School Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A son tells of his mother's new job cutting stone for "Big John," New York City's yet-unfinished Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He focuses his mother's experiences at the cathedral through his own lens: She comes home covered in gray dust after daily labor on a single stone. Is his mother's work like an artist's, whose pictures hang in the museum? When the family visits Big John's stone yard and soaring interiors, he understands that her contribution--painstakingly crafted, yet so small--will take its place "high above the people, Momma's stone touching the sky." Drawing from historical details about a 25-year apprenticeship program begun in 1982, 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 (Old Penn Station, 2007) renders many gorgeous digital spreads, articulating the extraordinary light and deep shadows within and outside the architecturally splendid cathedral. Combining the look of thick, fuzzy-edged pastel on paper with gouache on textured board, the illustrations are less successful in the figurative depictions. Awkwardly drawn shoes, feet and legs, along with some variation in the appearance of the daughter, are minor distractions from the overall strong visual appeal. An intriguing examination of the inside story of one of New York City's most important and beloved monuments. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Three children greet their mother when she comes home from her job. No longer a factory worker, she now carves stone for the enormous cathedral called Big John. When she takes them to see it, they are awed by the cathedral's size and beauty. The boy who narrates the story slowly comes to understand his mother's role in creating this special place. An appended note explains that Big John refers to the Cathedral St. John the Divine in New York City. There, in the 1970s, the dean began an apprenticeship program in which European master craftsmen taught young Americans to cut and carve stone for the cathedral, which was begun in 1892 but had never been completed. In the story, Momma is based on an apprentice who was a young mother. 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.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
