Circle Unbroken: The Story of a Basket and Its People
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
Keeping the African heritage alive As she teaches her granddaughter to sew a traditional sweetgrass basket, a grandmother weaves a story, going back generations to her old-timey grandfather's village in faraway Africa. There, as a boy, he learned to make baskets so tightly woven they could hold the rain. Even after being stolen away to a slave ship bound for America, he remembers what he learned and passes these memories on to his children - as they do theirs, so that . . . when your fingers talk just right that circle will go out and out again - past slavery and freedom, old ways and new, and your basket will hold the past . . . This powerful picture book, with its rhythmic text and evocative paintings, spirals through time, becoming a triumphant song - a rich story of a craft, a culture, and a people.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0374312893
ISBN13:9780374312893
Release Date:March 2004
Publisher:Melanie Kroupa Books
Length:48 Pages
Weight:1.15 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 9.8" x 10.8"
Age Range:4 to 8 years
Grade Range:Preschool to Grade 3
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Beautiful book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This is a great way for young and old to lean about sweet grass basket making! Perfect for late elementary school students.
beautiful book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This book was very nice: lovely pictures, gentle storyline that was also informative. I enjoyed it very much.
DR. Beck's Class
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
The book's illustrations were very interesting and creative. The story line was an accurate dipiction of slavery and the history behind it. It connected strong family ties from generation to generation with the beautiful basket weaves and family customs. Those who are associated with the geography of the book can make a strong personal connection to the atmosphere of the book. For teaching purposes, it relates the importance of family history and bonds throught the generations. It also shows how far we've developed as a society. It would be part of our text set for slavery in our classroom.
The best children's book on Charleston
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
If I were making a very short list of books to remember Charleston by, this would be on it. The language is lyrical and wonderful to read aloud. The illustrations are gorgeous. Both Raven and Lewis do a superb job of sharing the meaning of family ties across generations, as well as sharing the Gullah culture. I'm a newcomer to the Low Country, and I don't have any African heritage, but still, something in this story really resonated with me. Highly recommended!
A moving history of a dying art
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
We love the South Carolina Low Country, and are proud to own a number of sweetgrass baskets, most made by the same lady. This book was a wonderful find to share with my daughter, who is almost 4. The pictures are lovely, and the history is honest without being too brutal for younger listeners. Older readers will certainly get the depth of the slave history, while it serves as a good introduction for the younger. I found it to be a poetic and lyrical read, and a good explanation of how the art of Low Country coil basket weaving (also known as Charleston sweetgrass basket weaving) has been passed down.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
