Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's [Hardcover]

E.L. Konigsburg (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1992

The many sights of New York provide daily distractions for Amy Elizabeth and Grandma as they attempt to find the time to go see Bloomingdale's.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Newbery Medalist Konigsburg ( From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler ), who featured her grandson, Samuel Todd, in two prior picture books, here names her heroine after her granddaughter. Youngsters may miss the irony of the title, since Amy Elizabeth--a Houston resident who is staying with her grandmother in Manhattan--never does make it to Bloomingdale's. Though they repeatedly plan to visit "the most famous store in the world," the duo gets sidetracked by some of the city's other attractions, including Chinatown, the Empire State Building, the Carnegie Deli and a Broadway musical. Amy Elizabeth's rambling, first-person narrative is chatty and entertaining, even if she doesn't always speak in credible, age-appropriate jargon--"I am a child who enjoys a good pickle." Konigsburg's large-scale, characteristically realistic color pictures, together with black-and-white panels similar to film frames, offer a vivid portrait of a distraction-filled city--and a most affectionate relationship between grandmother and granddaughter. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; First Edition edition (October 31, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689317662
• ISBN-13: 978-0689317668
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,326,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E. L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and be runner-up in the same year. In 1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the Newbery Medal and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was named Newbery Honor Book. Almost thirty years later she won the Newbery Medal once again for The View From Saturday. She has also written and illustrated three picture books: Samuel Todd's Book of Great Colors, Samuel Todd's Book of Great Inventions, and Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's. In 2000 she wrote Silent to the Bone, which was named a New York Times Notable Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, among many other honors.

After completing her degree at Carnegie Mellon University, Ms. Konigsburg did graduate work in organic chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. For several years she taught science at a private girls' school. When the third of her three children started kindergarten, she began to write. She now lives on the beach in North Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So sweet!, July 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's (Paperback)

I love this book very much. What an exquisite story and beautiful pictures! I have discovered a lot of things with Amy.
Thank you so much for this lovely book, E. L. Konigsburg!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT NYC PICTURE BOOK, March 18, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's (Hardcover)

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT NEW YORK CITY THAT I'VE EVER SEEN. IT'S COLORFUL, ENGAGING, AND FUN. THIS BOOK IS PERFECT FOR ANY SMALL CHILD THAT MIGHT BE ABOUT TO VISIT NYC, OR HAS JUST MOVED HERE

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious for this upstate-raised grown-up, July 24, 2005

By 

PK Tessler (NY's Hudson Valley) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's (Paperback)

I stumbled across this book and think it's just hilarious. I grew up 175 miles and 10 light years from NYC, and I can completely relate to Amy Elizabeth's experiences. Trains underground? Protest marches? Pooper scoopers? A newspaper with no comics? These things are the ones that *still* strike me as strange and wonderful about NYC.