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Lisa Rowe Fraustino
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The Hickory Chair Hardcover – February 1, 2001

by Lisa Rowe Fraustino (Author), Benny Andrews (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 27 ratings
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Luis, a blind boy, tells of his warm relationship with his grandmother and the gift she left for him after her death, in a unique and beautiful book about love, from the perspective of a blind child.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 8 years
  2. Print length
    32 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    1 - 2
  5. Lexile measure
    AD850L
  6. Dimensions
    8.75 x 0.25 x 12 inches
  7. Publisher
    Arthur A. Levine Books
  8. Publication date
    February 1, 2001
  9. ISBN-10
    0590522485
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0590522489
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I loved Gran's smell, and her warm face when we played touch-your-nose at the gold mirror, and her salty kisses when we sat on Gramps's old army trunk in the attic and listened to the wind sing on the roof."

Blind since birth, Louis uses all his senses to love his grandmother and feel her love for him. When she dies and Louis seems to have been forgotten in the family treasure hunt Gran arranged in lieu of a will, he must hold on to his knowledge of her love for him and his memories of her smell--"lilacs, with a whiff of bleach"--and her "molasses voice" to know he could never have been overlooked. It is a lifetime later, when Louis is a grandfather himself, that his conviction is affirmed by his "favorite youngest grandchild's" discovery in Gran's much-loved hickory chair.

Nothing is overdone in Lisa Rowe Fraustino's beautiful story that shows the profound power of "blind sight," Gran's term for Louis's ability to "see" so much. And the exquisite paintings, in oils and fabric collage by artist Benny Andrews (Sky Sash So Blue) have a tactile appeal, drawing in the reader to Louis's world, as though we are seeing the way he does. (Ages 6 to 10) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Fraustino's (Ash) affecting story introduces a boy who has been blind since birth, yet, as his beloved Gran confides, "You got blind sight." Louis uses his other senses to savor the presence of this loving woman, who "had a good alive smell lilacs, with a whiff of bleach" and "gave salty kisses when we sat on Gramps's old army trunk in the attic and listened to the wind sing on the roof." And Louis "loved her molasses voice" as Gran read to him from the hickory chair carved by Gramps. Andrews's (I Am the Darker Brother) oil paintings capture quiet moments shared between grandmother and grandson as well as active exchanges. Touches of fabric swatches, such as Gran's blue petticoat hemline or linen used for the wall of the attic, create a homey atmosphere. When Gran dies and her will divulges that she has hidden notes "for each of my favorite people in one of my favorite things," the boy relies on his keen insight into his grandmother to find many of the notes. But none belong to him. When it comes time to sell her things, Louis's parents tell him to "just pick out something you want... Anything at all," and he chooses the hickory chair. Years pass before Louis finally finds the long-missing missive from Gran, which brings this gentle tale to a satisfying close. Fraustino's uncommonly visual prose, in concert with Andrews's spare yet emotion-filled pictures, effectively conveys the lasting bond across generations. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arthur A. Levine Books; First Editiion edition (February 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0590522485
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0590522489
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD850L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.25 x 12 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 27 ratings

About the author

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Lisa Rowe Fraustino

Lisa Rowe Fraustino

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
27 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sue Metzcar
5.0 out of 5 stars The Hickory Chair
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2012
Verified Purchase
This story is told from the point of Louis, who was blind from birth. He tells about ordinary things as he grows up with his grandma, describing them as he "sees" them. His grandma loves all her children and grandchildren with the special "talents" each has. She makes everyone feel most loved. Louis has an uncanny ability to find things, and his favorite game is hide and seek.
By the end of the story Louis is a grandparent himself and telling about the special gift grandma left for him when she passed.
As a teacher I use this book with third grade students to teach the writing trait of "ideas," but it works well for sequencing, celebrating the ordinary joys of life, valuing the unique talents of each person, and for Grandparents' Day.
At home it is a great book to share with with a child for so many reasons. It is about sharing, being sensitive, family love, and being appreciative of what we have. This book is an outstanding read to share with children.
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reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching story
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Unique narrative about a grandmother's love
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M. Heiss
5.0 out of 5 stars Many re-reads
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2013
This book is not a one-and-done.

Your first read will intrigue you, especially with the additional sensory information. Until you know the boy is blind, the smells and sounds seem evocative and profound in a children's book.

Beautiful, loving relationships in the book -- how precious the people are, how beloved -- the boy's blindness is not the most important thing about him, which we REALLY like. In fact, we really like that the ending of the book (and the entire narration) shows him to have lived a happy life with children and grandchildren. Just normal. How wonderful. For kids who struggle with a disability, what a message of normalcy!

Read this a few times with your family. It is a five-star book about love and memories and generations.

The book is so well written and illustrated. Lisa Rowe Fraustino and Benny Andrews-- this is a wonderful pairing of author and illustrator. More, more, more books like this, please.

**Special Note to Lisa Rowe Fraustino: "stowed! disguised! whiff, connive!" In a children's book! Thank you, I can't say it enough, THANK YOU for writing a smart book.**
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Charles
4.0 out of 5 stars Senses, love, and memories
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2002
Fraustino, Lisa Rowe (2001). The Hickory Chair. Illustrated by Benny Andrews. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 0-590-52248-5...
Louis can't see his Gran, because he is blind, but he can smell her, "lilacs, with a whiff of bleach," and he loves her "molasses voice." When she dies, she leaves behind a note for each of her family, hidden on a favorite thing she wants them to keep. Louis is the best at finding the notes, but no one can find the note she left for him. Since he has no note, he can take his pick, and is comforted by the hickory chair in which she often held him, which still holds her smell and her shape "rocked into the seat." Years later his grandchild finds the note his Gran left him, hidden in the hickory chair.
This is primarily a story about the ways memories, love, and the senses are tied together. Louis' memories and love are both expressed in sensory images. When he is happy, the air tasted "sweet and light." When he is sad, the air "curdled in my throat." We are given a vivid portrait of the manner in which a child without sight perceives the world. Benny Andrews' oil and fabric collage illustrations complement the text. The angular figures show us the emotions of Louis' African American family, sometimes joyous, sometimes somber, but always loving. The text is straightforward and vivid. A good choice for elementary school age children, this book will be even more effective with a discussion afterward.
4 people found this helpful
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Traci Bold
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2016
The hickory chair holds a beloved mystery. #mustread
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Book Addict
5.0 out of 5 stars The very best of excellent Children's Literature
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2012
The first time I read this book, I was alone. I cried at the end. I read it to the girls tonight and cried again. It is poignant. The illustrations are even more superb than I remembered them and my children agreed. The language has a depth found in only the very best of children's literature. Everyone needs this book.
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Frank Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2001
Ms. Fraustino is a brilliant writer!!! There are passages in this picturebook that sing - passages that describe the love between a grandchild and his grandmother. The illustrations will melt with the words as you read! I bought this book for myself, eager to share it with my second graders. Now I am giving it to a teacher friend who teaches a blind student in her second grade class. I'll buy another for my class too! High praise...I expect awards galore for this one!!! Buy it!!!!
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

alice bianchi-clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Picture Book that invites readers to engage all the senses
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a beautifully written picture book that encourages children and adults alike to savour the smells around us, cherish old-fashioned games like hide and seek, embrace creativity, and most importantly, to celebrate our grandparents and remember how loved they made us feel. It is written so sensitively and evocatively, it is a feast for the senses. I particularly love how this picture book invites all children to step into the shoes of someone with blind sight and learn to see how they do, by engaging their other senses. I am thrilled to have purchased it for my own children's book collection and cannot recommend it highly enough.
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