Ballad of the Rag Man

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Ballad of the Rag Man (eBook) Pub. Date: 12/15/2011 Publisher: Blooming Twig Books
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Ballad of the Rag Man Pub. Date: 8/28/2009 Publisher: Blooming Twig Books

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Overview

In The Ballad of the Rag Man, written entirely in verse, the Rag Man, clothed in beautiful rags, collects cast-off items that others don’t find valuable, and he collects them in heaps outside his home, walking through the streets of his little town with a cart. Nothing escapes his attention. To him, nothing is junk. A little girl watches the Rag Man from a distance, as he takes her old, cast-off teddy bear, and she follows him to his mysterious shop, and wonders what would happen with her well-worn toy. Much to her surprise, the Rag Man repaired her teddy bear, and brought it back to her…

The colorful, deep and remarkable artwork in this collection is both real and imaginative – children will step into another world, but still root themselves firmly on the ground. They will, themselves, like the little girl, be watching the Rag Man. And they will learn an important lesson about judging others before they get to know them.

This book supports the Rag Man Project. The Rag Man Project brings college students and young adults into bookstores, libraries, schools, and hospitals among other places, to teach children about those in society that might be different, whether with disabilities, without homes, or simply those that don’t act like everyone else.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781933918426
Publisher: Blooming Twig Books
Publication date: 8/28/2009
Pages: 36
Product dimensions: 8.40 (w) x 11.00 (h) x 0.40 (d)

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NM_Stories-for-Children

Posted December 15, 2010

Breathtaking lessons in acceptance, diversity and recycling!

Synopsis: In the village wanders a man who collects "yesterday's treasures" including an eyeless, love-worn teddy bear. Our eyes through the story are those of the teddy bear's former owner, a little girl. She is scared of the silent stranger who picks through the neighborhood trash. But when she follows him back to his home, she discovers him lovingly repairing her teddy bear, which he returns to her clean and with new eyes. The teddy bear isn't the only one with new eyes at the end of the story. I think all readers will come away with a new vision of their neighbors.

Overall thoughts: The tale is told in rhyming verse. It speaks volumes with a few well-chosen words that gently guide readers to the lesson at the end. Tosic's illustrations, mixed media including photographs and pen-and-ink drawings, vividly portray the story. They are pieced together much like the Rag Man's work is a rag-tag collection of unmatched materials. Together, the words and pictures tell a story of overcoming prejudice. The dark, scribbly images reflect the words of the child describing the weird man in her village. But as she learns about him, and accepts him as a neighbor, the words and images are brighter and full of hope. Gustavson, a former teacher, is a psychotherapist who works with children. She said, "I wrote this book because I found too many parents were teaching their children to be afraid of those who look different, or live on 'the wrong side of town.'" With that in mind, she said that the publisher has created the Rag Man Project, a non-profit endeavor, to promote diversity and publish more books about "compassion and understanding of those who are 'not like you.'" The book's website includes parent and teacher resources that correlate with the book. Along with promoting understanding and diversity, the Rag Man Project encourages "green" activities and volunteer work in local communities. Reading this book took my breath away. Not only does it read well, and not only are the illustrations perfectly paired with the verse, but the lessons of the story are timely. Reading and discussing Ballad of the Rag Man is now on my family's to-do list.
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Posted January 17, 2011

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