19 Girls and Me [Hardcover]

Darcy Pattison (Author), Steven Salerno (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2006 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

John Hercules Po’s kindergarten class is made up of 19 girls . . . and him. His older brother warns him not to let all those girls turn him into a sissy, but as John Hercules Po discovers, he needn’t worry. As he and the girls let their imaginations run wild during recess, they end up digging all the way to The Great Wall of China, floating on the Amazon river, singing to the Man on the Moon, and racing a car 600 miles per hour.

So . . . 19 girls and 1 lone boy? Nope, even better—20 good friends.

By the acclaimed author of The Journey of Oliver K.Woodman and the illustrator of Bedtime! comes this delightful story that parents will adore just as much as their children.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–John Hercules Po has more than the usual angst about starting kindergarten–there are 19 girls in class 9B and one lone boy–him! His brother, a second grader, is worried that the girls will turn John Hercules into a sissy, but John Hercules says he's going to turn them into tomboys. Each recess during the first week of school, class 9B has terrific fun using everyday outdoor objects as bridges to imaginary adventures in exotic places. When the second graders and the kindergartners have a picnic together on Friday, John Hercules informs his brother that there are no sissies or tomboys in 9B, just friends. The mixed-media illustrations include wild color combinations and dizzying perspectives that provide the backdrops for the children, drawn in a stylishly simple but endearing cartoon style. Readers will have almost as much fun with this title as these 20 energetic and happy classmates have together.–Shelley B. Sutherland, Niles Public Library, IL
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About the Author

Darcy Pattison lives in Arkansas.

Steven Salerno lives in New York, New York.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (June 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399243364
• ISBN-13: 978-0399243363
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Darcy Pattison is an Arkansas children's book author and writing teacher.

WRITING TEACHER:
In 1999, she created the Novel Revision Retreat, which she now teaches across the nation. For more, see http://www.darcypattison.com/speaking/ Books about how-to write include:

NOVEL METAMORPHOSIS: Uncommon Ways to Revise
PAPER LIGHTNING: Prewriting Activities to Spark Creativity and Help
Students Revise Better

CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR:
Translated into eight languages, her four picture books and one middle grade novel, have been recognized for excellence by starred reviews, Book of the Year awards, state award lists and more. She is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature. Titles include:

THE JOURNEY OF OLIVER K. WOODMAN
SEARCHING FOR OLIVER K. WOODMAN
19 GIRLS AND ME
THE RIVER DRAGON
THE WAYFINDER (Now in Kindle format!)

2011 TITLES:
THE SCARY SLOPES
PRAIRIE STORMS
11 WAYS TO RUIN A PHOTOGRAPH

2012 TITLES:
WISDOM THE ALBATROSS: SURVIVING THE JAPANESE TSUNAMI
DESERT BATHS

For more see darcypattison.com/about

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the Enlightened View I was Seeking, December 8, 2010

By 

DayleyA (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 19 Girls and Me (Hardcover)

This is an adorable story and one I enjoyed reading. I picked it up at our local library hoping to find more gender-even reading for my son-- it seems all his books are about boys and all the books about girls are about princesses! As I said, the overall message is good: "girls can be fun, too", essentially. But my hope is for a book that stops giving children ideas for what biases there ARE to overcome and focus more on books that simply portray the world as it should be in the eyes of a child who does not have those prejudices inborn in them. Labeling little girls as "sissy" and little boys as tougher or more "tomboy" as the author does is exactly the kind of thing many modern parents are trying to avoid. I see what Pattison was going for, and I applaud her intent, but I think she missed the mark.

In addition, as negative as I thought this could possibly be for my little boy, I'd hate to have it around if we ever have a daughter-- 19 little girls who follow one little boy around in a line and let him decide what they do every day at recess? No, thank you. I'm still hunting for egalitarian children books, I guess. If that is not your goal, and you are just looking for a sweet book with a good story and cute illustrations, this is a great one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 19 Girls and Me + Me + My Daughter = FUN!, December 18, 2006

By 

Candie Moonshower "Candie Moonshower" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 19 Girls and Me (Hardcover)

I love this book for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that my daughter, in first grade, totally digs the story of John Hercules Po and his adventures with his 19 friends in Mrs. Ray's Kindergarten--19 friends who just happen to be GIRLS! The repetition is fun, and the imaginative adventures that the kids think up delight both of us! I've already taken the book to school twice and read it in a few different classes, and the kids eyes are big--and their smiles are bigger--as I regale them with the developing friendship between John Hercules Po and his 19 new friends! The book imparts an excellent message without clobbering the reader over the head with it--nicely done! Salerno's illustrations add to the fun!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever story - wonderful illustrations, September 29, 2006

By 

Terrie Whitten (South Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 19 Girls and Me (Hardcover)

John Hercules Po - can his name get any better? John Hercules has a great imagination and takes his all-female classmates on wonderful adventures during recess. But playing with girls can elicit name-calling from brothers. This is a very enjoyable ride of a picture book with a satisfying ending and illustrations that lushly depict the imaginary world while the real world of school remains dull and drab. Great for entering kindergarteners, early grades and a definite read over and over book!