Tomie dePaola's Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers

by Tomie dePaola

These laugh-out-loud stories from New Hampshire and Vermont are set during the four seasons of the year. The storyteller in his appealing dialect tells little-known tales, among them aMothah Skunka and the night she had to move out with her kits because Sherman Curtis smelled so bad; the escapades of Big Gertie Benson, the lumberjacksa cook and a cousin of the Bunyans in the Midwest; and George Petty, who delivered the mail even during mud season by standing on the back of his horse with only his head sticking out. Interspersed throughout are comic style episodes as an unsuspecting tourist tries to get information from the alocals.a A delightful preface about living in New Hampshire for the past thirty-five years and visiting the North Country since he was a boy, explains why Tomie dePaola has perfect pitch for the dialect and a genuine appreciation for these unforgettable characters and their understated humor. Perfect for reading aloud to the family or in the classroom with a glossary to help with the pronunciations, these tales are sure to be a hit with Tomieas fans, young and old.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Short Stories, Fiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Tomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) was best known for his books for children.

He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 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, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.

Reviews

[Barbara Lovejoy]

What a DELIGHTFUL book! The illustrations are especially excellent.

[Kayla Zabcia]

85%

I've always loved Tomie dePaola books, and this one is no exception. He has a marvelous writing style paired with a charming drawing style, both of which draw you into new worlds (or ones that already exist, like New Hampshire in this case)

* really enjoyed that it was written in such a way (via spelling and grammar) that it forced you to read it in an accent. I love when a writer manages to alter my reading voice to suit its needs

* great dry humor, especially the one where Bessie tells time. this book makes me want to go to New Hampshire and talk to some old timers who live there

* I enjoyed this so much that I actually got the audiobook version on audible and listened to Tomie dePaola narrate it himself - I highly recommend doing this, it's some next-level stuff

[Rebecca]

My kids and I are originally from CT, but have traveled all over, including to NH and VT. We thoroughly enjoyed these tales, especially with the dialect included. It's rare to find it written out in stories (although you can often hear characters on TV and in Films using variations of the Boston accent and RI in Family guy). It was a nice touch of home for us, especially since we found it in a library in our Midwestern city. There is a glossary in the back if you really can't figure out what the words mean.

[Libby Hill]

I wanted to love this because it’s Tomie dePaola.

This book is a collection of stories that take place in New England. Since I am not from New England nor have I spent ample time there, I feel like much of the humor was lost on me.

It does make me want to go and visit so I can get in on all the fun jokes.

[Linda Spear]

I love love love Tomie's writing and illustrations, but had never seen this one, the New England version of some time-honored tales found in various parts of the U.S. Even though I'd read most of them in one place or another, I still chuckled just like a taciturn New Englander would. And sometimes I HAD to laugh out loud.

[Mary Wherry]

Tomie dePaola told/read these stories. It's a peek into his appreciation of living in the North Country and sharing some of the funny stories the long timers shared.
Like the movie "Fargo" you get the exaggerated version.

[B]

Okay stories but the drawings are wonderful, especially Gertie's hair.

[Elizabeth]

3.75 stars. Entertaining.

[Angie]

2.5
A set of funny short stories that follow the four seasons in the Northeast. Dialect and references are true to dePaloa's style. A fun read.

[Scotland Hinds]

Very funny.

[Josiah]

I would give one and a half stars to this book.

Author Tomie dePaola's skill at the art of telling regional tales accurately finds its mark in this folksy, very natural collection of short stories from the rural parts of New England. It's clear that Tomie dePaola loves the area very much, as evidenced by the fact that he determined to one day live in New England back when he was either twelve or thirteen years old, and ended up following through on that pact twenty-five years later. One thing that a person learns about Tomie dePaola over time: when he says as a kid that he's going to do something later on in life, you can bet that he's actually going to go through with it. Just look, for example, at the fact that he's now an artist, a career path that he made up his mind to follow at about the age of five!

In Tomie dePaola's Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers, we get a basic feel for the rural environment of the area that Tomie dePaola has made his home. Having come from a similar section of the United States myself, I can say that the characters and speech styles feel authentic to me, and give the anecdotes a certain something that really couldn't have been achieved through the voice of a straightforward narrator. My favorite story in this book is the one about how Big Gertie the cook meets the love of her life, and what happens with the two of them in all the years that follow. There's a lot of solid humor in many of these stories, making the whole read an enjoyable experience.

[Anna]

1. SUMMARY – This set of tales takes the reader on a journey through the humor of each season. Spring allows a horse to become a submarine in an ocean of mud. Winter provides the opportunity for a skunk to find offense with a smell so noxious, not even she can withstand it.
2. GENRE - This is an example of a picture book, traditional fiction, and multicultural fiction. These tales come from folktales and shaggy go stories from the American Northeast.
3. LITERARY CONCEPTS – dialect, figurative language, punctuation
4. TRAITS – Word Choice, Voice, Conventions
5. Interest level – K +

[The Library Lady]

This looks like a picture book. But the humor is the grownup type--old chestnuts about laconic New Englanders. Perhaps this will sell well at the Vermont Country Store or other such places. But I don't think kids outside of Vermont and New Hampshire will be flocking to read this one--and I'm not even sure of its appeal to kids in those states!

[Amy]

Genre: Folktales, young reader, picture book
Being from New England I got a laugh from the author's use certain dialect. This is a cute version of folk tales from New England. It can be kind of hard to follow for a child or anyone not from the area because of the use of the dialect. The illustrations are wonderful and enjoybale to look at. A young child may like this if it is being read to them.

[Tanja]

This is a fantastic collection of traditional tales, accompanied by great illustrations. The stories are really funny and I was amazed to discover one that I had heard in Germany in slightly different form. But younger readers might need some help in getting into the language used. Tomie DePaola is surely a master storyteller. Very entertaining!

[Finny]

Mommy says: This book is more for adults who are familiar with New Hampshire and Vermont. Text heavy and lots of New England country farmer jokes. Finny was rather bored, but he gamely stuck it out and listened to the whole dang book.

[Amy]

We listened to the audiobook read by Tomie dePaola and loved it. Sorta a New England version of Lake Wobegon for kids. Wish there were more stories.

I can't imagine it works as well as a regular book though - it was dePaola's pronunciations and delivery that made the subtle humor charming.

[Alaina Sloo]

I LOVE almost every one of Tomie dePaola's books, but the stories in this collection are a little underwhelming: silly, but without real high points to make them great for reading aloud to a group of children.

[Ginger]

An engaging collection of tales with typically wonderful illustrations by Toomie De Paola

[Wendy]

I am a huge Tomie dePaola fan and this is one of my absolute favorites!

[Kari]

Not sure if I really liked the format, and the dialect the reader is forced to read in.

[Sharon]

The best way to read this book (one of several favorites by dePaola) is out loud to someone else (adults would actually find it funnier than children)!

[Jeanette Johnson]

Fun and silly stories told with an accent. did you know there were more than 4 seasons?

[Stephanie]

What a humourous and fun book to read!

[Vickie]

This book required understanding New England dialect and humor.

[Hailey White]

I'm a big fan of the author and was looking forward to reading this to my children. Unfortunately we were underwhelmed. Specifically we did not care for the dialect and language usage.

[Theresa Schultz]

Tomie de Paola's tales of North Country Whoppers will bring a smile to your face and make you want to start planning that trip you've always wanted to take to New Hampsha and Vermont for a plattah of summah sausage and a pitcha of cidah. (Spellings courtesy of the glossary in the back of this entertaining book.