A Picnic in October

by Eve Bunting, Nancy Carpenter (Illustrator)

Overview

A powerful tribute to the true meaning of liberty

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152050658
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	09/28/2004
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	93,918
Product dimensions:	10.75(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.14(d)
Lexile:	AD310L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

EVE BUNTING has written over two hundred books for children, including the Caldecott Medal-winning Smoky Night, illustrated by David Diaz, The Wall, Fly Away Home, and Train to Somewhere. She lives in Southern California.

Nancy Carpenter, illustrator of many successful picture books, lives in Brooklyn, New York.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Poignant . . . Bunting's patriotic story . . . never grows soppy."—Publishers Weekly

"Bunting warmly captures the lasting emotional impact that the first sighting of the statue can have on hopeful new arrivals . . . Excellent."—School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

"Poignant . . . Bunting's patriotic story . . . never grows soppy."--Publishers Weekly

"Bunting warmly captures the lasting emotional impact that the first sighting of the statue can have on hopeful new arrivals . . . Excellent."--School Library Journal

From the Publisher

A contemporary Italian-American family living in New York City makes its annual pilgrimage to Liberty Island to celebrate the birthday of the Statue of Liberty in this poignant picture book. Young Mike thinks a picnic in blustery October is just plain dumb ("Why do we always have to do this?"); he's embarrassed by his grandparents' unflagging enthusiasm for this outing. But when Mike observes a family of new Americans who have also come to pay their respects to Lady Liberty, he gains insight into this symbol of freedom--and his Italian grandparents' gratitude at arriving in the United States. Bunting's (So Far from the Sea) patriotic story includes several hallmarks of now-familiar immigrant stories but never grows soppy, due in large part to Mike's lightly irreverent voice. Carpenter (Twinnies, with Bunting) captures a touch of the "huddled masses" as she depicts crowds on the subway and on the ferry in her vibrant acrylics. Ages 5-10. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A contemporary Italian-American family living in New York City makes its annual pilgrimage to Liberty Island to celebrate the birthday of the Statue of Liberty in what PW called a "poignant picture book." Ages 6-9. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

This is a picture book about a New York City family's bus and ferryboat ride to attend their Grandmother's annual October birthday party on Liberty Island, home of the Statue of Liberty. We see and hear young Tony as he struggles to make personal sense of his family's ritual event. To Tony, the whole performance is too far, too cold, and just plain too embarrassing--until he understands why. Art and text present a strong three-generation family supporting their matriarch. Tony comes to realize the value of family in the trip to Grandmother's birthday picnic. Art depicting harbor vistas and "zoom ins" of family faces make a satisfying storybook whole.

Children's Literature - Carolyn Dennette Michaels