Claire's Gift

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at Queen’s University and the co-author of
Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary Classroom.

All her life, Tante Marie has hooked rugs in the village of Chéticamp
on Cape Breton Island. As she works on her rugs, Tante Marie continues
to recite the rhyme she learned as a young girl: “With the hook, catch
the wool. Give it a little pull. Give the wool a little tug with the
hook to make a rug.”

One summer, Claire, Tante Marie’s grandniece, comes to live with her.
Claire is sad, reticent, and withdrawn. Despite their genuine efforts,
Tante Marie and the villagers are unable to comfort Claire. One night,
Claire slips silently into the room as Tante Marie works on a rug. She
becomes intrigued with rug hooking and, with Tante Maire’s assistance,
including the teaching of the rhyme, Claire learns how to hook a rug.
Claire works on her own rug all summer, but it is not until she returns
home and sends a present to Chéticamp that Tante Marie and the
villagers discover what Claire has portrayed on her rug.

French words and phrases scattered throughout the text contribute to
the authenticity of the setting of the story. Rajka Kupesic’s
beautiful paintings combine a naive style with fine detail to
effectively depict the story’s historical setting. Through this
heartwarming story, many readers will be introduced to the small Acadian
community of Chéticamp, known worldwide for its finely crafted hooked
rugs. Highly recommended.