Hattie and the Wild Waves: A Story From Brooklyn

For the right audience, wonderful. I found it rather boring, and I couldn't help feeling the plight of the servants. I hope the big sister is happy, now that she's been a beautiful bride... that was apparently her only life goal, so now what? And the mother, who is reduced to shopping and playing cards with her nearly grown youngest daughter... phew, what a life.

The biggest problem, for me, is that Hattie (Mae Bossert) was never sufficiently successful to have her work preserved enough to show up in a google search, except for one still life study. I suppose if one has family support, one can follow one's dreams even without talent?

A great book book about following your dreams and being individualistic, about not being afraid to be different. Although this is a picture book, the author does not talk down to the children and use kid language. The story is based on the life of the author's mother and describes what it was like to grow up in Brooklyn in a prospering German-American family during the late 1800's. There is a lot of description about family and how they lived. German words are interspersed in the conversation of the text. Each illustration has many details, and much information can be learned about the life and times through the elaborate paintings.

This is an enjoyable tale told by Barbara Cooney about her mother becoming an artist. The story is beautifully illustrated and accurate in its depiction of life for the wealthy in the U.S during the 1800's.

Unlike previous books I've read by this artists and writer, this one fell flat. A rich young girl whose parents move from winter and summer lush homes, with houses of many serants.

There really isn't a story line here.

45 months - love Barbara Cooney's illustrations and her stories. I really enjoyed this one the only downfall... It's a long one which makes it really hard to pull out and read as a bedtime story. O always likes to read 4 or more books before bed which is just not possible with this one. Still a lovely story and the illustrations are beautiful American Folk.

The main character of this book has big dreams! She wants to be a painter. Would be great intro into art and would also be good for a grand conversation about dreams students could have for themselves.

I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as Miss Rumphius. The illustrations were beautiful though. Worth a look.