Me and Momma and Big John

PSC review:
Behind every beautiful building are many, many artisans have dedicated many hours of work in its creation. St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City is still being constructed although it had its beginnings in 1892. The author bases her picture book on the first women to become a stone mason in the 1980’s. Told by Momma’s son, we see her tiredness as she comes home for work on “Big John” (the Cathedral’s nickname). Momma’s son is proud to be sharing the name John with his mother’s workplace. We experience the pride as Momma takes her two children across the city to see the stone she’s labored so long on being laid on the cathedral. Disappointment turns to delight as the family watches the simple stone be show more raised high above them, touching the sky. The story is as beautiful in its simplicity as Momma’s stone is when it becomes a part of the great building for all New Yorkers to enjoy. An afterword explains why the building is not yet complete, and gives more information about the apprentice program Momma was a part of. William Lowe’s grand artwork gives fitting tribute to a piece of New York City history. show less

This story was inspiring to me as a woman. It's about a single mother of three who is one of few women in the stone-cutting industry. She works hard, long hours to be able to provide a better future for her children. At one point in the story reminded me of a personal memory of my mother. The author wrote, "now an early-early bus takes her across the bridge into the city." My mother also worked in a factory and caught many early buses in Miami to go to work to be able to provide for her family. The hardships and sacrifice a mother does for her children are told in a beautifully inspiring story.

This book is about a mother who is a stone cutter for the cathedral called Big John and her son who gets to go and see her stone being added to the cathedral. The message of this story was that something can be important even if it does not stand out to everyone. Art is not only for seeing and admiring but also for doing. I really loved this story! One thing that I loved about this story was that it portrayed a working mother who was tired and dirty when she came home from her job each day. I think that physical jobs, like a stone cutter, are often portrayed as male jobs, so I liked that the mother was the stone cutter. A second thing that I loved about this story was the factual information after the story. The author told the true show more story of Big John the Cathedral and explained how she got her inspiration for the story. I thought it was really interesting to connect a fictional story to something real. show less

“Me and Momma and Big John” is a realistic fiction picture book for grades 1st through 2nd. I liked this book particularly for the illustrations beautifully portraying the New York City landscape and the stained glass of, “Big John”. The language and story line is easy to follow, but if children do have questions about this cathedral, there is a two paged summary of the history and facts about this landmark, which is a great feature. Reading the summary made me think of the historical cathedrals I have seen in New York, which helped me to connect the story to my own experiences. I also liked that the main characters of this story has a single mom and her three children, which exposes children to different family dynamics. I gave show more this book a 3 out of 5 stars only because I thought this book was a little boring, but it did have a great theme of the benefits of dedication and hard work. show less

With a message about the importance of team work, young John struggles with his mother's long hours at work as she cuts stone to help in the building of a large new cathedral. Young John worries that his mom is too tired and working too hard day after day on her stone. He is thrilled when the time arrives to visit the arising cathedral and see his mom's stone. Much to young John astonishment, her's is a plain stone and he's confused about why it has taken her so long to complete it. Then he becomes upset that her name will not appear on her work of art, as he has seen other artists name with their work in the museums. The young boy finally realizes that his mother is part of historical art that will be seen by many and is thankful to show more all those who teamed up to create a masterpiece. show less

A wonderfully told, superbly illustrated story about a single mom who is a stonecutter working on St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City.

This is about a boy who's mom is building the newest cathedral in town. It about about appreciating what other people do to support us.