A Long Road on a Short Day written by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin is a story that is both gentle and at the same time extremely powerful. It is set in a rural community on a blustery day as a Dad and his young son start out on a trip to get a cow so that new-born baby Ella will have milk.
Dad takes along his best Barlow knife and they step into the weather as they head for Frank Snow’s place. After greetings Dad says they’ve come looking to make a good trade and he shows Mr. Snow the Barlow knife. Mr. Snow says he does have a use for a knife as good as this and wonders if two lanterns would interest them. After looking at the lanterns Dad asks Samuel if this would be a good trade and he says he thinks it would. The men shake hands and off Samuel and his Dad go up Stone Hill Road to see if they can interest farmer Perry in two good lanterns.
The rhythm of this touching book can be felt in the community love that is present whenever they talk with neighbors and make good trades--- such as when the Widow Mitchell trades a glass pitcher that has become too heavy for her for a book of poetry. The glass pitcher is then traded for a merino sheep and a merino sheep is traded for a pocket watch. Each of these gentle encounters led by his father is a teaching moment for Samuel.
The stunning full color illustrations glorify the story’s beauty found in both the boy’s instinctive love of animals and his Father’s instinctive understanding of community. And they eventually do get that cow mother and baby sister are needing.
A Long Road on a Short Day written by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth
Stickney and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin is perfect for readers 8-12 years of age. (Clarion Books/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020).
The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. Links to the podcast and the activity questions, ideal for home use, can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.
Activity questions for A Long Road on a Short Day
During the telling of this story many “good trades” took place such as a Barlow knife for two tin lanterns, two tin lanterns for a poetry book, a poetry book for a large glass pitcher, a large glass pitcher for a merino sheep, a merino sheep for a pocket watch, a pocket watch for a pony and cart and a pony and cart for a cow. Outside of the fact that Samuel and his Dad wanted to end up with a cow, which trade do you think was the best? Why? Which trade would you never have made? Why?
As you see throughout this story a “good trade” depends on both traders getting something they very much want. Have you ever been involved with a trade with a friend? What did you give up? What did you get? Were you happy with the trade or did you wish you could get your original item back? Write a four-line poem (it does not have to rhyme) that expresses how you felt and might still feel about this trade.
The wonderful illustrations in this book add a beautiful fullness to the character of Samuel. Go back and study each of them and make a list of what you know about Samuel from the book’s pictures rather than from the book’s words.
This is the Children’s Bookshelf and I’m Sue Ann Martin
A Long Road on a Short Day written by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin is a story that is both gentle and at the same time extremely powerful. It is set in a rural community on a blustery day as a Dad and his young son start out on a trip to get a cow so that new-born baby Ella will have milk.
Dad takes along his best Barlow knife and they step into the weather as they head for Frank Snow’s place. After greetings Dad says they’ve come looking to make a good trade and he shows Mr. Snow the Barlow knife. Mr. Snow says he does have a use for a knife as good as this and wonders if two lanterns would interest them. After looking at the lanterns Dad asks Samuel if this would be a good trade and he says he thinks it would. The men shake hands and off Samuel and his Dad go up Stone Hill Road to see if they can interest farmer Perry in two good lanterns.
The rhythm of this touching book can be felt in the community love that is present whenever they talk with neighbors and make good trades--- such as when the Widow Mitchell trades a glass pitcher that has become too heavy for her for a book of poetry. The glass pitcher is then traded for a merino sheep and a merino sheep is traded for a pocket watch. Each of these gentle encounters led by his father is a teaching moment for Samuel.
The stunning full color illustrations glorify the story’s beauty found in both the boy’s instinctive love of animals and his Father’s instinctive understanding of community. And they eventually do get that cow mother and baby sister are needing.
A Long Road on a Short Day written by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth
Stickney and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin is perfect for readers 8-12 years of age. (Clarion Books/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020).
The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. Links to the podcast and the activity questions, ideal for home use, can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.
Activity questions for A Long Road on a Short Day
During the telling of this story many “good trades” took place such as a Barlow knife for two tin lanterns, two tin lanterns for a poetry book, a poetry book for a large glass pitcher, a large glass pitcher for a merino sheep, a merino sheep for a pocket watch, a pocket watch for a pony and cart and a pony and cart for a cow. Outside of the fact that Samuel and his Dad wanted to end up with a cow, which trade do you think was the best? Why? Which trade would you never have made? Why?
As you see throughout this story a “good trade” depends on both traders getting something they very much want. Have you ever been involved with a trade with a friend? What did you give up? What did you get? Were you happy with the trade or did you wish you could get your original item back? Write a four-line poem (it does not have to rhyme) that expresses how you felt and might still feel about this trade.
The wonderful illustrations in this book add a beautiful fullness to the character of Samuel. Go back and study each of them and make a list of what you know about Samuel from the book’s pictures rather than from the book’s words.