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Summary
Summary
In town with her mother, a girl starts off with an empty green pocketbook and along the way collects pieces of her day to put inside, inventing stories for each treasure. The story is of a child and parent doing ordinary things that aren't ordinary because of the closeness of the relationship.
Author Notes
Candice Ransom was born in Virginia in 1952. She grew up in the country and spent most of her time daydreaming, creating stories in her head once she'd read all the books in her school library. After writing her first book at age 7, she has gone on to write over 100 books for children and young adults.
She has a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College and is earning a Masters in Children's Literature from Hollins University. Among her popular titles are The Big Green Pocketbook (1993), One Christmas Dawn (1996), The Promise Quilt (2002), and Liberty Street (2003). Her books have received numerous awards, including the Hodge Podge Society Best Children's Book; Pick of the List; Notable Trade Book in Social Studies; New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Book; New York Library Best One Hundred Book; IRA/Children's Choice; and ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Readers.
Ransom is also a ghostwriter for the Boxcar Children Mysteries, having written 18 titles for the series. She has started the Promise Quilt Literacy Project, which gives books to the children of the Virginia Appalachians. Instead of donating to individuals or to school libraries, Ransom sends 30 new books to a classroom, choosing a different school each month and giving the teacher the option of keeping the books in the classroom or letting each child take one home.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-- The nameless first-person narrator of this pleasant picture book is proud to carry a big green pocketbook just like her mother's blue one. As they set out for a trip to town, the little girl's purse is empty, but that is soon remedied. From the purple lollipop acquired at the bank, to the pocket calendar given at the dry cleaners and the new crayons from the drugstore, each stop means something new for the big green purse. All seems lost after the return trip, when the girl leaves her purse behind on the bus, but the friendly driver saves the day. This simple slice-of-life story is straightforward and convincingly told. The child's view is believably self-centered, yet her observations and activities will immediately spark recognition in readers. Bond's cheerful illustrations show a lively youngster exploring and enjoying the world around her. The pictures enhance the text by offering colorful glimpses of small-town life with a multicultural cast of characters. Those seeking an amusing everyday adventure will find it here. --Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ransom ( Thirteen ; Ladies and Jellybeans ) follows a likable girl and her mother as they run errands one day. The child has nothing to put inside her ``big green pocketbook that's just like Mama's,'' but friendly townspeople soon give her quite an assortment of items, from the punched bus tickets to a tiny calendar from the dry cleaner's. On the bus ride home, the content girl clutches her stuffed pocketbook as she dozes, but she manages to leave it behind when she and her mother reach their stop. Youngsters will be entirely satisfied with the expected happy ending to this sprightly narrative, which is studded with inventive imagery (cars coming over the hill ``look like pick-up ducks at the fair''; the bank's ``cool marble walls smell like pennies''). Bond, creator of the Poinsettia books and illustrator of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie , offers whimsical, cartoony pictures, placing contemporary characters against a pleasantly old-fashioned backdrop (the town has a five-and-ten and a drugstore with a bustling soda counter)--a playful and most suitable setting for this winsome story with its timeless theme. Ages 4-7. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A little girl and her mother board a bus for a day of errands, and at each store something special is placed in the girl's pocketbook. The child leaves the bag on the bus, but in a conclusion satisfying to young children, the friendly bus driver returns the purse. Fresh illustrations enhance the simple story. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When they board the bus to town, Mama takes her big blue pocketbook; the narrator's pocketbook is just like it--but green and empty. So it's all ready for memorabilia of the trip: punched tickets, a lollipop from the bank, a form from the insurance company, where she's allowed to use the typewriter, a tiny calendar from the cleaner, new crayons. The little girl is so sleepy, though, that she leaves it all on the bus. No problem: on his return trip, the driver drops it in the mailbox, where the child later leaves a thank you for him, drawn with her new crayons. A cozy, satisfying tale of an orderly world--simply told and illustrated with pictures in which the cheerful faces and tidy, spacious design nicely reflect the text's sunny flavor. (Picture book. 3-7)
Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. Every woman, regardless of age, knows the value of a pocketbook. In this engaging picture book, a little girl and her mother ride the bus into town for a morning of errands. Mama carries her blue pocketbook, full of important items, while the little girl's lovely green pocketbook is empty. At each place of business, people compliment the child on her pocketbook and give her something to put in it. By the end of the morning, used bus tickets, a lollipop, papers, a key chain, a calendar, a bag of gumdrops, and a new box of crayons have found a home in the pocketbook. When the tired little girl falls asleep on the bus ride home and leaves her pocketbook behind, she is naturally upset. Luckily, a caring driver drops off her valuable handbag on his trip back to the bus station. Bond's perky watercolor-and-line drawings, packed with delicious details, enhance the simple and smooth text, and the essence and enthusiasm of childhood glow from each carefully designed page. A solid choice for story hour. ~--Deborah Abbott