The Promise Basket

June 24, 2019
In a “smaller than small” room, a woman lives with her baby. Although they are poor, the woman is “determined that gifts would be given when gifts needed giving,” and on her daughter’s first birthday, she compiles a package of found objects: a beautiful beach stone, “a dangle of ribbon,” and a note pledging boundless love, all tucked into a reclaimed basket. With each year, the Promise Basket fills with stones and notes until the daughter leaves home and has a girl of her own. Grandmother’s first gift? The Promise Basket, with a new pink stone and blank paper ready for the next generation’s messages. Set “when the world was just a little... sweeter than it is today,” this story by Richardson (The Bunny Band) begins on a note of idealized sentimentality. But with rhythm and repetition, the narrative mixes messages of unending maternal devotion with subtle allusions to life’s challenges. Kolesar (debuting as an illustrator for an English-language title) beautifully echoes the story’s shifting tones, balancing floral folk art motifs with potent symbolism. Whether brought to a baby shower or given to a graduate, this story of steadfast parent-child bonds may become a perennial gift favorite. Ages 6–9.

August 1, 2019

K-Gr 3-Parental love is a precious gift, especially when life becomes challenging. A mother and her baby daughter live in a very small room that they share with a very small mouse. As the little girl's first birthday approaches, her mother is determined to give her a special gift despite their poverty. She discovers a beautiful stone on the beach, a basket that has been discarded, paper, and ribbon, and constructs a gift for her baby that includes a poetic promise. On every gifting occasion after that, the little girl finds a beautiful stone and another poem until she herself continues the tradition with her own daughter. A story about the resilience that a single mother can have, this book encapsulates what is truly important in a human life: love. Stylized illustrations created with watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and gouache showcase the emotions felt by each character in a manner reminiscent of Picasso. The mother repeats a four line poem in each gift she gives her daughter, changing the final two lines while keeping the first two lines the same. Though a medium length story, the repetition and intermittent poetry paired with illustrations that dominate the page make this book accessible to a wide range of ages. VERDICT A lovely message of ongoing love even and especially in the face of difficult experiences.-Mary Lanni, formerly of Denver Public Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2019
A Canadian broadcaster and author of humorous books for adults and children, Richardson takes a departure here to offer an ode to maternal love. The story about a white, rosy-cheeked mother and daughter who live by the sea is written primarily in the third person. They are poor, but the woman "was determined that gifts would be given when gifts needed giving." So on each special occasion, starting on the baby's first birthday, she finds a stone and writes an accompanying poem to place in a basket she's rescued from someone's trash. The poem becomes a rhyming refrain for each situation, the first couplet unchanging and the second varying according to the situation. "A stone when it's thrown can damage, can break, / but nothing can shatter the promise I make. / This stone and this promise are all I can give: / I'll love you each day for as long as I live." Kolesar's compositions, rendered in watercolor, gouache, graphite, and colored pencil, have a primitive, folk-art quality. A stylized tree figures prominently; at one point its roots form the capillaries of the mother's heart. The illustrations offer decorative rather than deeper narrative support. Ultimately, the basket is passed along for the grandchild. In the tradition of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever (1995), the perspective and sentiments are wrapped in adult nostalgia but without drama or humor to maintain a child's interest. Grandmothers are the target audience; skip for children. (Picture book. 4-6)

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