On My Way (26 Fairmount Avenue) - Softcover

DePaola, Tomie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0698119487 ISBN 13: 9780698119482

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2002

Synopsis

Tomie is overjoyed because his baby sister, Maureen, is finally strong enough to come home from the hospital. Over the next months, he is in a dance recital and he gets to go to the World's Fair. Soon, the school year is at an end. Summer is full of fun things to do, like going to the beach and celebrating the Fourth of July-but Tomie can't wait for school to start again. He hopes he'll get Miss Kiniry, the first-grade teacher he likes the best. In first grade he will finally-finally-learn to read. And maybe even get a library card of his own!

"DePaola's writing and recollective skills are so fresh that kids will feel like he's sitting right next to them, telling his tales in and out of school with disarming charisma and not a hint of nostalgia." (The Horn Book)

"More please." (Kirkus Reviews, pointer review)

About this title

Review:

A 5-year-old Tomie worries over the health of his baby sister, learns to read in one weekend (with a pilfered schoolbook), and helps his father pave the new driveway (to a too-fine polish!). In the spirit of his earlier memoirs, the Newbery Honor-winning 26 Fairmount Avenue and Here We All Are, author Tomie dePaola recounts the (mostly) serene days between the end of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade. DePaola's warm, humorous style appeals to readers of all ages. His recall of a boyhood summer is vivid enough to touch youngsters who may be experiencing similar thrills and spills and to bring back memories for those whose kindergarten days are long past. From the 1939 World's Fair to a neighborhood "Tiny Tot Wedding," in which the budding thespian Tomie plays the part of the bride, each episode glows with boyish bliss. DePaola's folksy black-and-white drawings and silhouettes capture the details of life at 26 Fairmount Avenue with charm and wit. A wonderful read-aloud. (Ages 7 to 11) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author:

Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1934, to a family of Irish and Italian background. His determination to create books for children led to a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA from the California College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland, California. 

His particular way with color, line, detail, and design have earned him many of the most prestigious awards in his field, among them a Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona, the Smithsonian Medal, the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for his "singular attainment in children's literature," the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal for his "continued distinguished contribution," and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion. He was also the 1990 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration, and received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for lifetime contribution to children's literature in 2011.

DePaola has published almost 200 children's books in 15 different countries over the past 30 years. Among his most well-known titles are the Strega Nona series, 26 Fairmount Avenue, and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.

DePaola lives in an interesting house in New Hampshire with his four dogs. His studio is in a large renovated 200-year-old barn.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0698119487
• ISBN 13: 9780698119482
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 80
• Illustrator: DePaola Tomie