Showing results by author "Tomie DePaola" in All Categories

Tommy is four years old, and he loves visiting the home of his grandmother, Nana Downstairs, and his great-grandmother, Nana Upstairs. But one day Tommy's mother tells him Nana Upstairs won't be there anymore, and Tommy must struggle with saying good-bye to someone he loves. This classic story will continue to win the hearts of listeners of all ages.

These laugh-out-loud stories from New Hampshire and Vermont are set during the four seasons of the year. The storyteller in his appealing dialect tells little-known tales, among them "Mothah Skunk" and the night she had to move out with her kits because Sherman Curtis smelled so bad; the escapades of Big Gertie Benson, the lumberjacks' cook and a cousin of the Bunyans in the Midwest; and George Petty, who delivered the mail even during mud season by standing on the back of his horse with only his head sticking out.

First-grader Tomie dePaola experiences uncertainty in the weeks following the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. What are the grown-ups talking quietly about at home and even at school? Why does his class have to go to the spooky furnace room for an air-raid drill? Why does the family hang thick black curtains over the windows? Tomie's mother is there to comfort and explain the confusion, and Tomie feels better...but he's still scared.

When Charlie's old cloak becomes torn and tattered, he spins a new one showing how cloth is made from wool.

Tomie has his own diary with a lock and a key—now he can write down all his secrets and no one will be able to read them. All through the year, exciting things happen and Tomie writes about them in his diary. Sledding down the steep hill on his new Junior Flexible Flyer, being a pirate in the dance recital, and starting second grade with real art lessons at last! Then one Sunday morning Tomie's family hears news on the radio that changes everything. Master storyteller Tomie dePaola takes us back to 1941 and lets us experience what life was like growing up in the dePaola household.

Tomie keeps hearing the phrase, "For the duration." Gas is being rationed "for the duration." The Fourth of July fireworks will be the last show "for the duration." So many things will be different as long as the war goes on, but much of Tomie's life goes on as usual. He's excited about starring in a dance recital, taking the bus around town all by himself, and having his first Communion. But Tomie is also still getting over his cousin's death in the war, and he has to say good-bye to his uncle as he ships off to basic training.

Tommy is so excited. His first-grade class is putting on a play about Peter Rabbit, and he’s sure to get the starring role. But in his enthusiasm, Tommy talks too much in class, so his teacher decides that he should play Mopsy instead - and Mopsy doesn’t have any lines! Tommy is disappointed until he gets an idea. If he can’t be the star, he can still get the audience’s attention by reacting to everything Peter Rabbit does. But how will Tommy’s mother and teacher react to his performance?