The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

By: Don Robertson

Narrated by: Tony Barbour

On a quiet autumn afternoon in 1944, nine-year-old Morris Bird III decides to visit a friend who lives on the other side of town. So he grabs the handle of his red wagon and, with his little sister in tow, begins an incredible pilgrimage across Cleveland...and out of childhood forever.

Set against the backdrop of one of the worst industrial disasters in American history, Don Robertson's enduring, beloved masterwork is a remarkable story of destiny, bravery, and responsibility - as fresh and relevant as when it first appeared in print.

©1965 Don Robertson (P)1980 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"The humor and pathos of World War II childhood are vividly brought to life in this absorbing [listening] of Don Robertson's novel. Told at a leisurely pace from the point of view of nine-year-old Morris Bird III, the story savors the atmosphere of small-town life in war-time America. Through adept dialogue the various characters and situations unfold in a natural manner without need of sound effects." ( Booklist)

The Greatest thing since sliced bread

I love how young the hero sounds compared to the children of today. And yet by the end of the story he is grown in stature, that we could only hope for a child in today's world. Set in 1944, in Cleveland, a world as difficult and as safe as can be lived in, a child goes on an epic journey of 4 miles and gets his reward. I loved all the vignettes to color the landscape of the time. I loved how the time was not perfect and everything upright. It was messy but you try hard and do your best.

Great!

Loved it, and the narrator was perfect for it! I read this years and years ago, one of my favorite books ever.

Admirable Characters

The narrator mimicked the children's voices well, in some cases too well such that their words were annoying.

However, as the story progresses, the children develop and grow, and you see just how admirable of characters children can be.

A Classic

Robertson has been one of my favorite writers for over 40 years. This is not my 1st time reading this wonderful book. His ability to place you a space and time is uncanny. His characters, minor ones or major become living, breathing people who you know a you find yourself living among the. He places you in the joy of living and it’s sorrow while leading to the heroics of the Everyman and to the worm that is always in that big shiny apple that is life!

Splendid rendition of a modern American classic

I'm mortified that this audio book has been available since 2015, and I didn't discover that until 2018. The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread has been one of my favorite novels since I first read it in 1972, when I was not much older than Morris Bird III. The book grows and reveals so many truths along with the reader, and narrator Tony Barbour's dry, even delivery is completely perfect.

It's hard to convey the timeless wit and wonder of this story - so tender and so funny and so inspiring. It's mostly focused on 9-year old Morris Bird the Third, in Cleveland Ohio in the midst of World War II, but encompasses the adjacent stories of his many neighbors during a single, disastrous day. The pivotal event really happened, but the characters are fictitious. Hard to believe, because Robertson's writing makes you swear you witnessed the whole thing.

My All-Time Favorite Novel

I’ve read this book ten or twelve times. As
soon as I finish, I want start over again.