Van Gogh Cafe By: Cynthia Rylant

Rylant, C. (1995). The Van Gogh Cafe. Harcourt.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to explore another imaginative setting created by Cynthia Rylant in The Van Gogh Cafe. The main characters are the father Marc, owner and worker at his own restaurant, along with his daughter Clara who works there as well. I like how this story has both the adult and the child sensing and recognizing the magical things that happen, and that they have a special bond due to the events and walls of their special little place. One thing that I particularly like is that the author as the narrator acknowledges that certain places have a magic about them ingrained within the walls. There is an unexplainable vibe that emanates from the interior, due to the history and artistry that occurred within the environs. Those magical moments resonate and seep into all that occurs there forever more, only creating a domino effect that perpetuates the initial embedded sparks of moments.

This story was a breeze to read, even though the story was not very heavy, the content was also not airy and full of thought provoking events that made you think long after closing the cover. I found it appealing how each chapter ended in a way to enhance the book's page turning appeal by wrapping up the current bout of magic and unexplained events with leading you to be curious about what was coming next. For example, "You will want to stay, if you can. Some have for a while. Like the possum..." With those incomplete sentences and mentioning of something unusual, you naturally turn the page. I also like how each magical story has a theme to the magic, and that different aspects of human nature are nurtured back to a healthy state in the end of the chapter. I especially liked the story chapter "Lightening Strikes," where Marc's key melts in the lock after lightening does indeed strike the cafe, and he begins to ooze poetry that sees the future, if you can figure out the meaning of the poetic wording before the event happens. As a teacher, my heart strings were of course pulled in the story "The Magic Muffins" where little children are involved in a bus wreck, and they are magically healed and nurtured by eating the muffins which multiplied to the exact needed amount. "The Star" is sentimental and touching, and I love how the photo changes after the old man "waited for his friend to take him home."

Overall, this book was a quick, enjoyable read that I would recommend. I don't know that I would read it to my second graders, but I definitely would to 4th or 5th graders as a thought provoking text that gives platforms for discussion.