Man Who Walked the Earth

by Ian Wallace (Illustrator)

Overview

Blowing dust is about all you can see from a farm on the prairies in the 1930s. Even worse, André and Elise’s father has gone in search of work and he may not be home for Christmas.

The day he left their mother set an extra place at the table in case a stranger should come by looking for a meal. "Wherever your father is, I hope someone will set a place for him," she says. Eight months later no one has come to their door.

Then on Christmas night, they hear knocking. A mysterious stranger enters. André and Elise first realize that he is extraordinary when he does a magic trick with the salt shaker. After he finishes a huge meal, Mr. Balzini shows the family just how extraordinary he is. Silk scarves, a sunflower and a magic book are just the prelude to a spectacular trick, which conjures up the northern lights.Is it the magician who brings their father home just in time for Christmas?

In a story that evokes the myth of the prophet Elijah, and other folktales about the rewards of performing acts of kindness for strangers, Ian Wallace gives us a magical, beautiful book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780888995452
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	10/05/2003
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

Editorial Reviews

Spare yet elegant, Wallace's (Boy of the Deeps) narrative and paintings share equal credit for the resonance of this tale, set on a farm on the dust-filled prairies of the 1930s. Andr 's father has just left home in search of work, and his mother tells him to set an extra place at the table in case someone who needs a meal comes to the door. Gazing out the window at "the land that lay as flat as a breadboard to the horizon," she plaintively comments, "Wherever your father is, I hope someone will set a place for him." The boy measures the eight months that pass: "Almost seven hundred and fifty extra plates for me and twelve odds jobs for my father." On Christmas, a hungry stranger knocks at the door and receives an especially generous dinner. Before he leaves, the man, apparently a magician, conjures special gifts and does tricks with the table salt, which he eventually pours, seemingly from nowhere, into the hands of Andr and his sister, and instructs them to make a wish. When thrown into the air, the salt turns the night sky a brilliant red, but the greatest magic turns out to be its wish-granting quality: later that evening, the children respond to another knock at the door and find their father there. Demonstrating the rewards of showing kindness to strangers, this book offers an affecting variation on a classic theme. Ages 4-7. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

A struggling family on the prairie in the lean, dusty years of the 1930s learns that kindness to a stranger reaps magical rewards. Each day their father is off in search of work, Andre and Elise's mother reminds them to set an extra plate at the table in case a hungry stranger happens by. "Wherever your father is, I hope someone will set a place for him." Eight months pass before they hear a knock at the door during their Christmas dinner. Andre hurries to open the door. There, standing in the moonlight, is a huge man in a bearskin coat and hat. "Would you have a spare bite for a man who's walked the earth?" Balzini asks. He gladly trades tales of his travels for what is left of the rabbit, potatoes, turnip, carrots and apple pie. Award-winning Canadian author and illustrator Wallace paints a heart-warming story in both word and picture as the stranger mysteriously produces unusual gifts to repay the family's generosity. Loneliness for their father is replaced by glowing warmth, and the man soon leaves to head for the shadows of the barn. Sometime later, while the children and mother sit by their Christmas tree, Papa unexpectedly returns from his own journeys. "Would you have a spare bite for a man who's walked the earth?" he asks. This updated version of similar folktales and biblical parables offers educators and parents a memorable way to illustrate the joys of giving and receiving while allowing the child's own imagination room to soar. 2003, A Groundwood Book/Douglas & McIntyre, Ages 4 to 7.
— Francine Thomas

Children's Literature

Gr 3-5-Refined, realistic paintings in muted tones of brown, gray, deep blue, and black evoke the mood of a magical time in a harsh environment. On a prairie farm in the far north during the 1930s, a mother, her daughter, and her son set an extra place at the table during the long months that the father is away seeking work, with the hope that others will do the same for him. On Christmas, a mysterious stranger arrives, and in exchange for their kindness he amazes them with magic tricks and grants the children a wish. After he leaves, the children receive both the greatest gift and the fulfillment of their wish: their father returns. A heartwarming read-aloud about the true magic of kindness.-M. W. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

A lonely Christmas in the middle of nowhere turns twice magical for two children and their mother in this mysterious tale. With Father away looking for work, André can't understand why his mother has him set an extra place at the table each night--but one cold Christmas Eve, a young stranger knocks. Introducing himself as Balzini, he rewards the offered meal with a display of legerdemain, and astonishing gifts for all: silk scarves, a real sunflower, and a magician's handbook. After Balzini's departure, a final, even better gift arrives, when another knock at the door signals Father's unexpected return. Wallace poses figures with eyes averted, giving family meals a wistful atmosphere, and depicts the prairie setting, and the farmhouse's simple interiors, in subdued lighting. But young readers won't miss the suggestion that hospitality can offer surprising rewards in this joyful reunion tale. (Picture book. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews