  | Old sleigh Author: Pumphrey, Jarrett | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
On a cold winter's night of deep snow, an old sleigh delivers needful things--firewood for warmth, joyous rides through the snow, presents for loved ones. But as the town takes these gifts, the sleigh is given less care and lies broken and abandoned--until another snowbound night and a new family give the old sleigh new life and purpose. Companion to Old truck and Old boat.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Pumphrey, Jerome |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (09/01/25)
School Library Journal (11/01/25)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/11/25)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 11/01/2025 Gr 1–3—Following up The Old Truck and The Old Boat, the Pumphreys again mark the passage of time while celebrating both the changes it brings and the spirit of renewal. Here, it's a Black family's mule-drawn sleigh that "gave all it took"—delivering firewood to isolated houses that, over years, grow into a town and then a city. Like a "Giving Tree" with runners, the old sleigh continues to serve even after it breaks down beneath a too-large load, as a child takes some of its broken boards to make a sled and continues deliveries until it can be repaired. The Pumphreys never specify a season or holiday, but evergreens growing between houses in the snowy, simply composed winter scenes and references in the stately narrative to how first the sleigh and then the little sled provide "warmth" and "light" to "make the small town merry and bright," do offer broad hints for readers to catch if they will. A diverse population appears across the pages. VERDICT A thematically rich story for all its seeming simplicity, excellent for shared reading and reflection around the December months or year-round.—John Peters - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
