Tag: Newbery Medal

Book Review: The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

Children! Pah! Children were like starlings—witless, twittering, little pests. Besides, children meant homes and responsibilities and regular work and Armand was perfectly content living under a bridge in the city he loves more than anything else. But his perfect life changes when a gypsy woman grabs his arm and says, “You will meet with adventure today.” Then Armand meets three red-headed children, a shaggy dog that should have been white, and a proud mother determined to keep her family together. Oh, lá, lá! Adventure has certainly found Armand!

Recipient of the 1959 John Newbery Medal, The Family Under the Bridge is a charming, heartwarming story set against the backdrop of the picturesque and historic city of Paris. Natalie Savage Carlson’s story is brimming with the sights, sounds, and smells of one of the world’s most romantic cities and gives us a curmudgeon with a heart of gold through our reluctant hero, Armand Pouly. Despite his most valiant efforts, Armand opens his home and heart to this irresistible brood and becomes all the better for it.

The author sets her story during Christmas time, which is fitting as it is the season of hope, faith, and family. Family is a strong theme throughout Carlson’s book, as the children and their mother struggle against financial and social pressures to stay together. As the eldest child, Suzy, is always saying, “We’re a family and we have to stick together.” Themes of humility, kindness, and pride also permeate this lovely story as the children’s mother lets go of her pride to accept the help she greatly needs and Armand realizes that perhaps having your heart stolen by starlings isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Perhaps Armand himself sums it up best when he says, “It isn’t walls and furniture that make a home. It’s the family.” Armand always wanted adventure. Little did he know at the time that the family under the bridge would provide him with the adventure of a lifetime.

Rating: 5/5

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater (J Fiction)

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Richard and Florence Atwater (J Fiction)

Mr. Popper is a painter who’s never left his little town of Stillwater. He loves his wife, has two wonderful children, and a nice little house that has been painted and papered more times than Mrs. Popper can count. But Mr. Popper dreams of being an explorer and traveling to see those cute penguins that he’s read so much about. His dream of adventure comes one step closer to reality when the famous Admiral Drake sends him a penguin straight from the South Pole. Little did Mr. Popper realize how one little penguin would begin an unforgettable journey that even Admiral Drake would envy.

Winner of the 1939 Newbery Honor Book award, Mr. Popper’s Penguins was devotedly finished by Florence Atwater after her husband Richard was too ill to finish his enchanting story about love, loyalty, selflessness, and family. A funny and quirky story about a man filled with regret who suddenly finds himself the caretaker of a colony of penguins. Even the fastidious Mrs. Popper can’t help but fall in love with this goofy and curious lot who quickly capture the imagination and adoration of their little town and the country.

It’s quite extraordinary to see how much life imitates art when you realize how, like Florence, Mrs. Popper steps up to see her husband’s dream realized. Although Florence Atwater might not have had to deal with the financial burden of a rookery of penguins, she did finish what her husband started and did so in spectacular fashion as the Atwater’s book continues to be a beloved children’s classic over eight decades after it was published.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is more than just a story about penguins. It’s a beautiful ode to anyone who’s experienced true love. Mrs. Popper sacrifices her home, her life, and the family’s financial stability to support a husband she loves. In turn, Mr. Popper has to make a very difficult decision regarding his beloved penguins—keep them by accepting a lucrative Hollywood contract or release them back to the arctic and never see them again. Author Bob Goff wrote, “Selfless love is always costly; fear can’t afford it, pride doesn’t understand it and friends never forget it.” You can be sure that twelve little penguins won’t soon forget it either.

Rating: 5/5

Want to share Mr. Popper with your homeschooler or classroom? Download our study guide: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Study-Guide-Mr-Poppers-Penguins-by-Richard-and-Florence-Atwater-12118927

Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (J Newbery Medal)

Thimble Summer

Elizabeth Enright (J Newbery Award)

It was the hottest day in the entire history of the world. At least it felt like it to Garnet Linden as she looked out over her family’s dying crops. Where was the rain? If it didn’t come soon, they would have to harvest their oats for hay and wouldn’t have enough money to pay their mounting bills. On top of all that, her father needed a new barn. Her family not only needed rain, they needed a miracle, but all Garnet had was a small silver thimble that she’d found in the damp, sandy flats of the river. What possible good could that ever do?

Elizabeth Enright’s Thimble Summer received the Newbery Medal in 1939. Her book is a culmination of her grandmother’s childhood stories, her mother’s school days, her own experiences, and various memories of her friends and relatives. All told, Enright gives us a nine-year-old’s memorable summer filled with a high-speed bus ride, runaway chickens, a blue ribbon, a new sibling, and an unexpected sleepover in the town library. Thimble Summer is charming, engaging, and the ideal read for a young reader looking for adventure and suspense without any of the tragedy. It highlights the kindness of strangers and reminds us that family is so much more than blood. Although this story wouldn’t translate well today (as a nine-year old hitchhiking to another town would elicit a call from both local law enforcement and child protective services), readers still have to admire Garnet’s hutzpah when it comes to showing her older brother that she isn’t a total failure while looking good doing it!

In her Newbery Medal acceptance speech, Enright noted the joy she gleaned from writing about children for children since “a child sees everything sharp and radiant; each object with its shadow beside it. Happiness is more truly happiness than it will ever be again, and is caused by such little things.” I think through Garnet Linden, Elizabeth Enright is encouraging all of us to hold onto the magic of delighting in the little things that life has to offer so that we too can experience our very own thimble summer.

Rating: 5/5

* Book cover image attributed to: www.amazon.com