shadow are deftly employed to create drama and depth, heighten emotion, and portray the sacred nature of the structure and the spirit of community it engenders. Featuring a close-knit African American family, this is lovely addition.--Anna Haase Krueger, formerly at Antigo Public Library, WI

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

With Rockliff's plainspoken lyricism providing scaffolding for Low's incandescent realism, the story of a struggling family transformed through the joy and power of meaningful work is woven into the history of a beloved spiritual landmark. Whether the scene is inside the narrator's modest apartment or looking down from the barrel vault ceiling onto the cathedral's magnificent nave, every page is infused with golden light, quiet pride, and soaring hope.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Rockliff's lyrical text celebrates collaboration and communion, whether as voices rising in a cathedral hymn or among the skilled workers who labored over more than a century. Low renders many gorgeous digital spreads, articulating the extraordinary light and deep shadows within and outside the architecturally splendid cathedral.
—Kirkus Reviews

Both text and pictures radiate a sense of the dignity and pride felt first by this African American woman and then by her son. Low's impressive digital illustrations create a vivid sense of place, particularly at the cathedral. A quiet but beautiful picture book.
—Booklist

The story is quiet and serious, honestly showing Momma's exhaustion at the end of the work day and thoughtfully exploring the boy's growing understanding of the building project ("I think about the hands that worked on every stone until it was exactly right, knowing that it had to hold up all the rest"). It's an effective solemnity, underscoring the importance of taking the time to do something right and putting effort into ensuring beauty and strength.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This is the rare children's book that shows how a building is built with less of an emphasis on cranes and bulldozers and more on the difficult work of laboring hands. But it's not only about the grueling hardness of labor; ME AND MOMMA AND BIG JOHN is also about the rewards of a labor of love, and of a job well done.
—New York Times online

Rockliff's story is told in lyrical prose with a heavy dose of figurative language. Low's incandescent illustrations beautifully complement the descriptive text. Light and shadow are cleverly used to help set the mood and tone.
—Library Media Connection

Luminous digital paintings create warm family scenes and bright cityscapes, and capture the majesty of the building. Light and shadow are deftly employed to create drama and depth, heighten emotion, and portray the sacred nature of the structure and the spirit of community it engenders. Featuring a close-knit African American family, this is a lovely addition.
—School Library Journal

If Mara Rockliff's ME AND MOMMA AND BIG JOHN does nothing else (and it does a lot) it leads kids to understand that for every great awe-inspiring behemoth in their lives, there were countless everyday joes working hard, making a living, turning pencil sketches on blue paper into reality.
—A Fuse #8 Production (SLJ blog)