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87th out of 231 books
—
175 voters
26 Fairmount Avenue (26 Fairmount Avenue #1)
Tomie's family starts building their new house at 26 Fairmount Avenue in 1938, just as a hurricane hits town, starting off a busy, crazy year. Tomie has many adventures all his own, including eating chocolate with his Nana Upstairs, only to find out--the hard way--that they have eaten chocolate laxative. He tries to skip kindergarten when he finds out he won't learn to rea...more
Paperback, 80 pages
Published
March 5th 2001
by Puffin
(first published 1999)
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Tomie dePaola’s first installment in his autobiographical series is a delightful remembrance of his early childhood. Growing up in depression-era Connecticut, Tomie and his family experience many adventures as the family builds and moves into their first house. Tomie has a colorful family, and their escapades are told in a quick-paced format, while also allowing for the reader to come away feeling like they’ve gotten to know the family. As always, dePaola uses expressive illustrations, here blac...more
This was dePaola's first chapter book. Our family has read a number of his picture books, both the fiction and the non-fiction, and we absolutely loved reading more about his magical childhood. Now and then he would mention certain happenings that were the focus of his shorter pictures books, which was fun to finally read them in context. He has such vivid memories and tells them in a very entertaining way. I would say that, to my children, he is almost family. This book in particular has made m...more
We all know what great illustrations Tomie dePaola is capable of creating, but in this book he goes a different direction, understatedly fashioning his drawings so that they compliment the text without pulling as much attention toward them as normal for one of his shorter picture books.
The warmth and loving affection of the author for his family shines through the page with wonderful and unmistakable charm, allowing the reader precious glimpses into a world that Tomie dePaola obviously cherish...more
The warmth and loving affection of the author for his family shines through the page with wonderful and unmistakable charm, allowing the reader precious glimpses into a world that Tomie dePaola obviously cherish...more
Citation: 26 Fairmount Avenue, by Tomie DePaola. (Penguin Putnam, 1999). 57 p. Autobiography.
Summary: Tomie DePaola is a young boy growing up in 1930’s New England in this, his first in a collection of autobiographical memoirs. DePaola describes his memories of the Hurricane of 1938, his family building their first house, his first day of kindergarten, and countless interactions with his family.
Critique: a) This book includes many fascinating tidbits, showing a completely different side of Mr....more
Summary: Tomie DePaola is a young boy growing up in 1930’s New England in this, his first in a collection of autobiographical memoirs. DePaola describes his memories of the Hurricane of 1938, his family building their first house, his first day of kindergarten, and countless interactions with his family.
Critique: a) This book includes many fascinating tidbits, showing a completely different side of Mr....more
26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola
1. Genre: Biography
2. Summary: Tomie tells about the year he and his family moved into their new home on 26 Fairmount Avenue. Before they moved though, there was the hurricane, the movie Snow White, and Tomie’s first day at school.
3. Critique:
a. Area for comment: The setting of 26 Fairmount Avenue describes the area where an average family lived in 1938 in Connecticut.
b. Comment: The setting and time period when Tomie was five years old and living in Conn...more
1. Genre: Biography
2. Summary: Tomie tells about the year he and his family moved into their new home on 26 Fairmount Avenue. Before they moved though, there was the hurricane, the movie Snow White, and Tomie’s first day at school.
3. Critique:
a. Area for comment: The setting of 26 Fairmount Avenue describes the area where an average family lived in 1938 in Connecticut.
b. Comment: The setting and time period when Tomie was five years old and living in Conn...more
Oct 17, 2011
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
boys and girls who can appreciate stories about kids who lived in past times
This book has 9 chapters and 57 pages, not counting the 1 page author’s note. This is a perfect book for those just beginning to read chapter books and it also would work fine as a read aloud book, including and maybe especially for siblings of different ages.
This is DePaola’s first book in a series of illustrated autobiographical books, and he writes so engagingly. I got a kick out of so much, and particularly enjoyed a couple things about Tomie’s first day of school. Hilarious!
I’m sure I’d ha...more
This is DePaola’s first book in a series of illustrated autobiographical books, and he writes so engagingly. I got a kick out of so much, and particularly enjoyed a couple things about Tomie’s first day of school. Hilarious!
I’m sure I’d ha...more
4 likes · like · see review
My friend Angela was on the Wilder committee that selected dePaola for this award last year (for "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children"). Because of this, she had to read everything he'd ever written. She raved about this autobiographical series, so I'm finally getting around to reading it. The first one took me all of my 15 minute afternoon break, so it shouldn't take too long! In case anyone is wondering, the books in order are:
* 26 Fairmount Avenue (Newbery Honor B...more
* 26 Fairmount Avenue (Newbery Honor B...more
2000 Newbery Honor
I read this book with the second graders when I student taught. It's a great autobiography about Tomie dePaola's childhood. I'm going to have to try to read the rest of the series.
Tomie's parents are building a new house at 26 Fairmount Avenue but it's having a couple setbacks. Meanwhile, Tomie has adventures with chocolate laxatives, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and wanting to skip Kindergarten because they don't learn how to read. My favorite is the incident with Snow Whi...more
I read this book with the second graders when I student taught. It's a great autobiography about Tomie dePaola's childhood. I'm going to have to try to read the rest of the series.
Tomie's parents are building a new house at 26 Fairmount Avenue but it's having a couple setbacks. Meanwhile, Tomie has adventures with chocolate laxatives, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and wanting to skip Kindergarten because they don't learn how to read. My favorite is the incident with Snow Whi...more
What I like about Tomie dePaola is that he creates books from his own life experiences. This is an autobiography of sorts, written in narrative form about his family buidling their first home on Fairmont Street and all the events that happen around this exciting time in the dePaola family. Such as the hurricane of 1938, and Tomie leaving his first day of kindergarten because they weren't going to teach him to read until first grade. The story is simplisitc but fun, full of fond memories of dePao...more
This book was a surprising, but enjoyable, autobiograhpy of Tomie de Paola. It was fun to hear him describe his family member, and to recognize them from other books. Of course, his unique illustrations add to the fun. My favorite part was when Tomie described his experiences with the brand new movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and his disappointment at it not being like the real fairy tale. I have felt like yelling at the movie screen sometimes too! Students who like his picture books wou...more
This is a story about Tomie's family who begins to build their new house at 26 Fairmount Avenue in 1938, just as a hurricane hits town, creating a crazy sequence of events. There are many funny encounters Tomie has with his family. He tries to skip kindergarten because he was so eager to learn how to read he wanted to go straight to the first grade. The illustrations were colorful and bright. He was a likable and funny character. I think children would giggle at his funny quirks and silly situat...more
Sep 23, 2010
Doreen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
for everyone...we were all children at one time!
Recommended to Doreen by:
Sandy, who also lives in Meriden
Shelves:
tomie-depaola-childhood-books
Love dePaola! I live one house up from Fairmount Avenue in Meriden, where he grew up! This is a book for children, but I read it aloud to my husband and we both laughed. It's a wonderful, tender look at the part of his life when his family was preparing to move into their newly built home. It covers his entry into kindergarten and his memories of the hurricane of 1938.
I will be reading more of his stories. Reading his books occasionally will be a respite from some of the serious, heavier fare of...more
I will be reading more of his stories. Reading his books occasionally will be a respite from some of the serious, heavier fare of...more
I usually really like books by Tomie dePaola, who is a great storyteller. The memories of his childhood he shares in this book just lacked suspense or poignancy, humor or artfulness, that would really engage a reader. One great exception is his chapter about his "Nana Upstairs" and their mishap with what they thought were chocolate candies. The illustrations are sweet and endearing; for me, they are where dePaola's talent shines through here. The portraits of his family and friends convey real i...more
May 10, 2011
Dolly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
Shelves:
2011,
childrens,
christmas,
other-usa,
education-school,
biography,
nonfiction,
newbery-honor
We had a slow start with this book. We read the first chapter, and then it languished on our pile of books for quite awhile until it was due from the library. So we sat down and finished it all at one time. Overall, it's an interesting story and it's not too long. It's filled with Tomie dePaola's memories of his early years and his move to the house on 26 Fairmount Avenue. As I read, some of the book seemed very familiar. Then I realized that we've read a picture book by him called Nana Upstairs...more
Apr 23, 2008
Annette
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Tomie DePaola fans
Shelves:
juvenile-fiction
I decided to read this book to my two little girls because we really like Tomie DePaola's books. Some of our favorites are: Charlie Needs a Cloak, The Popcorn Book, The Art Lesson, and of course, Strega Nona. This book is a little bit different because it's a handful of stories from Tomie's childhood between 1938-1940. It is told in simple DePaola style and of course it has one of his illustrations on each page. The main event in the book is how his family overcomes some pretty tough obstacles i...more
The kids and I used to listen to this book read by the author, Tomie dePaola, as we drove in the car. We have shared a lot of laughs from this cute story and really enjoy dePaola's sense of humor, especially in the way he reads it. Years later, we are still quoting our favorite lines from this story and laughing about it. One of those lines being: "Those candies weren't chocolates at all. They were laxatives and laxatives make you have to go to the bathroom a lot!"
Told in a voice that is a little dry, a little matter-of-fact, and might require more patience than some readers have. Would be a good read-aloud for kids who are squirmy and claiming to be 'too big' for laps and picture books. I really liked the first day of school, when Tomie asks the kindergarten teacher when they're going to learn to read. "Not until 1st grade" she replies. So Tomie says "I'll be back next year," and turns around and walks home. I don't blame him!
I love this series both as a early chapter books and as a read aloud, or more divinely as an audio book. This is the memoir series written by the popular picture book author focusing on his life in Connecticut in the 1930s and 40s. We listened to it on a recent car trip and everyone loved it including Mom and Dad, the 9 year-old and the 6-year old. The author reads it with wonderful expression that makes you feel like you're in the same room with him.
I have not read this book, but I tihnk it would fit in perfectly with my collection. This book is a biography of the author Tomie dePaola, but it is written from a child's perspective. It takes place in the mid 1900s. I think that this book would teach the students to appreciate history and the stories of their families. I was thinking that this book could be a way to promote discussions about their own family and how they came to living in Arizona.
Mar 03, 2009
Saharatos
added it
It is always interesting to read about the author but Tomie found a unique way to blend children’s’ books with a biography of himself. He tells about his life in a 56 page book using a language 1st graders can read. His life is told in a series of short stories about places he had lived and friend he had made. It is told from the perspective of a small child and takes the reader by surprise. This book can be enjoyed by k-5th grade.
May 02, 2011
Stacey Mulholland
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
newbery-winner-honor-winner
A great early chapter book that tells the true story of Tomie moving from an apartment to a house in Meriden, CT in 1938-1939. I want to read his other autobiographies too. My favorite part of the story was him talking about the Hurricane of 1938. I have a vivid memory of Hurricane Gloria in 1986 that, I too, thought people lifted off the ground due to the strong hurricane winds. I also liked the chapter about him seeing the movie Snow White for the first time.
This is an autobiography By Tomie DePaula about his childhood. This book is the first to a series of books he wrote about his growing up. I really enjoyed this and even though it was a long time ago i think children can relate to some of his issues, such as, moving from one neighborhood to another and leaving friends behind. I thought it was really well written and that children will really enjoy it!
Autobiographical story about Tomie during his first year of school and his move into a new home, chronicling many first experiences he had. I loved the story. It reminded me of many of my own family’s stories. I thought that the book was very funny and that kids just beginning to read chapter books would really like and relate to Tomie and his experiences
dePaola really has a way with telling stories. I was laughing and smiling throughout the whole book. It is fun to read this book and know that this is a piece of his history and these people that he brought to life in his story are people that were in his life at this time. He has some really sweet stories from his childhood and I loved reading them.
This book is a glimpse into a family's life for about a year in the late 1930's. The author,Tomie DePaola, tells this story from a child's perspective, specifically as though he is peering back through his five year old eyes. It centers on his and his family's feelings of anticipation as they await their house on 26 Fairmont Ave. being built, and then finally their excitement of moving into this house they would have as a family for their remaining time of living together.
Though a simple story l...more
Though a simple story l...more
If you like the Tomie dePaola picture books, you will like this series. It's a great chapter book for kids ready to make the transition, because there's at least one small picture on every page. The stories are warm, simple, and contain the right amount of detail for a young reader.
When I taught Kindergarten I used Tomie DePaloa's The Art Lesson as my opening book. I just heard Tomie DePaola present at the National Book Fair in Washington and he was fantastic. So, now I'm reading his chapter books. The books are delightful.
I didn't like this the way I liked Knucklehead, but my kids thought it was just great. We talked about Grandpa, who is about the right age to really connect with this story. They were interested in how different things were then.
I thought this book was very funny and creative. I loved the way Tomie compared everything to a movie like he flew like Marry Poppins or she was a Shirley Temple! A great way to see into the mind of the author and share his experiences.
This was a cute, very quick read. It's the first in a series of autobiographical memoirs and each chapter is an episode from dePaola's childhood. Both the kids liked it and so did I. We'll be reading the next one in the series.
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Tomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) is best known for his books for children.
He's been published for 40 years and has written and/or illustrated over 200 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure....more
More about Tomie dePaola...
He's been published for 40 years and has written and/or illustrated over 200 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure....more
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Nov 30, 2012 09:58am