Thimbleberry Stories - Hardcover

Rylant, Cynthia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152010815 ISBN 13: 9780152010812

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 2000

Synopsis

In an illustrated storybook brimming with oldfashioned charm and timeless appeal, Nigel Chipmunk shares a pleasant life with his friends Dipper the hummingbird, Little Owl, Copper the butterfly, Claudius the garter snake, and Mudpuppy the salamander. Jr Lit Guild.

About this title

About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the acclaimed author of more than eighty books for young people, including the novel Missing May which received the John Newbery Medal. Ms. Rylant lives on an island in Puget Sound, Washington.

Maggie Kneen is the illustrator of numerous books for children. She studied medieval art at University College in London and lives in Cheshire, England.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 3-Rylant introduces delightful animal characters living in a small-town environment. Reminiscent of the work of Beatrix Potter and A. A. Milne, the stories imbue the animals with idiosyncratic behavior: Nigel Chipmunk is a homebody, Little Owl is a fussbudget, Copper the butterfly is flamboyant, Claudius the garter snake is indolent, and Mudpuppy the salamander is a perfectionist. Their behavior is very British; readers will find a great deal of tea drinking and tart eating on these pages. The stories themselves are sweet and contain messages on the meaning of friendship. The advanced vocabulary makes them better suited for sharing or storytimes than for beginning readers. Kneen's lovely, detailed soft-pastel illustrations emphasize the rural setting. Each chapter contains one lovely double-page spread and two half or full-page illustrations as well as delicate borders atop pages of solid text. A tasty treat.
Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Four cozy stories lovingly chronicle the domestic adventures of Nigel Chipmunk and his friends, all of whom live on or around Thimbleberry Lane. Without heavy-handed moralizing, Rylant's (The Blue Hill Meadows) characters, all with their own appealing quirks and idiosyncrasies, accept and enjoy one another's differences. Nigel, an energetic housecleaner, breakfasts on dandelion scones with lavender tea; Copper, a butterfly, wears ornaments on her antennae; Claudius, a lazy garter snake, prefers paper plates to china; and Mudpuppy, a salamander, drinks health tonics. The characters appreciate their diversity. As Dipper, a hummingbird, says: "Oh, I've been living in poppy gardens too long. I've forgotten not all the world is hummingbirds. That is why I moved to Thimbleberry Lane: variety." Kneen's (Milly and Tilly: The Story of a Town Mouse and a Country Mouse) warm, cheerful illustrations complement the text with quaint settings reminiscent of Beatrix Potter's idyllic villages. For each story a different border runs along the top of the page: e.g., knickknacks for "Little Owl Redecorates" and lily pads for "Mudpuppy's Picnic." At times, both stories and pictures border on the cute and sentimental but fortunately, not enough to occlude the overall effect. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This beautifully illustrated volume of four short stories describes life on peaceful Thimbleberry Lane, where the gentlemanly Nigel Chipmunk lives in a cozy little cottage. In the first story, Nigel meets his new neighbor, a hummingbird named Dipper, who moves so fast he makes Nigel dizzy. Next Nigel offers decorating advice to Little Owl. In the third story, Nigel inspires his friend Claudius, a garter snake, to start a strawberry patch. And in the final segment, Nigel goes on a boating picnic with salamander friend Mudpuppy, who is an excellent boatman but a terrible cook. Thimbleberry Lane may not be the most exciting place, but the characters are superbly developed, and Kneen's intricately detailed watercolors will help children see Nigel's point when he says that Thimbleberry Lane is "quite the most beautiful place in the world." Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152010815
• ISBN 13: 9780152010812
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Kneen Maggie
• Number of pages: 56