Tomie's family starts building their new house at 26 Fairmount Avenue in 1938, just as a hurricane hits town, starting off a busy, crazy year. Tomie has many adventures all his own, including eating chocolate with his Nana Upstairs, only to find out-the hard way-that they have eaten chocolate laxative. He tries to skip kindergarten when he finds out he won't learn to read until first grade. "I'll be back next year," he says. When Tomie goes to see Snow White, he creates another sensation. Tomie dePaola's childhood memories are hilarious, and his charming illustrations are sure to please.
26 Fairmount Avenue ANNOTATION Children's author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy.
FROM THE PUBLISHER Well-loved author Tomie dePaola brings his childhood memories to audio in this collection of the first four books from his 26 Fairmount Avenue series.
26 Fairmount Avenue
Tomie's family starts building their new house at 26 Fairmount Avenue in 1938, just as a hurricane hits town, starting off a busy, crazy year.
Here We All Are
Tomie takes us back into his childhood home as he helps the family get ready for the new baby.
On My Way
Tomie invites listeners to share in his childhood memories as he prays for his brand-new baby sister to get over pneumonia and finally learns to read.
What a Year
Tomie celebrates his sixth birthday in style, dresses up as Snow White for his first Halloween, celebrates holidays with his family, suffers through a bout of the chicken pox, and gets to stay up to see the new year in!
FROM THE CRITICS Kathleen Odean - Book Tomie dePaola, known for the well-loved Strega Nonabooks and many others has fashioned a charming short novel from his own childhood. Illustrated with many black-and-white drawings and small black silhouettes, the nine chapters describe the family's ups and downs in building the family home, as well as other exciting events like a hurricane and Tomie's first day of school. The first person narrative, which has the uncluttered freshness of a child's viewpoint, weaves in well-chosen details that will entertain young readers. Publishers Weekly Nobody tells an anecdote better than the person who lived through it. This is one of the reasons that author-illustrator dePaola's picture-book autobiographies (26 Fairmount Avenue; Here We All Are; On My Way) have been such a success. On this audio adaptation of those first three books, plus the just-released What a Year! (Putnam, Mar.), dePaola, as narrator, lets his easygoing storytelling style and effervescent personality shine through. He recounts in vivid detail memories from his childhood in Connecticut, describing family members and major events in his life, including the hurricane of 1938, seeing Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for the first time, the birth of his baby sister and his first foray into trick-or-treating (as Snow White). Contemporary kids will be enthralled by these accounts of long-ago because they are told with such childlike charm; parents and grandparents will likely want to listen for nostalgia's sake. And everyone will be entertained, taking away a sense of what it was really like to be a kid in the late 1930s/early 1940s. Ages 7-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot In a real departure from his many other books, Tomie dePaola has written his first chapter book. It is a reminiscence about his childhood and the building of the family home at 26 Fairmount Avenue. The voice is that of a young boy, and the world is seen through his eyes. He tells about how he keeps his grandmothers and great grandmother straight and how much he enjoys spending time with them and other members of his extended family. The chapter relating his viewing of the Disney version of Snow White is a hoot. The day of the big move into the new house has been eagerly anticipated. Throughout the book, young Tomie shares his excitement about the construction as well as his parents angst. Black and white illustrations by the author are liberally sprinkled throughout the book. Kids who have moved up to chapter books will love this one.
Children's Literature - Childrens Literature This year, well-known author and illustrator DePaola won a Newbery Honor award for his first-chapter book in which he recounts early adventures in his life. He writes about watching the hurricane of 1938 take over his neighborhood, mistaking laxatives for chocolates, and painting family portraits on the walls of his new home before the plasterers arrive. DePaola's style is brisk and readable, the anecdotes well chosen, and he promises more autobiographical chapter books will follow. 1999, Putnam, Ages 6 to 9, $13.99 and $5.99. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
School Library Journal K-Gr 4 Tomie dePaola's loving recollections of his childhood - 26 Fairmount Avenue, Here We All Are, On My Way, and What a Year (Putnam, 1999-2002) come to life in this delightful audiobook. The author reads his own works, and it is clear from his voice that writing these books was a true labor of love. The tone is conversational as dePaola takes listeners back to another time when "Little Orphan Annie" was on the radio and doctors made house calls. His large extended family - both Irish and Italian - are featured in these stories, but the hero is clearly little Tomie. He exults in a starring role in a dance recital, dresses up as Snow White for Halloween, and has the occasional run-in with his teachers who insist on spelling his name "Tommy." There are tense moments here, as Tomie's little sister battles pneumonia, and joyous celebrations when the family moves to Fairmount Avenue. The entire production, including original music and a closing interview with the author/illustrator, is extremely well done. It offers listeners, both young and old, a warm glimpse of a loving family. It also provides insights into the background that influenced dePaola's later work. -Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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