The Stories Huey Tells

by Ann Cameron, Roberta Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

It isn't easy being Julian's younger brother.  When Huey has bad dreams, Julian says it's no big deal.  When Huey orders trout in a restaurant and it comes to the table whole with an eye looking straight up at him, Julian reminds Huey he'd better eat it all.  And when Huey wants to study animal tracks with Julian and his friend Gloria, Julian tells him he's too young.  But he's not a little kid.  He's six years old and he's an adventurer, a chef, a tracker, a scout--and much more!  Set in large type with wide margins, these five short, funny, and satisfying stories have all the originality and sparkle of the Julian books with a fresh new voice.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307560247
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/02/2009
Series:	Julian's World: A Stepping Stone Book (TM)
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Lexile:	620L (what's this?)
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Ann Cameron was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. She earned a BA with honors from Radcliffe College in Massachusetts in 1965, where she studied poetry with Robert Lowell and R. S. Fitzgerald. She earned a master's degree at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1974. Today, Cameron is the bestselling author of many popular books for children, including The Stories Julian Tells, More Stories Julian Tells, The Stories Huey Tells, and More Stories Huey Tells.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-3Julian first introduced himself and his loving African American family in Stories Julian Tells (Pantheon, 1981). Here, his younger brother, Huey, picks up the narrative as he describes important events in his life. Throughout these five interconnected stories Huey shines through as a creative and resourceful child who expresses the concerns and feelings of a fairly typical six year old. However, while this new collection addresses childhood concerns with charm and insight, it does not exhibit the same verve, lively humor, and poetic language evident in the first book about Julian. Much of the vivacity in that title emanated from Dad, whose flamboyant character, sensitivity to his children, and sense of humor provided a kind of balance to childhood preoccupations. Here, Cameron focuses almost exclusively on developing Huey's character, which he expresses freely within the bounds set by caring but vaguely defined adults. The format follows that of the earlier books but with less success. Smith's wooden faces in her black-and-white drawings and her static, unimaginative design fail to enliven the text. Nonetheless, youngsters just moving into chapter books may find the oversized print and short selections appealing, and they're sure to relate to Huey's experiences.Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME

School Library Journal

nger for reading aloud. Cameron adds another warm, friendly chapter book to her popular series about Julian and his family. This time the narrator is Julian's younger brother, Huey, who's eager, innocent, vulnerable, and smart. Six-year-old Huey hates it when Julian puts him down ("He always acts like nothing I say is important" ), but Huey gets his own back when he fools Julian with a clever trick. In a wonderfully messy cooking episode, Huey concocts Banana Spaghetti for his mother's birthday breakfast, and by the time it's ready (with the help of Dad), every ingredient has been taken out of the kitchen cupboard and every appliance has been used. In another episode the family eats in a smart restaurant, and Huey loses his appetite when he sees the trout's head on the plate, with its big, sad eye looking straight at him. Cameron writes with a light touch, and Roberta Smith's lively black-and-white illustrations show the mischief and the love in Huey's happy African American family. Kids everywhere will recognize their fears, dreams, and jokes in Huey's daily adventures.

Hazel Rochman

Warm-hearted and winning."—The Horn Book

"Gentler than Beverly Cleary's Ramona series but with much of the same authenticity and insight, Huey's stories give younger readers a protagonist they'll enjoy knowing."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A book for sharing in the classroom and at home."—Booklist

From the Publisher