|
|
(Larger Image)
|
A Nickel, A Trolley, A Treasure House
by Sharon Reiss Baker (Illustrator: Beth Peck)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Viking Juvenile (2007-03-15)
ISBN: 067005982X
EAN: 9780670059829
Hardcover: 32 pages
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
SKU: 05651
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Brand new with minor shelf wear.
|
Editorial Reviews
|
Product Description
Growing up on the Lower East Side, Lionel knows only a tiny tenement apartment and a few crowded streets. He scribbles drawings on every available scrap of paper but doesn’t think much of them—until he takes a momentous streetcar journey to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, he finds that the world is a wider and more exciting place than he could have imagined. With gentle humor and fondness, Sharon Reiss Baker tells a story based on her own family history. Evocative paintings by Beth Peck help capture both the safe familiarity of home and the glorious liberation of discovering the world beyond it.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Wonderful debut children's book
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-06-11
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
A Nickel, a Trolley, a Treasure House is Sharon Reiss Baker's debut children's book.
Talking place at the turn of last century, this is the story of young Lionel and his awakening to the world of art. Lionel lives on Ludlow Street in New York City and has never ventured beyond his own neighborhood. At least this is so until Miss Morrissey, his teacher, recognizes his gift for drawing and offers to take him on a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Once inside the museum, Lionel is overcome by the grandeur of the building and the treasures it contains. His imagination is sparked by what these artists have achieved, and he sees what might become of his own ability to draw.
This is a story of awakening and inspiration, and would encourage many a young artist. It is also a story about life at the turn-of-the-century. The illustrations that fill each page bring another era to life for today's youngsters. Illustrator Beth Peck has created beautiful, impressionistic scenes that will surely capture the imagination and bring young readers into a world quite different from their own. The illustrations are historically accurate, even down to the paintings at the Met, and would be a great introduction to early 20th century life in New York City.
The text is lengthy for a children's book, but could be read to children as young as five and enjoyed by older children who are almost ready for chapter books. I highly recommend this book for all youngsters with an inclination towards the arts. It would be a great prelude to a trip to the nearest art museum.
Armchair Interviews says: Wonderful way to introduce children to art appreciation.
|
|
Teachers change lives
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-04-05
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
A Nickel, a Trolley, a Treasure House is as much a pleasure for the adult reader as the listener. The elegant prose, with just the right amount of evocative detail, carries the reader to a time of cramped neighborhoods and narrow horizons, a time when nickels were scarce and families emphasized what was useful and practical. Lionel's passion for drawing is not valued at home. In fact, it is something that his parents hope he will outgrow so he can be more like his brothers who deliver dresses, sell chestnuts and ices and shine shoes on the corner. It takes a skilled and compassionate teacher to show Lionel the value of art--that it can let people "see the world through the artists' eyes." The prose is masterful and the drawings are worthy of the trip teacher and student take to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This is a perfect gift for any child who has a passion for any worthy pursuit. It is also a thoughtful gift for a teacher who has helped open your child's eyes to the magic of a broader world and has given encouragement to write, paint, create and dream.
|
|
A Nickel...
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-03-15
6 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
A child of an immigrant family in the early days of the century who spends his time drawing is under-appreciated in this delightful picture book. Although his parents complain that there's "not much use for it" Lionel persists in sketching and drawing on every possible scrap of paper and in every free moment he has. His ally is his oldest sister, Rose, who works in their mother's dress shop. It is she who provides him with cardboard and string from the shop and encourages his efforts. The other person who encourages his art is his teacher, Miss Morrissey, who has plans for the two of them--plans which involved a trip on a trolley. After worrying about the trolley fare, Lionel finds himself at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! What a feast for a child such as he, and for the reader as well, for Peck's illustrations are also art, painted loosely in wonderful muted colors evocative of the period. The book is marvelously designed as well. Enjoy.
For ages 6-8.
Reviewed by Marsha Posner.
|
|
|
|
|