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PENNIES IN A JAR
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Written by
Dori Chaconas
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Illustrated by
Ted Lewin
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Hardcover: $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-56145-422-8
Total Pages: 32
Size: 10-1/2 x 10-1/2
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DORI CHACONAS is the author of several picture books, including One Little Mouse; On a Wintry Morning; Momma, Will You?; Christmas Mouseling; When Cows Come Home for Christmas; and Cork and Fuzz: Short and Tall. She lives in Wisconsin.You can visit Dori Chaconas's website at: www.dorichaconas.com
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Ted Lewin has illustrated many award-winning books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Peppe the Lamplighter. He lives in New York.You can visit Ted Lewin's website at: www.tedlewin.com
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When Dad went away to the war, I cried. He hugged me and told me to be brave.
But I was afraid of so many things…
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Accelerated Reader & Reading Counts Tests:
Reading Counts Test #: Q41835
Reading Counts Level: 3.7
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A young boy promises to be brave when his father goes off to fight in World War II. But it isn't always easy, especially now that he and his mother are alone and the air is punctuated by sirens.
Lots of things scare the boy, but he's especially wary of the street horses: Josephine, who pulls the ragman's wagon, and Nell, the milkman's nag, frighten the boy with their big teeth and wild eyes. Even Billy and Bucky, the garbage wagon horses whose feet are as big and heavy as buckets full of iron, make him nervous.
Then one day a stranger with a small pony named Freedom offers the boy an opportunity to create the perfect birthday present for his father. But that means digging down deep inside to find a new and special kind of courage...
Dori Chaconas has written a sensitive tale about a son’s steadfast love for his soldier father that transcends distance and circumstance. Illustrator Ted Lewin's stunning paintings beautifully capture the simple spirit of the 1940s home front.
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Reviews
"Chaconas conveys the language of the time (“lickety-split” and “humdinger,” for instance), and, even better, the perspective of a boy without his dad to protect him. Lewin’s sun-dappled, nostalgia-tinged watercolors lovingly depict the boy either in motion (in his eagerness to earn the pennies to buy Dad a birthday present) or at a safe distance from the big animals. "Booklist “Lewin’s striking watercolors are filled with light and depth. An excellent author’s note, complete with photos and illustrations, explains how folks at home worked together to support the troops.”The Sunday Plain Dealer “This quiet story takes readers back to a time and place very different from today, but one that will resonate with contemporary children…”School Library Journal “Chaconas’s narrative hits the right notes.”Kirkus Reviews “A good way to ease into discussion of parents in the military today.”Booklist
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Awards
* 2007 Society of Illustrator's Original Art
* 2008 Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List
(primary - starred review)
* 2008 CCBC Choices 2008 (Picture Books for School-Aged Children)
* 2008 The Best Children’s Books of the Year (Bank Street College of Education)
* Honorable Mention, 2007 Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award
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More books by Author/Illustrators:
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Dancing with Katya
A moving, dramatic story of the transforming power of love and the strong bonds between siblings that even polio cannot weaken.
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