The Secret of Old Zeb - Hardcover

Deedy, Carmen Agra

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1561451150 ISBN 13: 9781561451159

Publisher: Peachtree Pub Co Inc, 1997

Synopsis

Some dreams are too big to be kept in bottles.
Walter Higgins is a scrappy child with a great imagination, but he feels lost and not quite sure of himself when he is shipped off to Boston to visit his unknown Great Aunt Hortensia (“the Warden”).Walter is sure he is in for the worst summer ever. But then he befriends a mysterious neighbor, Old Zeb – a lonely, grizzled sailor who builds ships in bottles, and Old Zeb lets Walter in on the Great Secret Project. All summer Walter works faithfully on the Great Secret Project with Zeb and little by little, Old Zeb and Great Aunt Hortensia push him to realize his own dreams and discover the magic that can be released when one reaches for the stars.
New York Times best-selling author Carmen Agra Deedy delivers a magical and fun-filled story about the power of reaching for impossible dreams and everything that is accomplished along the way.

About this title

About the Author

Professional storyteller Carmen Deedy contributes regular commentary to National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," and performs at festivals, schools, bookstores, and museums across the nation. She's also appeared at conferences of the American Library Association, the Southeastern Booksellers Association, the International Reading Association, and Whole Language Umbrella. Deedy is the author of Agatha's Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story, Treeman, The Library Dragon, and The Last Dance.

Michael P. White is an award-winning artist whose work is exhibited at the Art Institute of Atlanta. He works as a chef's assistant and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Traci. He has illustrated The Library Dragon, also by Carmen Deedy.

Reviews

Grade 2-3?Disappointed at being left with her Uncle Walter while her parents are away, Lila is reassured by his story of the summer he was left with his Great Aunt Hortensia. One night, he spotted an old sailor carrying a mysterious sack to the house next door. When the man caught young Walter spying on him, he shared his secret?a full-sized ship in the cellar of the house. Together, over the summer, Old Zeb and Walter put the final touches on the great ship. Meanwhile, rumors circulated that Old Zeb's daughter was coming to take him away to live with her. Walter then discovered that both the old man and the ship had vanished. Looking for them in the harbor, he found his parents instead, and witnessed Old Zeb's surprising departure?for the ship was meant to fly, not to sail. Walter concludes his story by inviting Lila up to his attic, where he reveals his own secret project. This unique book is a Victorian adventure novel condensed into picture-book format, complete with single-page titled chapters and illustrations framed and labeled as if they were great oil paintings. The "follow your dream" moral is prevalent throughout the text and reinforced by the dreamlike quality of the illustrations. Behind the talk of adventuring is a reassurance that even though adults have their own dreams and adventures, they still love and return to their children.?Tana Elias, Meadowridge Branch Library, Madison, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peachtree Pub Co Inc
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1561451150
• ISBN 13: 9781561451159
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: White Michael P.
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 36