Lentil
by Robert McCloskey
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Description
Lentil's harmonica playing saves the day when calamity threatens the homecoming celebration for the leading citizen of Alto, Ohio.Tags
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Member Reviews
Oh how nostalgic. Love the names of the boy and the town, Lentil and Alto. Love the series of images as the boy walks through the town practicing his harmonica. Love the ending. Not so sure I like the message that Sneep's attitude needs reforming - maybe he has a point about Carter.
All that a child's book should be. Lovely to look at, intriguing to think about. A young boy wants to make music but finds he does not have the voice to sing, nor the talent to whistle. He is introduced to a harmonica. Eventually, he and his harmonica save the day, proving that ..."you never can tell what will happen when you learn to play the harmonica."
An almost fable like story of a boy who so wanted to sing but couldn't get out a note, just AHRK! And he couldn't whistle because he couldn't pucker. He wanted to make music so resourcefully chose to play the harmonica which he worked very hard at and became very good. His hard work paid off and saved the day for the entire town when a grumpy old man tried to ruin the very important event of Colonel Carter coming to town.
A little boy finds that his practice learning to play a harmonica pays off. Harmless, but nothing special that I would go out of my way for. McCloskey's illustrations are wonderful, though.
Lentil was sad that he was not able to sing so he saved up for a harmonica. He played his harmonica everywhere and everyone loved the music except for Old Sneep. There was news the Colonel Carter was returning and the town got ready to welcome him home. When Colonel Carter steps out of the train Old Sneep distracts the band from playing causing confusion. Lentil saves the day with his harmonica. GENRE: realistic fiction. USES: to teach confidence, and problem solving. CRITIQUE: This book is set in the past in a small town with colonel, so it is not very relatable to kids in that way. However kids can relate to not being good at something like singing, and finding an alternative solution. MEDIA: pencil.
Great book to teach a child about not giving up. A young boy wanted to be a singer, but he did not have the ability. He decides to get a harmonica instead and practices all the time. At the end, he plays for the Colonel b/c he never gave up!
Always one of my favorite books to read! Takes a boy who can't sing and then thru some struggles finds out he is special and can play the harmonica.
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Author Information
32+ Works 38,535 Members
Robert McCloskey was born in Hamilton, Ohio on September 14, 1914. In 1932, he won a scholarship to the Vesper George Art School in Boston. Two years later he was commissioned to execute bas-reliefs for the municipal building in his hometown. Then he moved to New York to study at the National Academy of Design. He painted for two summers on Cape show more Cod, but only sold a few water colors during that time. After meeting with a children's book editor, he moved back Ohio and began to draw and paint the things around him in everyday life. The result was Lentil, the story of a boy and his harmonica in a typical Midwestern town. He returned to New York, where Viking Press acquired the book. He then got a job in Boston, assisting Francis Scott Bradford in making an enormous mural of famous people of Beacon Hill. It was there that he got the idea for Make Way for Ducklings, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1942. During World War II, he was a sergeant in the Army. Stationed in Alabama, he was assigned to draw training pictures. After the war, he continued to write and illustrate children's books including Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Time of Wonder, and Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man. Time of Wonder was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1958, making McCloskey the first artist to receive this honor twice. In 1974, he was awarded the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association for continued distinguished contribution to children's literature. He died on June 30, 2003 at the age of 88. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Lentil
- Original publication date
- 1940
- People/Characters
- Lentil
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 1,550
- Popularity
- 14,764
- Reviews
- 16
- Rating
- (3.81)
- Languages
- Chinese, English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 19
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 19