This book is actually an autobiographical book about the childhood life of the author Tomie DePaola. The author recollects events that surrounded his new home being built on 26 Fairmount Avenue. He talks about a hurricane, his first day of school, his daily activities and spending time with his family.

I really enjoyed reading this book; the author did an exceptional job of detailing his childhood memories. I especially liked the way he describes in detail how he spends time with his family members, it was so encouraging. Another technique that he used, that was really nice, was his explaining in detail what a word meant, words that are not necessarily used on a day-to-day basis, this I think is a good way for helping the reader understand better, especially for a child reader. The illustrations were fabulous, they were very detailed and superbly drawn, and flowed so well, they gave the feeling of being right there in that moment of time. Since this book is part of a series put out by this author, I look forward to reading more of his writings.

For my class project, I would have my students get into groups and discuss the story among each other. I would have them write down what parts of the story they really liked and why and also list some examples of how they can relate to Tomie in their own lives. They could then share with the rest of the class what they had written, to compare thoughts with the other groups. A fun, hands-on project for this story would be to have the students stay in their groups, and each group construct one of the different scenes from the story using the craft supplies, by building or drawing the particular scene. I would write each scene on a small piece of paper and put them all in a box, and then going group by group, I would draw out which scene that that group would be responsible for constructing. This would be a great way of relating to the excellent, vivid scenes that were given in the story, and it gives each of the students an opportunity to give the scene their own special, creative touch.

A humorous memoir of dePaola's childhood. I loved it!
It definitely deserves to be read by everyone of all ages!
Reminded me of the movie, "The Christmas Story,"
in a G-rated, chapter book form :-) ( )

This book was a Newbery Honor book in 2000. This book is an autobiography about one year in dePaola's life, the year his family moved to their new home on Fairmount Ave. AR 4.4, 1 point.

GINGER BICKLEYS REVIEW (11/17)
i think this is a really good book,
I enjoy the writing style of Tomie dePalo, and they are fun to read.
It was one of the first books i ever read. i personally don't think it is a high school or middle school level, more like 1st or 2nd graders. This book is a light hearted tale about Tomie dePaola, (he wrote it about himself), and is a nice easy
book. dealing with the life of a small child, It is a great book for younger children because i feel it relates to real issues they could be having. Also because it tells the story in a fun captivating manner. A few of the Characters are, Tomie; himself, his big brother billy, his mom and his dad. He has to go through some hard times in this book, like when his grandma dies. But also funny like when him and his grandma are strapped to chairs so they wont fall out, or when he is almost blown away Via-umbrella. Some major changes that happen in his life during this book are things like having there house built, new additions to his family, new friends and lots more! It is a great book to read if you want something light, and extremely easy, to read to a younger sibling, friend or cousin. ( )

dePaola’s childhood--

not much happens in this book.

Why would kids care now? ( )