This touching fictional children’s story, by Mara Rockliff, takes an apprentice stone cutter through her journey as mother and proud worker on the magnificent cathedral. Me and Momma and Big John is gorgeously illustrated by William Low.
From the book jacket: “Momma comes home from work, tired and sore from a long day at her job. She’s a stonecutter now helping to build ‘Big John’ – the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. She works for many weeks on just one stone, and her son John wonders how she does it. When at last Momma’s stone is finished, her son John can’t wait to see it. But when he arrives at the cathedral, he can’t believe it is just one plain stone – where is Momma’s name? How will all the people know this is Momma’s art?”
“One of the apprentices was a young mother, Carol Hazel, who inspired Me and Momma and Big John. ‘Stonecutting is in my blood’ she says today. ‘The cathedral is a beautiful thing. and beautiful people helped build it.'”
– Mara Rockliff
Illustration by William Low 
Carol Hazel lets stone chips fly as she works on a stone block on June 2, 1986. – Photo Robert F. Rodriguez
Images From Me and Momma and Big John
A New York Times article, Feb. 23, 2001, reviewing the closure of the stoneyard and where the apprentices had gone, indicated this: “Carol Hazel, who raised four children as a single mother at the yard, plans to graduate this year from Mercy College with a degree in education”
- Our thanks to Mara Rockliff for letting us present her book. She is the author of many books for children. You can visit her online at www.mararockliff.com.
- Thank you as well to William Low for permission to use images of his wonderful illustrations. He is an award winning illustrator, author and painter. You can see his work at www.williamlow.com.
- This book is available HERE