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149th out of 211 books
—
37 voters
Homer Price
Welcome to Centerburg! Where you can win a hundred dollars by eating all the doughnuts you want; where houses are built in a day; and where a boy named Homer Price can foil four slick bandits using nothing but his wits and pet skunk.
The comic genius of Robert McCloskey and his wry look at small-town America has kept readers in stitches for generations!...more
The comic genius of Robert McCloskey and his wry look at small-town America has kept readers in stitches for generations!...more
Paperback, 149 pages
Published
December 29th 2005
by Puffin
(first published 1943)
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Jul 21, 2007
Katharyn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
somewhere_along_the_way
The very first time I read this book, I was breaking the rules. It was naptime at daycare and like a good little tot, I was supposed to be getting some rest. But my cot was right next to a bookshelf and whenever the coast was clear and the others around me had fallen asleep, I would surreptitiously sneak books off the shelf to read. Homer caught my eye because of the doughnuts- and ever since then I can't eat a doughnut without thinking of him and my stolen book moments.
Stories extolling midwestern America are about as rare as songs for brown eyed girls. Both of which are so ubiquitous we often fail to notice their charm. But just like Van Morrison's hit, "Brown-Eyed Girl," Robert McCloskey takes the common place and makes it interesting, prized, and beloved.
It's a tribute to his keen cultural eye that an author known for writing compellingly about Boston (Make way for Ducklings!) and Maine (One Morning in Maine), would also have the skill to draw the particula...more
It's a tribute to his keen cultural eye that an author known for writing compellingly about Boston (Make way for Ducklings!) and Maine (One Morning in Maine), would also have the skill to draw the particula...more
Aug 03, 2008
Katrina Burchett
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
favorite-reads
The author of Homer Price, Robert McCloskey, has written six tales for readers to enjoy:
THE CASE OF THE SENSATIONAL SCENT: Homer catches a group of robbers with the help of his pet skunk, Aroma.
THE CASE OF THE COSMIC COMIC: Homer's friend, Freddy, learns what Homer already knows about comic book characters.
THE DOUGHNUTS: Homer can't stop his Uncle Ulysses doughnut machine! Now there are way too many doughnuts, and a lost bracelet cooked inside one of them. Let the eating begin!
MYSTERY YARN:...more
THE CASE OF THE SENSATIONAL SCENT: Homer catches a group of robbers with the help of his pet skunk, Aroma.
THE CASE OF THE COSMIC COMIC: Homer's friend, Freddy, learns what Homer already knows about comic book characters.
THE DOUGHNUTS: Homer can't stop his Uncle Ulysses doughnut machine! Now there are way too many doughnuts, and a lost bracelet cooked inside one of them. Let the eating begin!
MYSTERY YARN:...more
2 likes · like · see review
Robert McCloskey made such great books for kids. They looked good, they read good. They even smelled good. The majority of McCloskey's books are written with very young children in mind, and they're all classics, deservedly so. "Homer Price" was one of the first books I read that was longer than 15-20 pages and didn't feature paintings of enormous caterpillars committing acts of meta vandalism throughout, and it's both an ideal stepping stone and a fun read no matter how long you've been reading...more
3 likes · like · see review
If you haven’t met Homer Price, you’re missing out on some quality, good-ole-days story telling. Homer is the optimistic young citizen of Centerburg, a quaint town bustling with entertaining adventures, all of which Homer seems to end up in the middle of. Whether it’s trying to get his uncle’s automatic donut machine to stop cranking out donuts, or tracking down the criminals who stole a suitcase full of aftershave lotion, Homer has plenty to keep him busy. Through Robert McCloskey’s droll voice...more
I read this over and over when I was just a wee bairn. Now, about 40 years later, I picked it up again. The stories are still delightful and funny, told in an engaging, childlike manner. They are everything I remember.
But wait, there's more. Where did all that social satire come from? I don't remember that being there when I was nine. "The Case of the Cosmic Comic" is dark, showing the shattering of a young boy's dream of his hero. "Wheels of Progress" is still as pointed a commentary on the dem...more
But wait, there's more. Where did all that social satire come from? I don't remember that being there when I was nine. "The Case of the Cosmic Comic" is dark, showing the shattering of a young boy's dream of his hero. "Wheels of Progress" is still as pointed a commentary on the dem...more
Although this book was a children's classic, it is a good book to read when you are bored. Along with humor, the author, McCloskey, introduces a character named Homer, who resembles many other children. Quick- thinking and funny, Homer Price is just an ordinary kid who has a hobby of making radios! One of his adventures are of when he meets a skunk, which he treats like a puppy of his own. He names it Aroma (What a wierd name for a skunk!). The skunk is the reasons some theives were caught. He h...more
Homer Price is a kid that solves mysteries. I liked this book because I like mystery books. When I looked at the cover of the book I thought it was about doughnuts but really it's a mystery book. I liked how in every chapter something has to go wrong or someone is wrong. Like in chapter three how Homer puts doughnut batter in the doughnut machnie, but it wouldn't stop making doughnuts. Like in chapter five the sheriff thought that the person who came to town in an old car with a huge tarp over t...more
Wills book reveiw: i thought it was a ok book i liked the chapter when there are a lot of doughtnuts. If you like doughtnuts your mouth will be watering
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Peter's Review:
I thought it was a very good book. I liked all the chapters and thought they were funny. My favorite chapter was the doughnut chapter i thought it was good,funny and i thought it was a great chapter becuase it was pretty much Homers fault because he put the parts on backwards that make it Stop...more
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Peter's Review:
I thought it was a very good book. I liked all the chapters and thought they were funny. My favorite chapter was the doughnut chapter i thought it was good,funny and i thought it was a great chapter becuase it was pretty much Homers fault because he put the parts on backwards that make it Stop...more
This was a delightful story about Homer Price and his town of Centerburg . I had never heard about this book before over on my side of the pond, but a friend suggested this to me thinking it would be my type of book , and Lesley you were right!
Homer is a young boy who likes to make radios ,he is also very inquisitive ,and likes to know what is going on in his small town, and for a small town there is quite a bit of interesting things happening there. From bandits to pet skunks ,and a few too man...more
Homer is a young boy who likes to make radios ,he is also very inquisitive ,and likes to know what is going on in his small town, and for a small town there is quite a bit of interesting things happening there. From bandits to pet skunks ,and a few too man...more
1 like · like · see review
"Homer Price" is an awesome book that offers children a hilarious collection of short stories. Now it focuses on highly exaggerated situations that can only happen in a fictional world but it does teach children how to confront social problems. It is a big childhood favorite of mine and I hope children today get to read it. My favorite thing about the book is the illustrations. The illustrations are very helpful for children to aid them in their imagination. McCloskey is another I author I wish...more
This charming book was one of my favorites as a young boy.
Honestly, the best part of this book was the illustrations. McCloskey's style reminds me of Normal Rockwell. The author has a good sense of humor, too. But I'd probably give the text alone three stars instead of four. I read this out loud with my son, and he laughed a lot at some of the incidents, such as when an automatic doughnut machine didn't stop cranking out doughnuts until they covered practically every inch of a restaurant. But some chapters, including the final one, were just downright...more
This book is about a boy named Homer Price. The book takes place in Centerburg. This is about the adventures of Homer. He catches some robbers with nothing but a skunk.
I connect this to the Simpsons because Homer Simpson and Homer Price always gets into situations. Also, they like donuts. I also connect this the adventure of Tom Sawyer because Homer has adventures with his friends.
I give this book 3 stars. I gave it 3 stars because it was funny. Some parts are a little boring, but it's not th...more
I connect this to the Simpsons because Homer Simpson and Homer Price always gets into situations. Also, they like donuts. I also connect this the adventure of Tom Sawyer because Homer has adventures with his friends.
I give this book 3 stars. I gave it 3 stars because it was funny. Some parts are a little boring, but it's not th...more
Yet another You've Got Mail referenced book.
This one is Joe Fox's favourite children's book from his youth because of the doughnut machine that won't stop making doughnuts. The doughnut story along with 5 others comprise this book about Homer Price who lives in Centerburg, a small western town full of quirky characters.
I would think any little boy, or even girl, would be thrilled by Homer's adventures.
A wonderful children's book I wouldn't have discovered without Nora Ephron's help!
This one is Joe Fox's favourite children's book from his youth because of the doughnut machine that won't stop making doughnuts. The doughnut story along with 5 others comprise this book about Homer Price who lives in Centerburg, a small western town full of quirky characters.
I would think any little boy, or even girl, would be thrilled by Homer's adventures.
A wonderful children's book I wouldn't have discovered without Nora Ephron's help!
One of those classics that I always meant to read, but never got around to. Know what helps with that? Being stuck in a foreign country with no English language reading material other than your kid's library book.
Having said that, I did enjoy the quintessentially mid-American, baseball and apple pie stories of Homer Price and his adventures. They reminded me of Andy Griffith and Mayberry (had I watched the Andy Griffith show), or a more (yes, more) wholesome version of Beaver Cleaver. Golly.
Having said that, I did enjoy the quintessentially mid-American, baseball and apple pie stories of Homer Price and his adventures. They reminded me of Andy Griffith and Mayberry (had I watched the Andy Griffith show), or a more (yes, more) wholesome version of Beaver Cleaver. Golly.
I'd forgotten about this book, until I found it one day while I was sorting through the library. It used to be a favorite when I was younger. Actually, it's so well read the cover's come off. I still haven't figured out why, though, the stories in it are pretty simple (6 in all), and the book has very slight racist and misogynist overtones throughout (since it dates back to the 1940s), but I still enjoy it. I think it's because of Homer, he's quite the affable boy. Anyway. Good book.
I hadn't thought about this book for years and then saw it on a library shelf. I loved reading these stories as a preteen, as did all of my siblings. I also loved to look at the cover. Homer owns a pet skunk (named Aroma) and he uses it to catch a gang of robbers. He has a wild adventure with his uncle's donut machine. And he gets involved in a contest to see who can save the most string. Memorable fun and enjoyable characters. This one is a classic!
gr 3-4, younger for reading aloud
I believe I read this book as a child and just loved the donut machine adventure. As an adult I enjoyed the humor and was interested at how much autonomy Homer Price had and how that would have also been very appealing as a child. The tales are so funny. I find it amazing that Robert McCloskey wrote this novel-length story, at the same time he was a great artist as well with Make Way for Ducklings.
I believe I read this book as a child and just loved the donut machine adventure. As an adult I enjoyed the humor and was interested at how much autonomy Homer Price had and how that would have also been very appealing as a child. The tales are so funny. I find it amazing that Robert McCloskey wrote this novel-length story, at the same time he was a great artist as well with Make Way for Ducklings.
I saw a doughnut machine at The City Museum in Saint Louis this spring that instantly whisked me into warm memories of this book--memories that belong to childhood, crisp as the donuts bubbling and swirling in the small vat, sweet as the powdered sugar, creamy on my tongue. Who wouldn't want to bestow this memory on their child? Who wouldn't want to return to it in adulthood? That's the test of a good book.
When I was in 2nd to 3rd grade, my carpool would read this book aloud to us. When we were at a book sale a year ago, I remember those car trips and I asked my mom if I could pick it up. I have always liked that book, and I gave it to Evan once to read, and he said he really liked Homer too. That old books looks really funny on my bookshelf, but I have a feeling it will be begged onto Evan's soon.
Jun 22, 2010
Ingrid
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
children-humor
This book was written in 1943 and chronicles the adventures of Homer, a young boy living in a small town. In one chapter, Homer helps to arrest some thieves with the help of his pet skunk. My favorite chapter involves a doughnut machine that won't stop making doughnuts. This is a very sweet book that made me think of the Andy Griffith show. Life seemed to be so much simpler back in those days.
I loved this book when I was a child and I recently read it to the boys. They thought it was hilarious, especially the doughnut machine chapter. The last chapter is a little ponderous and a few of the references are dated and/or prejudiced by today's standards, but the illustrations are McCloskey classics and the stories provide a humorous slant on small-town life in the 1940s.
Apr 08, 2009
Jessica
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-young-adult
A very cute book. I enjoyed it for the era it was written. Most kids today would not have a clue why an automatic toaster was so cool. Also, why would people save string?
I love that kind of stuff and going to museums, so this is a bit like Strawberry Girl or Shoefly Pie by Lois Lensky. The pictures are fantastic--The Make Way For Ducklings illustrator! Everything was so laid back. This would be good if you could get to a museum with your class or child to show how things used to be. With the ec...more
I love that kind of stuff and going to museums, so this is a bit like Strawberry Girl or Shoefly Pie by Lois Lensky. The pictures are fantastic--The Make Way For Ducklings illustrator! Everything was so laid back. This would be good if you could get to a museum with your class or child to show how things used to be. With the ec...more
If I had to pick one book to symbolize my childhood, it would possibly be Homer Price. At any rate, it's definitely my favorite of childhood stories.
I'm always dismayed at how many people know "Make Way for Ducklings" but not the treasure of the Homer Price stories by Robert McCloskey. I still can't bite into a donut without hoping to find a bracelet someday.
I'm always dismayed at how many people know "Make Way for Ducklings" but not the treasure of the Homer Price stories by Robert McCloskey. I still can't bite into a donut without hoping to find a bracelet someday.
I read this book to my 9 year old daughter, and she always begged for another chapter. While she would be capable of reading most of it herself, there were a few words or phrases she wouldn't have understood, so it was good that I was able to explain these to her along the way. Nothing too major, just words or concepts that have since fallen out of regular use.
I remember reading this book as a kid and thinking it was so funny. Reading it now, I see how dated it is, but still enjoyable. It's a series of short stories set in small town America featuring a plucky, clever kid. I thought it was interesting that, though written in 1943, it makes absolutely no mention of WWII or any of it's effects. I guess while in the midst of it, folks wanted to focus on positive things and forget the negative and hardship around them.
The best thing about this book is the strangeness! On the surface, this appears to be tales of a boy growing up in a small town, but every chapter has something a little weird going on, in a wholesome, aboveboard, "what do you mean, something is strange?" kind of way. As a young reader, I loved catching onto ideas not explicitly stated.
A very cute collection of stories about the young scamp, Homer Price. I liked how McCloskey created realistic characters by giving each person their idiosyncracies. (The sheriff always mixes the first syllables of his words, Miss Enders says, "Simply marvelous!", etc.)The sketch-like drawings scattered throughout the book were also quite cute.
Pretty much everything I remember about this book happens in Chapter 3: The Doughnuts. There's something so satisfying about it. About the machine, the word gadget, the customers filling paper sacks, the illustrations of the donuts forming towers all along the luncheonette counter, drawing the same round shape over and over again... ahh! after rereading it this morning, I thought I would die if I didn't have a donut. So I had a donut.
Homer pushed the button marked "Stop" and there was a little c...more
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Teresa
Oct 25, 2007 11:29am
Feb 05, 2008 07:35am