I Gave Thomas Edison My Sandwich

A story based on the author's memories of a fourth-grade field trip in 1908 during which he met the inventor of the light bulb

Grade 3-5?In this nostalgic nugget, an 87-year-young gentleman remembers the very special day his fourth-grade class went to the depot to see the celebrity train carrying William Taft, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison. Stuck behind the adults in the crowd, Floyd stands on his lunch pail to catch a glimpse of these famous men. Then, Edison comes toward the boy and chides him about standing on his ham sandwich. "'It's not ham, sir, it's souse?'" Floyd stammers. "'Haven't thought about [souse] in a long time,'" Edison replies. As the train pulls out of Iron City, Tennessee, the youngster races to give the conductor his dishcloth-wrapped sandwich for Mr. Edison. Splendid word pictures of the "olden days" are filled with unfamiliar concepts and old-fashioned words artfully defined in context. Realistic deep-toned pastels add humor to and further explain the text in this unusual trip down memory lane.?Virginia Opocensky, formerly at Lincoln City Libraries, NE
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5^-8. Octogenarian Moore recalls a vivid memory from his youth when a celebrity train carrying William Taft, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison stopped in his hometown of Iron City, Tennessee. The author's fourth-grade class took a field trip to the train station, where Edison paused long enough to chat with Moore. He particularly remembers discussing souse-and-mustard sandwiches and offering his own lunch to the famous inventor. Nelson's colorful pastels include many period details and complement the understated humor of the text. A good choice for primary story hours, Grandparents' Day celebrations, and introducing the concept of personalized storytelling. Kay Weisman