The Orange Shoes

by Trinka Hakes Noble, Doris Ettlinger (Illustrator)

Overview

Delly Porter has a happy life. She needs new shoes, but doesn't really mind because she loves the soft, silky feel of the dirt road beneath her bare feet. She's a good artist, too, even if she has to make her own art supplies. And she loves her schoolteacher, Miss Violet, who lets her help in the classroom. Life only looks brighter when Miss Violet announces the school will have a Shoebox Social to help raise funds for new art materials. But when what should be a festive occasion is threatened by prejudice and cruelty, Delly finds out that one must stay true to oneself to successfully navigate life's joys and sorrows. From Trinka Hakes Noble, the author of The Scarlet Stockings Spy and The Last Brother, comes the story of a young girl who learns the most precious things in life are not measured in dollars and cents but by the warmth of one's heart. And that truth, beauty, and love are in the eye of the beholder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585362776
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	09/01/2007
Series:	Sleeping Bear Picture Books
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	430,997
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	NC1010L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-4
Delly Porter's happy life includes her closely knit, though poor, family; her wise, appreciative teacher; and her love of art. Miss Violet encourages the children's families to take part in a "Shoebox Social" to raise funds for art supplies. As this festive event approaches, Delly, who still walks to school barefoot in October, must face many challenges while confirming the difficulties that life offers. Her father desperately needs new tires for his truck but surprises Delly with a new pair of shoes for the social. She can't wait to show them off, and wears them at recess with disastrous results. The mean girls stomp on them and do their best to scuff and gouge the beautiful orange leather. Devastated, she does the only thing she knows how to do; she gets out some paints and decorates her shoebox and her shoes with pretty vines and flowers. Delly's box commands the highest bid, but it comes from an unlikely source. This warm, heartfelt story is best suited for sharing aloud with children and their parents. The narrative is long and somewhat complex. Ettlinger's portrayal of Delly's rural home and the glimpses of her family and school life add a strong sense of place to this poignant offering.
—Andrea TarrCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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