The Chalk Box Kid (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Bulla, Clyde Robert

ISBN 10: 0394991028 ISBN 13: 9780394991023

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1987

Synopsis

Random House is proud to present the tenth anniversary edition of a book Publishers Weekly called "a gem of a book...a story that goes straight to the heart."  When nine-year-old Gregory experiences several upsets in his life, he responds by creating a fantastic chalk garden on the charred walls of a burned-out factory behind his house.  As his garden grows and flourishes, Gregory finds a voice through his art and, for the first time, is able to find his own place in the world.  The Chalk Box Kid is sure to delight a new generation of children and their parents.  

About this title

About the Author:

Clyde Robert Bulla (1914–2007) was born on a farm near King City, Missouri. He went to a one-room country school. Reading and writing were his favorite subjects, and by the time he was seven, Bulla knew he wanted to be a writer. After years of writing magazine stories and novels and working on his hometown newspaper, he found that he really wanted to write for children. More than 70 of his books for boys and girls have been published.

Thomas B. Allen (1928–2004) was an American expressionist painter and illustrator known for his role in the rise of visual journalism in the 1950s and 1960s. Later in his career, he began illustrating children’s books such as The Chalk Box Kid, In Coal Country, and Grandma’s General Store: The Ark.

From Publishers Weekly:

Bulla's addition to the new Stepping Stone series opens as Gregory's family moves to a smaller house in a poorer part of town; the father has lost his factory job. There is no yard at the new house in which to play, but Gregory explores a nearly burnt-out building that formerly was a chalk factory. Gregory finds plenty of chalk in the debris as he cleans up, and the artist in him soars. Even though the kids at the new school don't accept him readily, Gregory is happyfor him the blackened walls of the building become his giant canvas. Bulla has created a gem of a book, without a wasted word anywhere. He conveys the yearning and passion of a young artist and the healing power of friendship in a story that goes straight to the heart. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 7-9.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0394991028
• ISBN 13: 9780394991023
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Allen Thomas B.