Book Description
for This Table by Alex Killian and Brooke Smart
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
What began as a seed that grows into a tree ends up as a table, but that’s barely the beginning of this warm-hearted picture book about the table–and members of a single family–across years. It’s a table around which (and under!) the bustling, growing, multigenerational family gathers for celebrations and quiet moments; art projects, puzzles and imaginative play; homework and grown-up work; and much more. But “mostly it was for gathering, and sharing stories, and being together … the heart of someone’s home.” A delightful text that makes judicious use of alliteration and wordplay is set against warm watercolor illustrations that show the family at the heart of the story with skin tones and hair in a range of shades and colors. Entertaining visual details chronicle myriad relatable moments as well as change across the years, with children growing up and adults aging. The final page spread shows this family and table at the center of a scene offering glimpses of other families gathered around tables small and large in their homes. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Book of the Week. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2025. Used with permission.