Town Books

This book made the 2005 National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade Book for Young People List. This bibliography is in cooperation with the Children's Book Council. Books that make this list emphasize human relations, diversity, cultural experiences, or they present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic.

Jackson loves basketball! He wants to play basketball all summer, although he can't. His mother got him a plot in a garden. He works with his plants there. He doesn't like it. He starts working there so much he gradually comes to like it. Then he gets a phone call telling him the garden is going to be plowed up. Jackson wants to prevent it. Will he? The reader will be very surprised by what he does. I liked this book very much! I hope Ms. Quattlebaum writes a sequel to this book!

Delmar
9 years old
Washington,DC

I am eleven years old and "Jackson Jones and Mission Greentop" was the best book I read this summer! I like the part when Jackson finally got Blood Green, the bully. I also like the part when Jackson goes down to the company to talk with the boss! The most interesting thing was when I found out who the boss was....

John
Mechanicsville, Virginia

this story is fun for the kids and will ignite the readers imagination.

Whenever I see yet another children's picture book celebrating the heyday of jazz, bebop, and swing I always wonder how interesting that book is to the intended child audience. I mean, sure "Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa", by Andrea Davis Pinkney is fun, but do child readers dig it? Or do they just see it as yet another history lesson disguised as a book? With this in mind, "Jazzy Miz Mozetta" is extraordinary because even though it covers some old-fashioned odes to the dances of yesteryear, kids will enjoy reading and watching this extraordinary heroine as she bops, jitterbugs, and re bop she bams her way through the night.

One evening, sweet Miz Mozetta decides to doll herself up for a stroll in the moonlight. She applies Pretty Plum powder, Tango Mango lipstick, and a dress of a distinctive red sheen. Once outside, she runs into three of her friends while across the street some kids dance and jive to their beatbox. In a rare humor, Miz Mozetta asks the kids if she can join in, but their skepticism puts her off. Her friends won't join her either, so it's up to her apartment she clumps where she decides to turn up the radio and dream of dancing days. Fortunately for us, the tale doesn't end there. Her friends, lured by Miz Mozetta's spunk and the music from the band, put on their finest swing clothes and zoot suits and start some serious jitterbugging. Now it's the kids asking if THEY can join in on the fun and by the end everyone's cutting a rug in Miz Mozetta's snazzy living room floor.

There are tons of children's picture books out there that have elderly adults as their heroes, but few in which those adults dance as wildly and extravagantly as this. Author Brenda C. Roberts has a good ear for the cadences and wordings required for such a jazzy snazzy book as this. There's wonderful repetition and the characters speak affections like, "chickadee" and "honey dear". When Miz Mozetta's friends come in to dance the night away, one man's hair, "was shiny and slick and blacker than black and smelled like shoe polish". Couple this with first time children's illustrator Frank Morrison and you've got yourself a pretty little picture book. Morrison may never have helped create a book for kids before, but he's the perfect person to pair with Brenda Roberts' words. His Miz Mozetta all akimbo arms and straight strong legs. Characters in this book twist their bodies into an assortment of strange shapes and angles. Best of all are the wild dancing sequences where the multicolored elders regard the baggy clothed youngsters then burst into magnificent twirls and romps.

The book's certainly the kind of thing to wake the kids up with, that's for sure. If you want a high stepping picture book to accompany your dance-centric storytime (of which books like "Dumpy LaRue" and the aforementioned "Ella Fitzgerald" would have to be a part of), this book has your number. A visual stunner with a great sense of wordplay to boot.

This book sparked my interest as one my husband and son would enjoy together. It has far exceeded my expectations. We all enjoy it immensely. The book definately has a jazzy tone, and it's a great story. My son loves to say that he "spun so fast he dissapeared!"

Taking *The Journey* is like stepping out of a Time Machine as a northern Indiana Amish child is transported into the 21st century in Chicago. The team of Sarah Stewart and David Small produced this winner in 2001 and it's my opinion that only *The Friend* (see mcHAIKU's review dated October 3, 2004) has it 'bested'.

As Hannah becomes a time-traveler between two very different cultures, her level of excitement rises to test her well-schooled mannerliness. She is awe-struck and makes her discoveries seem new to us as we read over her shoulder the words written in her diary: "going down the street is like making a journey across the whole world. I feel like happiness has rushed up and grabbed me ..... "

There are only two small disappointments for me: I wish there were a situation in which Hannah was juxtaposed with a young city girl - - perhaps in that not-to-be-missed Chicago River boat ride - - somehow sharing an adventure which might suggest kinship despite their obvious differences. And, having recently written a review of *Berghoff's* ("The Berghoff Restaurant" of Chicago) I wish Hannah & her mother & friend had walked to that 100+ year old establishment to have a German meal - - where another comparison could be drawn. For me, the small black & white sketches of Hannah have a special appeal. Her facial expressions declare that she is a story-teller herself, and David Small makes obvious why he was selected by Caldecott judges.

This book is a delight to share, and can be a conversation-starter among children raised so differently from those of the Amish faith - - they may question how Hannah could be so eager to return home to the chores she has escaped for a week, and to a culture with gender-segregated religious services, and outhouses, and riding in an oh-so-slow buggy. When picture-book-age children aren't close by I reach out to adults or eleven-year olds & share the sweetness and strength of these words quietly enhanced by the dark blues of early morning and the jubilant sunrise. I will look for my favorite Monet-like haystacks the next time we travel north, too!

REVIEWER mcHAIKU is content that "the simple life" makes room for a love of books and hopes that Sarah Stewart & David Small continue their story-telling for many years.

Hannah has traveled with her mother and her mother's friend Maggie to the city. For an Amish girl from a small community, the city is big and full of strange and wonderful things. They go to the top of hig buildings, to marvelous stores, to big parks, the aquarium, the atr museum,on a boat ride and into a grand church. While Hannah is enchanted and enthralled by all the new sites, each new site reminds her of things at home she loves. Written as diary entries by Hannah during her adventures, this book manages to capture the wonder of a young girl in a new enviroment, and her thankfulness for the simple ways at home. Once again Sarah Stewart has crafted a wonderful storyline and David Small has turned what is in the mind's eye into enchanting illustrations. A wonderful book to read aloud, and to be enjoyed by all ages.

"Dear Diary, The luckiest girl on this good earth is writing to you tonight..." So begins The Journey, Sarah Stewart's lovely story of Hannah, an Amish girl on her first trip to Chicago. Each night, before she falls asleep, Hannah writes about her day and marvels at all the wonders of the big city, the fancy department store with it's frilly dresses, the aquarium and public library, the enormous cathedral with its loud choir, the cars and hundreds of people rushing here and there... And each makes her remember and appreciate something from her simple life at home, trying on a homespun dress, fishing in the pond, praying silently in the small wooden church, quilting with the ladies from other farms... David Small's expressive and detailed artwork take readers from the busy, brightly colored streets of Chicago, to the quiet, softer and subdued life of Hannah's Amish farm. Together, this award winning duo of Stewart and Small have authored a gentle, understated picture book, perfect for youngsters 6-10, that is sure to become a treasured classic in the years ahead.

Iris, in trying to purchase her first bra-an item she needs desperately-starts a business called "Just ask Iris." Unfortunately the elevator in her building is out of order so she uses the fire escape instead. She not only meets the inhabitants of her new Manhattan apartment building, but also, she manages to pull you into the story. A very fast paced read. I'm a middle school teacher and find this a fun resource to discuss landlord laws and living conditions in the city.

I wish that Just Ask Iris were a series because her life is so funny! She has a lot of problems throughout the book such as getting a bra. She makes money and lots of friends that she can turn to, even the crazy Cat Lady. I like the way she figures things out and how on every page there is at least 1 laugh. I recommend this book to girls 8 and up. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Iris is 12-years-old and growing. Everybody seems to notice this except her mother; her mother wants Iris to stay a child for as long as she can. But even a mother can't stop Mother Nature and Iris is growing up --- in fact it's time for her to get a bra. The problem is, her mother says she can't afford to buy Iris a bra right now. Iris can't turn back puberty! What is she going to do?

Then a cat comes down the fire escape one night and invites himself through their security gate, right into bed with Iris. He's a big softie, and Iris loves him. Every day he comes down to visit her while her mother's at work, and she feeds him. She names him Fluffy, and they sit together on the fire escape in the summer sunshine.

Iris worries about the cat, especially since he takes walks around the neighborhood everyday. Iris starts looking around for Fluffy --- the upside is, she gets to know her neighbors. There's a great big man all covered with tattoos, who looks just like his great big pit bull. There's a wacky parrot who cusses a blue streak (especially if anybody tells him he's a dirty bird). There's an old man who lets his dog out every day to do his business in the stairway. And there's the loony Cat Lady. Everybody tells Iris, no matter what else she does, to stay away from the Cat Lady. But Iris wonders if Fluffy came from the Cat Lady's apartment, and she has to find out.

Now, while Fluffy and his wanderings may take Iris's mind off her money problems at home and her girl issues, the problems are still there. How do all these plot switches help her in her quest for new lingerie? You'll want to read this book to find out just how. A girl determined to get herself what she needs, and help everybody else in the process, is unstoppable!

--- (...)

This book was so beautiful and compelling--I did not want to see it end. Olympia takes us to a time when hatred and racial conflict are thick enough to cut with a knife. Adam, a boy born into a home full of Ku Klux Klan will have to uphold the ritual of calling a "nigger" from his home and leading the dragging of the black man through the woods until he is dead. Gill, the last young white boy that was initiated into the Klan, can't get the innocent black man out of his sytem. His self-hate can only be reversed if he rights that wrong that he commited over 13 years ago. Gill comes back to lead Adam on the path to redemption and help to bridge the racial divide in Bullock. Will Adam continue on with family tradition??? Is Bullock destined to stay ruled by the "free and automatic white men"?? You have to read this beautiful book to find out. This book is poetic and I promise you will not be disappointed if you are looking for a book with substance.

once again Olympia F. Vernon has upheld the literary standard of a GREAT writer and author. I look forward to her every move in the literary field and i hope she never forsakes a very aparent god given talent.

Olympia Vernon's words always sing, but never more powerfully than in this strong, brave, unflinching look at hate and love. The novel reads like a song, like something that wasn't made up by one immensely talented young novelist but was a truth always with us from a time long before: a psalm, a ballad, a folk song. Her characters rocket toward their fates with the tragic inevitability of opera. Vernon's language is poetry of such stark originality that it sometimes seems like a new tongue. In its fresh and alarming syntax, the sad old drama of racial hatred and intolerance cuts through contemporary complacency like a hacksaw through living bone.

Truth never grows stale in the telling. Crucial, terrible truths--cruelty, racism, hatred, bigotry--are the dark shadows against which light, if any of us are capable of generating any light at all, must be seen. Vernon's Mississippi lightbringers shine out against their darknesses with courage and love and the need for redemption, alive to small beauties like hummingbirds, leafy forests, loving marriages and one good dog. A reader emerges from the time in their company like a listener after a hymn well sung, but one that packs a punch and isn't afraid to pull off a surprise or two.

As a nation, we would do well to continue the honest racial dialogue Vernon's begun here, because she's not one to look away from hard facts and hide her head in the sand. Too many of us, black and white, talk at each other rather than TO each other. But this book, a product of the author's artless way with words, is a truth-teller and page-turner of the highest order. You know who the good guys are, and you love them and root for them not because they are abstracts of goodness, but because they live and breathe and sweat and fear.

Olympia Vernon is a national treasure. The common ground she provides us with here is something that can support the weight of mighty, mighty beauty.

In the novel, Kinship written by Trudy Krishner, this young girl was Perty (Pert) Wilson, lived with her mother, Rae Jean Wilson and her older brother, Jimmy Wilson in "Happy Trails" trailer park in Kinship, Georgia for many years. Pert was accustomed to the same neighbors, behaviors and habits day to day. Also, Pert has always wondered and longed for her father, James Williams Wilson of what he was like and for him to return home. Since Pert was a young child, she was not able to have what many other girls had, a father who was there for them at their side. As soon as Pert's father arrives, the life that Pert once knew started to change.
Rae Jean Wilson, the mother of Pert and Jimmy was a very strong woman and attended mass at St. Jude's every Sunday. Pert, unlike some daughters, called her mother by her first name, Rae Jean because they had a very close relationship, similar to sisters and best friends. Pert had said that, "She never scolded, never yelled, never laughed at me, never made me feel shame." (Chapter 2, page 15). This was probably once reason as to why Rae Jean and Pert were very close. Rae Jean not only supported her family, but treated her children as friends with loyalty and trust. Rae Jean had worked for Doc Jackson, the animal and people doctor) and Pert had worked at the movie theater. Although their family had worked, it was not enough to keep up with all the bills and the necessities they had needed. The Wilsons family, especially Rae Jean had worked extra hard to work for their money, without the help of James Wilson.
Pert was very accustomed to meeting and talking to neighbors such as Miss Sophie Mulch, Odette Coates and many others. As Pert grew up with these trailer neighbors, she had grown very close to them and many admired her and treated her as her their own child. Neighbors in "Happy Trails" had always admired, loved and were fond of the Wilson kids, especially Sophie Mulch. Sophie Mulch had said that she would do anything and everything for those children. Something that Pert would often do every afternoon was watch soap operas with Miss Mulch. Much like her life, the relationships that Pert had once had with the neighbors would soon change upon the arrival of her father.
When Pert and Jimmy's father had arrived in Kinship, he brought along mixed emotions. With the good times that Pert had with her father, there were also the sad times and the disappointments. Pert's father tried to do things that would make it right for the family, but because of the many years lost, it was not enough. Pert was able to spend quality time with her father, learn more about him and the similarities they had and just had fun with him. Pert also had to deal with some disappointments when her father let her down. Also, problems grew within the trailer neighborhood that had to deal with James Wilson and money.
Along with the relationships and lives that had changed when James William Wilson arrived, there were also situations within the trailer neighborhood. The mayor had informed the trailer owners that they would have to consider moving because permanent buildings were to be built in that land area. Many changes within the trailer land were made and even the name of the area. It had changed from Happy Trails, to Homestead Park and eventually to Homestead Circle Park. Pert learns that it is not the place in which a person lives that determines whether it is home or not; it is the people, the love and the trust.
As time grew, Pert realized what was important to her and what was not. She was able to distinguish from who was family and who was kin. Also, she finally was able to meet her father and learn more about him. Pert realized that Rae Jean, Jimmy and Grams have and will always be there for her. She realized that some people come into your lives and leave, but those who have been there since the beginning, are there to stay. As Pert had said, "I know home was supposed to be special, but it would take this fall to show me the reason why." (Chapter 1, page 9). It had taken Pert, all those ups and downs since her father had arrived, to realize who and what was home. Although it had taken her that time, it was better that then never realizing at all. Her trailer neighborhood has also grown into her family and people she trusts. Even as one of her neighbors, Pee Wee Hale had mentioned, "Family's more important than anything else." (Pee Wee Hale, Trailer 10, page 240). Even those who lived in the trailer park knew that family was important and it was what held everyone together.
Kinship, written by Trudy Krishner, is a great novel to read that deals with family, kin, friends, home and the things that are important in life. By reading this novel, one can see how Pert, the main character grows and learns from the actions and events that surround her. Not only can a person read about how Pert feels and how she acts, but also what others think and say about her and her family members. Also, one can learn more about the trailer life, and how many are assumed to be gypsies and how they are often looked down upon. Also, with the trailer life, a person can learn more of how they often have to move because of the building of "permanent homes". Kinship, is a great, fun and interesting book to read and I highly recommended this to all people who enjoy reading about the importance of family, as well as what "home" really is.

Perty's father abondoned her mother and her at birth but Perty still has hopes and dreams of her father that no one can take away. In fact, she talks to her father all the time by sending him ESP messages, usually to please come home, they need him. Well, Perty believes the last message got through to him because after church one Sunday, her daddy is standing on their front porch. No one was happy to see him much, except Perty, and she just can't understand that. All that matters is the here and now for her and her daddy is here now. She just can't get it, even after helping the trailer park with badly needed repairs, etc, her family, especially her grandma and brother are as cold as ever. Her mother just prays all the time, same as she used to. But Perty's world comes crashing down when he doesn't show up at the Father-Daughter dance, and momma's stashed-money-for-emergencies-comes up missing, and he takes repair money meant for the traier park and gambles it away. No one really comes to Perty's rescue with the truth about her father. Perty is strong willed and friends and neighbors know she must find out on her own how her daddy really is. And Perty finally does, she grows up and she's beyond the dreams of what a daddy really is supposed to be to see what her daddy is really is-a smooth talking, run-when-there-is-trouble kind of daddy. The concept and difference between kinship and family is unearthed in this great novel by a great author. I really could'nt put it down!

A coming of age novel dealing with poverty and the importance of family. Characters are well drawn and really come to life. I like the way the vignettes of the trailer park residents give insight into Perts life. An excellent family oriented book and I would recommend it to students from the 7th grade up.

The closing book of T. R. Pearson's Neely trilogy, "The Last of How It Was" seems to ramble, but is tight as a drum. Does murder run in the family? Young Louis Benfied, Jr., listens raptly as Daddy and Momma and Aunt Sister explain.

The closing book of T. R. Pearson's Neely trilogy, The Last of How It Was seems to ramble, but is tight as a drum. Does murder run in the family? Louis Benfied, Jr., listens raptly as Daddy and Momma and Aunt Sister explain.

The town of Neely, North Carolina is just as Gothic as anything Faulkner ever wrote, with murders, adultery, accidentally slaughtered mules, Stonewall Jackson, escaped convicts, dropped coffins, and Injun fights, but T. R. Pearson makes Neely one hell of a lot funnier than Yoknapatawpha County. In the final volume of the trilogy that also includes _A Short History of a Small Place_ and _Off for the Sweet Hereafter_, narrator Louis Benfield relates stories of his family as told by Louis's daddy Louis, with interruptions, corrections, and emendations from Aunt Sister, Louis's maternal great-aunt, and from Louis's mother. The story rambles like a footpath through the North Carolina hills, with sentences that continue for whole paragraphs and paragraphs that continue for pages, creating a style that seems incomprehensible on the page but which reveals its meaning when read aloud, in all its Southern baroque glory.

_The Last of How It Was_ has the flavor and feel of a long Sunday afternoon visit, sitting on the front porch, listening to family tales that don't go anyplace much or have any enormous meaning, but which, for that very reason, are nonetheless a delight.

The book has an introduction by John Irving. Leah is a fictional town. Thomas Williams was a longtime resident of New Hampshire. The author's introduction refers to his childhood practice of reading the Bible.

In "Goose Pond" a new widower visits Leah where he spent his youth and young married life. He kills a doe with a bow and arrow. In the next story it is observed that mothers have to be half policemen, half indentured servants. The ski instructor at the resort the mother and son end up in is past forty and over-weight. He thinks that he is too jaded to seriously pursue the mother of the story. When he gains the courage to go after the woman, Margaret, she is visited at the resort by her former husband who is particularly needy. The ski professional wonders what he has done in this world except have a pretty good time.

A teacher finds that he cannot enter the classroom. Then he destroys himself with a firearm. His obituary omits the information that he was a fairly good teacher until he tired of things. The stories are about people who survive just barely the collapse of snowforts, bad marriages, encounters with the past, disclosures of unease.

Thomas Williams blends intricate prose with real skill for story-telling. His accounts of Leah bring the town to life, filling it with vibrant characters and a tangible spirit of the northeastern United States.

This is one of my favorite collection of short stories. If you like Hemingway's short stories and if you live or like to visit New England you will love these stories.

This is a lovely story set in a town in Ohio during the '40s. Lentil learns to play a harmonica and there are sweet scenes of small town life as well as a marching band. My 3.5 year old son loves this book, along with all of McCloskey's books. What has been wonderful for us about this book is the character of "Old Sneep", who grumbles and does mean things. This has really hit home with my son regarding our teaching of having a joyful heart and not complaining. Great literature at its best.

As a retired preschool/ daycare administrator I never hesitate to say that McCloskey is one the all-time great writers . Lentil has always been one of the best books to read at story time . You can't go wrong with buying this story for your favorite 4 or 5 year old, but even my 9 year old grandsons love this tale, and it got them interested in playing a harmonica!

This is an excellent book for the musically inclined child whose singing voice is a little less than melodious. In the book, the vocally challenged Lentil finds his mantra through the harmonica and ends up saving the day with it. My father gave me this book along with a harmonica when I was seven years old in response to my wobbly warbling, and I've been playing harmonica and many other instruments ever since. I just can't 'harp' enough on how great of inspiration this book was to me and could be for other vocally vexed children. -stephen

I love this book! I checked it out from the library and my children loved it too! My boys are ages 5 and under and they kept saying, "I want to live in a little country town!". It definitely stirred some feeling in them, as well as me! The pictures are great, and the words simple, beautiful and lyrical. I really do love this book and will purchase one for my family. I hope to see more books like this by this author and the illustrator!

My daughters (ages 4 & 5) really enjoyed this story, and I found it refreshingly charming and very enjoyable to read over and over again! I'll be looking for more books from Ms. Southwell, that's for sure!

You can almost hear the sights and smell the scents of the countryside, when reading this wonderful book. Most importantly, it's simplicity reconfirms the ideals of the country. I highly recommend this for all young children, both boys and girls!

I have read the new book, "THE LITTLE COUNTRY TOWN" and think it is one of the best books I have read for children. Jandelyn Southwell has written a description of the sounds of country living so realistic that one feels as if they are sitting on the front porch watching the children play. I would recommend this book for anyone with children, grandchildren, nieces, nephnews, or young friends, and I have bought additional copies for gifts. I'm looking forward to many more books from Ms. Southwell.