Yonie Wondernose

by Marguerite de Angeli

Seven-year-old Yonie is a wondernose because he can't keep his nose out of anything and is always getting into trouble. When his parents go away overnight, he's left as the man of the house and promised a special reward if he can keep himself and the farm out of trouble. But that night a bad storm brings trouble--the kind that not even a full-grown man could handle easily. A Caldecott Honor Book. Illustrations. 48 pp. Ages 7-11. Pub: 7/97.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Juvenile, Amish

45 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Marguerite de Angeli was an American writer and illustrator of children's books including the 1950 Newbery Award winning book The Door in the Wall. She wrote and illustrated twenty-eight of her own books, and illustrated more than three dozen books and numerous magazine stories and articles for other authors.

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright and inquisitive Yonie strives to overcome his overly curious nature and become the responsible helpmate his father knows he can be. Good intentions easily and often go askew but Yonie comes though when it really counts.

I liked this one better than Henner’s Lydia; there was more action and excitement along with a bit of suspense as to what the payoff would be for Yonie. Yonie’s exciting diversions demonstrate the Amish values of hard work, responsibility, and conformity and showcase a different way of life.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is how you can tell children's attention span have changed. This is a long book with not a lot of pictures. It takes a kids focus to stay with the story. The kids lost interest in this and would get out of bed to get this or that. They couldn't connect to the story and there were too many words.

I thought the art was ok, nothing grand. The story was a good story and it was too long. Shorter can be more powerful. I thought Amish life was an interesting subject.

The kids laughed at the part where grandma gets locked in the chicken coup. That was their favorite part. They gave it 2 stars.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

1945 Caldecott Honor

This is a very long story about a little Amish boy who is always curious and tries to prove himself worthy of being dependable to his pop.
It took about half an hour to read this out loud. These older books have so many words compared to the majority of picture books today. Whew. (I finally read it.)

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Illustration: It's pretty tough to decide, but I do like the detail and peace in the black and white line drawings. The color ones seem to get a little fuzzy and don't have as much emotion.
Yonie is a little Amish boy who is curious about everything - a 'wondernose,' his family calls him. One day his parents leave on a short trip and Yonie is left at home to help his grandmother and little sister care for the farm. When a summer storm brews up, Yonie must fight his curiosity to rescue the scared animals.
I really liked this story. Even though it was a bit wordy, I think it would be welcome to young readers. I't a pretty standard tale of a boy wanting to be a grown up and help his family.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yonie (short for Jonathan) is a seven-year-old Pennsylvania Dutch boy whose curiousity and distractability earns him the name "Yonie Wondernose." One day his parents leave him with his sister and grandmother to care for the farm overnight, and Yonie strives to prove that he is worthy of the responsibility entrusted to him. That night a fire breaks out in the barn, and he and his grandmother must rescue the animals (the family's livelihood) from the flames. Throughout the adventure, Yonie strives to earn the reward his father has promised him"when he is old enough to be trusted like a man."

This story deservedly won a Caldecott Honor in 1945 for its excellent writing and fine storyline. de Angeli does a fine job capturing the exuberant immaturity of this likable child, drawing an appealing picture of a young person striving to overcome childish impulses and earn respect. It is especially wonderful that the prized reward has to do with his desire to attain to manhood: rather than seeking to gratify his immature desires, Yonie aspires to the respect and honor that is only given to the mature. His father's quiet pride and understated affirmation, following his near-heroic efforts to rescue the animals, are a prize worth gaining.

De Angeli captures a little of the flavor of Pennsylvania Dutch language along with many details of everyday life. Her characters are appealing, the family is warmly loving, and the story itself is full of excitement and danger. It will appeal to both boys and girls, but especially boys. It contains more prose than most picture books and is a perfect fit for children who are just transitioning into chapter books.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordy picture book tells a sweet story of a young, easily distractable boy, who is trying his best to assume more grown-up responsibilities. He is supposed to be herding the cows, but then he chases after a squirrel to see where in the tree it is hiding. He needs to save the farm animals from the barn fire, but he wants to go see the shiny red fire engine. De Angeli's black and white ink drawings are very detailed and focused. The colorful paintings (watercolors?) are softer and more fuzzy-looking. As both author and illustrator, de Angeli was able to choose which scenes from the story were most important to illustrate, so that the illustrations blend well with the story line.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author really did an outstanding job capturing the accent of the Pennsylvania Amish. Yonie is called "wondernose" due to his insatiable curiosity which often leads him to forget what he should be doing. But when Pa and Ma leave for an overnight visit, he must prove that he can concentrate on his tasks in order to win Pa's approval.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A little Amish boy gets nicknamed Wondernose because he’s so curious about everything - often to a fault, leaving chores undone. When father goes away and asks Yonie to be the man of the house, he must put his wonderlust behind him and focus.

Purely delightful pictures!

Ages: 3 - 9

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit wordy for a picture book. But this Caldecott Honor Award Winning story book holds up especially well given its age. Pretty much this is because it is absolutely concerned with a time and a place that is especially timeless, that is the Amish. The art is detailed black and whites with a few colored pages. Not fancy but rings true, and the little boy is a hard working hero, even if he clearly sees himself as totally distracted.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story about an Amish farming family that will especially appeal to boys - plenty of drama that touches on the inner drive (and anxiety about what it will take) to grow up and be a man. The illustrations aren't that compelling, but they keep up with and help carry the story, so they are adequate.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yonie is a little Amish boy who longs prove that he can be trusted like a man, but ach, his wondernose (curiosity) keeps getting him into trouble! This is just darling. De Angeli had great respect for the plain people and it shows. The illustrations are spectacular.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story about Yonie, who is very nosy, becomes very exciting when the barn catches on fire. I like that Yonie doesn’t overcome all his imperfections overnight, but that he is still able to become a hero and impress his father. I also enjoyed getting a glimpse into the Amish lifestyle.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the pictures were nice, but the story didn't capture my interest.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story about responsibility and good insight into the Amish.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story about an important community of people in Pennsylvania history. This book preserves Pennsylvania farm heritage. Her illustrations are beautiful.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 7 year old boy is left responsible for the farm. Something happens -

[Ginnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little story of a boy becoming responsible.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

De angeli’s illustrations are always top notch and the story was charming. My kids really enjoyed it and I’m already jokingly calling them wondernose or telling them to stop being a wondernose. They think it’s pretty hilarious. Apparently that is the term for being ADHD if you’re Amish. 😂 It also sparked a conversation with my seven year old about the Amish and what they believe. She was very thrown off by there being planes but they’re living like Laura Ingalls Wilder. 😂
Overall a fun and sweet book with lovely illustrations.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, exciting easy reader and Caldecott Honor Award book. Jonathan is a young Amish boy who is so interested in everything around him that he gets to school late and doesn't complete chores because he is stopping to look and watch the many things that intrigue him. His family teases him, calling him Yonnie Wondernose.

Mom and Pop must go away and Pop asks Yonnie to be a man and take care of the grown-up chores, including caring for the barn animals and getting all the water and wood that Grandma needs. For a Wondernose, who sticks his nose into every interesting thing, its a tall order. But, Yonnie thinks, if he is successful, maybe Pop will keep his promise.

We watch with delight as Yonnie goes about his chores, struggling to stay focused and not get pulled away by his Wondernose. All goes fairly well and time comes to go to sleep. Yonnie wakes from his sleep by a loud clap of thunder and sees that outside is light. But it is the wrong kind light for day. The barn is on fire! How will Yonnie Wondernose, always easily distracted, be sure to do all he needs to do to save all the barn animals?

Now you will need to read this book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me 3-4 nights to read this to my son because it was so long, but it had a good story. The book won a 1945 Caldecott Honor. It is the story about a 7 year old Amish boy named Jonathan, nicknamed Yonie Wondernose because he is so curious about everything. One day, his father and mother go on a trip and leave him in charge of the farm animals, with his Grandmother and little sister at home as well. Pop has promised him a surprise if he does well, so he tries his hardest but his curiosity sometimes distracts him from his work. He rescues his grandmother from the hen house, where he accidently locked her and then has to save all the farm animals from a fire, caused by a summer storm. In the end, he gets his surprise, the ability to work with his father and plow the fields all by himself. Recommended for ages 4-7, 3 stars.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first glance from the book's front cover, I thought Yonie was a little girl. Oops, sorry Jonathan (Yonie). This was a fun story of a little boy who wants to be grownup and have grownup responsibilities, but like all little boys, gets distracted from his chores. At some points in the story, I was reminded of the funny dog from the movie "UP" who all of a sudden loses his focus and turns sharply to see something else (SQUIRREL!). I enjoyed the color illustrations from the book with my favorite being when Yonie was sneaking a look in his grandmother's chest, even though he knew it would not be allowed. I like that he was looking out the window, almost as if he were suspecting he would get caught being a "Wondernose" instead of doing his chores. Although this book was published in 1944, it still held charm and was a fun read for me.

[Alexys]

At first glance, I was interested in the book because it looked older (I wasn't wrong). Older books interest me most of the time, mostly because of the different styles that have been used even in the past 100 years. The writing in the book is old time sounding and that is very fun to read. On top of that, the pictures have a different style to them also. The illustrations seem pencil drawn and look very sketchy yet intricate. To make the illustrations even more interesting, most were black and white, but every now and then there would be a great color picture. I loved every aspect of this book and will definitely have at least one of these in my classroom!

[Maria Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

• 1945 Caldecott Honor Book •

A good story about an Amish boy whose parents go away and his father leaves him charge of the animals and a fire breaks out. The illustrations were good - a mix of black-and-white and color. I actually like the black-and-white drawings more because they have more energy and emotion and don’t feel as flat. This is a good book about growing up, and wanting to be taken more seriously, but it was just a little dull to me.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[Carolynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marguerite deAngeli's luminous paintings won a Caldecott Honor for this book, but the text is lovely too. Yonie (short for Jonathan) is a curious seven year old (today he would be diagnosed with ADD) who keeps getting himself into trouble on his family's farm. Finally when his father leaves him in charge for the day when he is gone, Yonie has the opportunity to prove himself, only to be faced with a terrible disaster. This edition has an introductory note by the author's son.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

7 year old Yoni lives in Lancaster County, PA. His real name is Jonathan, but his pop calls him Yonie Wondernose as he is a curious boy. When his pop leaves he tells him to look after the animals, especially Dunder the red bull. Granny gets locked in the chicken house and soon after there is a fire. Yoni helps save the animals and his pop gives him a pig of his choice as a reward.
There's lots of reading and almost 1/2 the page is illustrated. There are seven full color and page illustrations.

[Lynnette]

Yonie, a Pennsylvania dutch boy is curious and earns the nickname Wondernose. He learns to be trustworthy when his parents leave him in charge of the farm. His biggest challenge is when the barn catches fire.

Through not only dutch traditions but also the dutch accent the reader is acquainted with another lifestyle and culture. Ink drawings are folksy and beautiful with some full color pages.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As kids, we would have loved this story, ... and we would have had all kinds of questions about the clothing, the vernacular, and the Amish.

Yonnie is lovable and believable. And the art fits the story.

Yonie's real name was Jonathan, but everyone called him Yonie. Pop called him "Yonie Wondernose" because he was so curious.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yonie is such a Wondernose - always getting distracted when there's work to do. When his parents go away, Yonie (who probably would have been diagnosed ADHD in more modern times) has to get his act together if he's going to save the farm!

[Robert Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

**** Caldecott Honor (1945) ****

Story of an Amish boy who learns to act as a man when catastrophe strikes. Of course there is the ubiquitous reference to the almighty, as was usual with most stories of this period. But, at least the author doesn't hit you over the head with the bible.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at Pennsylvania Dutch Amish culture in the 1940s. Though it does definitely pick up at the end however, this is a fairly long children's short story that isn't exactly chock-full of action. I think elementary-aged me would have found it boring.