A Chair For My Mother

Written and Illustrated By: Vera B. Williams

         Quarters, Nickels, Dimes and Pennies! Was there a time in your childhood where you remember keeping that shiny, pink piggy bank or glass jar in that secret spot of your bedroom where you kept all of your change? Clink! Clink! Clink! Ahhh...the sound of shaking that money frantically was a treasure, and music to my ears as a kid. Whether you found money in between the couch cushions or received a special monetary treat from your grandparents, it was fun and exciting to save and value something you could call your own.
         In the Caldecott Honor Book, A Chair for my Mother, a little girl tells her tale about how she lives with her single mother and grandmother. Sometimes, after school, the little girl would go visit her mom where she works at the Blue Tile Diner. At the diner her mother's boss, Josephine, would give the little girl the duties of cleaning the salt and pepper shakers as well as filling up the ketchup bottles. When she was done, Josephine would give her some change as a reward for being a good, hard working helper. At the end of every day her family would gather together their money and spare change, and put it into the glass jar.
       The families' goal was to fill the jar until it was completely full so she could buy a beautiful pink rose chair for her mother to rest in after a long, hard day at work. The little girl's family lost all their personal belongings in a fire and wanted to buy something new and special. Although they received many beautiful new things from their neighbors, they wanted to buy this specific easy chair.When they finally collected enough money, they went to the furniture store and purchased the exact chair they had dreamed of buying. With that chair, they all gathered together to spend some quality family time in the loving warmth of their own home. The grandmother even took some pictures of the little girl and her mother sitting in the new chair to capture them in their happy moment.
        After reading through a couple of Caldecott Medal and Honor books, I decided to blog about A Chair for My Mother because, although it was written over 25 years ago, I think it can be related to some current events happening in the world today. The first event is the issues with the economy and the second is how people, as well as children, take advantage of the things they have. During these hard economic times, it's common and easy for many people to say that they haven't had much money to put into their own special, "glass jars" or, "piggy banks." Some people have either lost their jobs, are single parents or may have been faced with some sort of traedgy that cost them a great deal finanically.
        This book reminds that sometimes we can take what we have for granted. Although, we don't always realize it, we can become materialistic and a little bit selfish. We tend to ignore and forget that there are so many people in this world that can barely afford to put food on the table or buy their child a simple rag doll. I believe, as well as many others, that the most rewarding gifts in life are those that we have worked sincerely hard for. These gifts not only reflect who we are, but also instills the importance of responsibility.
        How will children ever learn the value and sacredness of  the things they buy or receive if they get whatever they want whenever they ask for it? At the end of the day the most important thing for that little girl was not to remember how much money she made or saved, but to sit in that chair and be in the moment with her grandmother and mother. It rekindles in me the idea that our loved ones are the most important possession that you can treasure. It is something that money simply can not buy. What do you treasure?