Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
Pictures by Barbara Cooney

Ox cart man is set in colonial times in America. The man takes an ox-cart to town to sell all of the extra  food and items that he and his family had left over at the end of the year. They load the ox-cart up with all kinds of household goods like linen and candles they had made. They also load up a lot of food. With his cart full he starts the long journey into town to sell his goods. When he gets there he sells everything he has, even the ox and the cart. He bought presents for the whole family including a big sack of candy. After he bought all he needed he starts the long journey home. He gives the kids and his wife their gifts, which they quickly start making things to sell for next year. The whole process starts once again.

I enjoyed reading this book. It has a nice rhyming scheme that young kids will enjoy. The pictures are nice and it is a calm story. This book would be good to read to children who are studying America during this time period. It might be a good idea to talk to kids about some of the vocabulary they might be familiar with. There is a moral in this story about how hard work pays off. 

I would recommend this book to 2nd through 4th grade. This book was awarded the 1980 Caldecott Medal.