The Range Eternal

“The Range Eternal” was printed in raised lettering on the blue enamel of the door.”

The door being the one on the woodstove in their house. The Range Eternal also being the vast plains of North Dakota “from horizon to horizon”. This is just a beautiful book, wonderfully written and gorgeously illustrated! I guess it's a kids' book, but it is deep enough and introspective enough to touch anyone! I really vibed with the idea that modern conveniences aren't always that convenient. Like the author writes, "I long for the center of true warmth." True, true, true...

A little girl experiences many family moments around their wood-burning stove.

This was an interesting book. I love Louise Erdrich and she never disappoints with her writing style. I feel like this book is more of a nostalgia trip for adults than it is a story for children, despite being in the picture book format. There is a metaphorical warmth to this story about soups made on the stove and nights cozied up next to a fire. The book ends with the little girl as a grown woman re-creating these moments with her own child.

The gentle illustrations fit the story perfectly. I particularly love the ones where the girl/woman imagines the open range of wilderness with bison, foxes, herons, etc. while sitting by the oven range.

#OwnVoices Native, sort of a circle of life theme going on, definitely an analysis of the values of traditions, and a reinforcement of the value of families. Lovely art. Recommended to all libraries that serve children... but even if you're an adult, check it out and remember your heritage.

This story centers around a young girls love for her family's kitchen stove, called the Range Eternal. The young girl lives in a cold and rural area, her family not only uses the stove to make bread, soup, and oatmeal daily, but for critical warmth during winter. One day, the family receives electricity and the large, blue stove becomes obsolete. Once the new stove is installed the family dumps the Range Eternal and it is lost. The whole family, especially the young girl, begin to deeply miss the stove. After several years once the young girl has grown up and started a family of her own she finds the Range Eternal in an antique shop and feels that her life is again complete.
This story was based on the author's mother and the author's show more grandmother's family stove. show less

A beautifully written and beautifully illustrated story in praise of the woodburning cookstove that stood in the author's grandmother's kitchen. "[The] true heart of the home ... a powerful symbol of home, tradition, memory and imagination." -- dust jacket.

I wanted to enjoy this book, but have to admit I found it terribly boring. The memories of a stove were simply not all that exciting, and there was no plot to speak of. There was not much in the way of cultural or other significance that made this work stand out to me at all.

I would not recommend this title to teachers or librarians. While it is from a normally excellent author, it is just a boring title not really relatable to any program or curriculum.