The Saltbox Sweater

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

Katie Johnson lives in Quinter Cove, Newfoundland. Many people in
Katie’s community have relocated because the moratorium on northern
cod stocks has resulted in the closing of the community fish plant.
Katie’s uncle and his family move out west, and her grandmother moves
in with Katie and her mother. When Katie’s mother Celia loses her job
in the local store, Katie fears that they, too, will have to leave
Quinter Cove. Katie becomes very interested in her relatives and learns
about the struggles they faced in their lives. Katie’s family must
work together as they deal with their particular situation; Katie
assists her mother and grandmother in a number of ways. Katie’s
grandmother teaches Celia how to knit, and Celia’s sweaters are a big
success. A woman from the provincial Crafts Development Association
encourages Celia to sell her work in St. John’s, thus enabling
Katie’s family to remain in Quinter Cove.

McNaughton successfully shows the ramifications of economic downturns
at both the community and personal levels. Readers develop a sense of
life in Quinter Cove and observe Katie as she learns the importance of
cooperation and self-sufficiency. The characters and the events in the
people’s lives are believable. Recommended.