Mr. Richard is a giant of a man. He towers above the world like a big black-bearded statue with an old stained fedora perched on his head. He owns the best land in the township, works it 18 hours a day and makes more money than anyone. Everyone is in debt to Mr. Richard. After Evan and his younger brother, the story’s narrator, save Mr. Richard from drowning in Lion’s Creek, the youngster goes to Mr. Richard to ask him to forgive his father’s debt. As he helps Mr. Richard clear his land and fill up the stoneboat, he discovers that there’s a lot more to Mr. Richard than meets the eye.

The Stoneboat is a stunning companion piece to Teddy Jam and Ange Zhang’s last collaboration, The Fishing Summer. Like its companion, The Stoneboat is a long first-person narrative in picture book form and a powerful and lyrical evocation of times past. But whereas The Fishing Summer was filled with the bustle and noise of the sea, The Stoneboat is an almost silent story set in the early 1920s in an unnamed farming community. Camaraderie is replaced by solitary grunts, groans, and sweat as Mr. Richard clears his land. Jam’s quiet, intense story beautifully mirrors the man – Mr. Richard is someone who doesn’t have a lot to say. He’s not so much ungrateful as unable to express gratitude.

Ange Zhang’s oil paintings practically stretch with the strain of containing the Bunyonesque main character. Zhang uses a rich palette filled with warm deep greens and blues to bring the story to life. A breathtaking tribute to a way of life that is fast becoming a memory, The Stoneboat is a book that begs to be read aloud and will appeal to children of all ages.