26 Fairmount Avenue

26 Fairmount Avenue
Tomie dePaola

Genre: Autobiograohy/Author Study

My Rating: 5 out of 5

26 Fairmount Avenue is a departure from Tomie dePaola's usual picture books as it is his first chapter book. Tomie dePaola says that for a long time, he avoided the task of writing a chapter book becaase the task seemed too daunting. However, after many letters from fans combined with a suggestion from his assistant to write about his childhood, dePaola took on the task, thus resulting in 26 Fairmount Avenue. The book begins in the year 1938, and the reader finds out that Tomie and his family are waiting for their house on 28 Fairmount Avenue to finish being built. Over ther year, many things happen to Tomie and his family: a hurricane, flooding, Tomie's first day of school, and a funny experience at the movies as Tomie watches his favorite illustrator, Walt Disney's, first full length film, Snow White. The stories are humorous, heart-warming, and classically Tomie dePaola.

As a long-time fan of Tomie dePaola's picture books, I was unsure how well I would receive his forst chapter book. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the autobiographical account of this year in dePaola's life. It is simply told in a conversational tone, and characters from his picture books make appearances that readers will appreciate. dePaola was able to translate the charm and simplicity of his picture books into an easy read chapter book that fans will certainly apreciate. I would recommend this book for 3rd through 5th grades, especially in conjunction with a lesson about writing autobiographies, or writing from personal experience and memory.