Little Joe
4.8
6
5
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780375860973 |
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| Publisher: | Random House Children's Books |
| Publication date: | 08/24/2010 |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.56(w) x 11.04(h) x 0.75(d) |
| Lexile: | 710L (what's this?) |
| Age Range: | 8 - 12 Years |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Little Joe
4.8 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
6 reviews.
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I picked up Little Joe, looking for a story about farm life and what I found was a wonderful tale of compassion and coming of age for a young boy. Little Joe is cast in a rural setting where a young boy, Eli, is given the opportunity to raise his first show cow from birth. With a long history in his family of prized show animals, Eli finds himself struggling to reconcile the beliefs of his father, regarding raising cows for beef, to the feelings he begins to develop on his own as he engages in the life of Little Joe. Little Joe is a warm tale of very human issues, of family differences and of the process of growing up and into one's own. Sandra Neil Wallace's use of language left me feeling refreshed, as if I discovered a new author who truly knows how to write. The story became one I did not want to put down, anxiously awaiting the outcome of Little Joe. As a city-kid, this book gave me an insight into how different a rural child's upbringing and life-issues might be, while also surprisingly letting me know, some growing up experiences are not too far apart no matter how far the corn or the concrete stretches. I loved the story, and I loved the resources Wallace has on her website between blue ribbons for her readers to teacher guides to engage the student's beyond just the story. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this very talented new voice!
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Little joe is a wonderful must read book ages big and small will enjoy it very much.
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Little joe is off the hook
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It is a smile and cry kind of book
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It's rare that a novel for newly independent readers is as fascinating in authentic details as it is in storytelling. Little Joe certainly is. The book has just been chosen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a selection for its National Reading Program, called Agriculture in the Classroom, and says, "Little Joe is a compassionate, realistic tale of a young boy who raises a bull calf for competition in his county fair. Great for young readers who are starting chapter books, this book presents a picture of one family's daily life and their struggles and triumphs. Though heartwarming and engaging to the reader, this book remains an accurate, in-depth account of life on the farm."
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Ms. Wallace has done an outstanding job of capturing the rhythms, joys, and setbacks of life on a small Pennsylvania cattle farm. The relationship between nine-year-old Eli and his newborn calf demonstrates the boy's vulnerabilities as he and Little Joe grow from childhood toward maturity over the course of three seasons on the farm. Underlying the vivid and exciting moments as they prepare for the county fair is the understanding that the auction at the fair will be their last time together. Strong characterizations and authentic dialogue show a powerful dichotomy in the attitude toward raising cattle between Eli's father and grandfather, and illustrate Eli's own struggle to find the balance. The author shows a learned ear for the nuances and subtleties of everyday rural speech, bringing even the secondary characters to life with humor and compassion. This is a great read-aloud -- my kids love it.
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