Town Books

My son and I found this book and I was attracted to the folksy drawings (other favorite books with similar art were "Miss Rumphius" and "The Ox-Cart Man", both also highly recommended). So I bought this book without reading it. It was hysterical because it was so completely unexpected and so detailed in the account of this small town succumbing to the whims of eminent domain, even down to the recreated letter from the government and the visit from the "man"! I'm reading it to my son wondering "oh-oh, where is this going?" but it was all done in very good taste, very appropriate for youngsters. It is basically a story about a farm that sold off land "cheap" which became a small community that then became a little trashy and finally was turned into a reservoir. I thought it so funny and odd that we were reading a story about such an odd history. Not like any kids' book I've ever read before and VERY interesting. My son, who was 5 when we bought it, got something completely different out of it. The book not only tells the story of what happened to this little community, it introduces you to just about everyone who lives there, showing you their homes, giving the names of their children and even mentioning their pets. He loved learning the different people and how they were related. And counting the animals and children. He loves the one old guy who sort of collects dogs and junk and is the last to remain in the area "I like the water" he says from his new houseboat on the last page. How great! The main reason that I recommend this for smaller children is that it really does teach compassion -- it talks about the people in this poorer neighborhood and you like them. Then it mentions that outsiders saw them as nuisances and there is even a scene where school-kids tease them from the bus that goes by. What a wonderful opportunity to say "See, honey? That wasn't nice, was it?" and instill a sense of kindness toward the less fortunate, if nothing else. As he grows older though I can see that he would get more and more about it and even learn about eminent domain. The pictures are wonderful. Just wonderful! This book needs to go back into print! It is a favorite in our house. I wish the Provensens would write another in a similar style.

This book tells a sad tale of "progress and civilization" overtaking a peaceful rural town.

The town originally began when two widows started selling plots of their vast land a half acre or so at a time, when they became unable to tend the fields themselves. The ladies "sold them cheap." Slowly but surely, the town grew bit by bit, with kindly rural folk moving in. Eventually, a smell rural town developed.

The people, most with little education, lived simply, and tended to strew their property about their yards: old iceboxes, wheel-less cars, assorted broken down farm vehicles. Soon the surrounding folks began to heckle the place. Still, the people of Shaker Lane were good, honest, decent folk. Multi-generation families lived there. They helped out anyone who needed it, and looked after one another. Everybody knew everybody. It was a peaceful place to live.

Inevitably, the Powers That Be decide to build a dam on the nearby pond, which will flood Shaker Lane. The people will have to move. One by one, they go. Sadly.

Once the dam is built, and the lands adapt, the new building begins. Concrete, stucco, and asphalt in place of wood and metal. Brand new modern homes, with manicured yards, backyard patios, basketball courts, and built-in swimming pools. "Single family homes" without the grandparents, cousins, uncles, etc the previous residents had. Lots of loud, new, fancy automobiles. Progress.

What had been an idyllic, peaceful town full of kindly neighbors who helped one other is now a "modern" semi-suburb lived in by an entirely different sort of people. The old (and elderly) residents have given way to the young. Seeing it now, "You wouldn't know the place," we are told.

**
A well-told story, not for younger children, even though it looks like a children's picture book. The story is quite sad, poignant because of the harsh reality of these situations, as they have been happening as "suburbs" creep farther out and out. Progress.

The illustrations are beautifully rendered in a soft way. The book is hard to classify, although recommended.

....This book was a hand-me-down from my cousin. i started it at nine last night and finished it at 9:45 this morning.it was a really great book. I think that Kate and Freddy should've come to like eachother [like as in love]. Juanita should've stoped calling Kate Gormley. But hey they're just suggestions.Keep writing i want to read more of your books.

I cannot begin to describe the power this novel has. It has made me laugh and cry and continues to every time I read it. Shaking the Money Tree has been ignorantly dismissed as another cheap 100-something-page third grade novel with a catchy title. That's what I thought at first. Let me assure you - it is not. I read it for the first time in third grade and have read it over nearly every year after that. It sits proudly among my collection of Earnest Hemingway, Edgar Allen Poe, and Charles Dickens. Why? Because it is a maserpiece. I give you the Newberry Medal, Ms. Mullaney! Just please read this. No matter what age you are, you will appreciate the honesty and and truth, the absolute and bitter truth of this novel. There's a psychological aura and sincerety that shines like white light from an unknown source far too sophisticated for children. It is not a book that could be appreciated by third graders - that's the reading level - but something with a message that encompasses a lifetime. I am honored that I have had the priviledge to find this book. Take my advice: don't dismiss Shaking The Money Tree.

The Shopkeepers Wife is one of those occasional gems one pulls from the bookstore shelf and only realizes the treat in store when the reading begins. This is a marvelously subtle treatment of gentile, repressed womanhood in the late 1800s, seen thought the eyes of Isabelle's young maid Hanna. As often happens with people we know in life, Isabelle remains as much of a mystery at the end of the book as she was at the beginning. In playing her unwitting part in Isabelle's life and murder trial, Hanna observes, draws conclusions, but still wonders what really happened. Sickles deftly avoids the temptation to tie everything up in a neat little knot at the end, leaving us with much to think about. She is also dead-on in her use of effective metaphors. Usually when I notice frequent metaphors in fiction, it is because they are clumsy and irritating. However, Sickles is a master at appropriate and unobtrusive metaphors that pull their weight to enhance the story, the character, the action, the mood. Highly recommendable.

Noelle Sickels has the most amazing way of bringing characters to life. I ended up reading this whole novel in one day because I couldn't put it down once I got involved with the characters. There is a warm and touching story here within the backdrop of the superbly-researched setting of late-19th Century Philidelphia. Sickels takes great care in making each character -- even the most minor of them -- come alive and seem like real, well-rounded individuals. There are no flat characters within this book. Each character is given unique qualities through not only description from the narrator, but through their dialogue, their actions, and their interactions with other characters. For example, the reader is able to see the character of Mr. Edwin not only as the narrator's employer, but as a husband, a shopkeeper, a son, a brother, and so on. Also, there are such vivid details (like his rotten teeth/foul breath, his sketches of window displays, and the way he likes his wife to hold his foot) that really make him seem like a real person and not just a fictional character. The attention to details that Sickels has mastered blows me away. She paints a complete picture of so many layers of this story all unfolding at once. There are many descriptions of places and events that stand out in my mind. Also, there are so many touching moments in this story, and the way in which Sickels presents emotional issues from blossoming romance to suicide is wonderfully understated. She does a great job of not falling into the trap of over-dramatization. One of the most amazing parts of the writing in this novel is the way that the author turned a murder case into a fight between different realms of social thought. I was impressed by the author's ability to incorporate such heavy issues as those involved in the birth of women's rights into such a well-crafted story. I do not think that writing with such an agenda often works for writers (whose works sometimes read like info-mercials), but Sickels handles this beautifully. She lays out all sides of the issues so well and, yet, does not let it overpower the story as a whole. Her balance and control of language impresses me beyond words. This book has it all: mystery, suspense, drama, history, tragedy, romance, and friendship -- all intertwined with gender issues in a beautifully written novel that unwraps itself slowly and carefully to stay with its readers long after it's been read.

This is a great book.I'm in 7th grade and I still like it! It has great pictures and is a good story!

This book is a perfect way to teach children about how life in their little world changes, and stays the same. The pictures are amazing!

What a wonderful gift this book would make for anyone's Christmas stocking. Young and old are sure to enjoy the throught-provoking way the author deals with the reactions of those receiving an unusual request. Although a short novel, "Sincerely Yours" packs a big wallop. I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. I bet you'll do the same.

I found this book to be easy reading. Her characters were explained in such a way you became very involved with each one of them. It was a great interpretation of human behavior. And the story kept your interest throughout the entire book. I have recommended this book to my friends and family. This book would make a great movie of the week.

A joy to read, I had been hearing about this book for a long time before it was published. I couldn't put it down and despite its short length, it carried a very strong story with rich and real characters. Good for all ages, it sheds light into a time that is underappreciated in American History. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good story.

This book kept me anxiously awaiting each turn of the page...it was truly a heartening story suitable for both adults and children. It was an easy read, and the imagery and descriptive language truly places you right into the center of this special little town. I am not a history lover, however, this book kept my attention until the very last page.

One of the greatest books on Chicago Architecture that I've read. I reccomend this book to anyone with even the slightest intrest in architecture or this great city. Perfect, scholarly writing skills. Couldn't ask for anything more. In one word: Perfect.

Las tipologías de edificios que se encuentran en la ciudad de chicago, desde los viejos donde los materiales crean la apariencia pesada de una masa que se extiende o intenta extenderse al cielo hasta los modernos que parecieran realizar un pequeño esfuerzo para alcanzar tales alturas.

My son is 2 years old and all he wants is Lazytown. This book was great, we have had it a month and he wants it read at least 2 times a day.
The message from Lazytown is always the same, eat healthy and exersize. It inspires my son to get up and go. He loves dancing to the music of teh show. the book is a perfect addition for bedtime stories.

I bought this book for my 3 year old daughter. Sportacus is her favorite superhero, and now he is mine also. Having already learned the concepts of healthy eating and exercise from Sportacus, this book has taught her the value of a good night's sleep. Instead of telling me how she wants to stay up all night, my daughter now asks if it is 8:08 yet (Sportacus' bedtime).

A vivid chronicle of the heartbeat of America as glimpsed thorugh the daily life in small towns.

Clifton C. Edom founded the Missouri Photographic Workshop in 1949. Through his work with the workshop he became known as the father of photojournalism education. An instinctive alchemist and catalyst, he was less a teacher than a dominating presence. Cliff Edom presented his last workshop in 1990 shortly before his death. Nothing is forever, but the Missouri Workshop lives on in is image.

'Small Town America' seems an obvious choice for a photobook title but I doubt there has been anything published as good as this since Sherwood Anderson's 1940 'Home Town'. The 215 black and white photos reflect life in rural Missouri from the early fifties to the late eighties and it is all student work. In case this puts you off remember that these students had the benefit of some remarkable faculty members, Russell Lee for instance was part of the team for many years and his boss at the FSA, Roy Stryker taught in 1949 and 1957.

Visually the book is divided into four chapters, On Main Streets, Heart of the Country, A Place Called Home and chapter four has three photo essays covering a Joplin school in 1962, the Hannibal flood of 1986 and a family in Neosho during 1981. The three main chapters nicely run the photos out of date order though it seems to me that the earlier photos reflect the photojournalism techniques of the thirties and forties with their content-rich imagery. One of the really great ideas about Photo Workshop was that each year a different location was chosen so that the students were not photographing in the same place each year.

Look through the book several times, as I have over the years and you'll get a clear impression of small town America with a very human face. The book was published in 1993, perhaps it's time for an update to see how the students have seen rural Missouri since then and in color.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

An easy to read, good story about a man who brings his family up North to free them from their dependence on sharecropping profits to sustain life in the South.

An amazing story of a boy who overcomes many obstacles to help provide for his family. The story presents James' journey from Tennessee to Chicago where he establishes a factory job and selflessly sends half of his first paycheck to his father's landlord back home. Eventually he returns to the South to bring the entire family up North and finds them a place to permanently live. A story that is well written with a consistant style bestowing an easy read. After reading this elequently written biography, one feels a deep attachment to the Small Town Boy who came North.