My Aunt Came Back (Harper Growing Tree) [Hardcover]

Pat Cummings (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: Harper Growing Tree

My aunt came back.

For toddlers just discovering the joy of mimicking words and sounds, this exuberant chant is perfect to read aloud.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Cummings combines rollicking verse with vibrant full-page illustrations to create an eye-catching, toe-tapping board book. "My aunt came back/from Timbuktu/She brought me back/a wooden shoe" is one of the seven rhymes that features a jazzy young woman who brings presents from all over the world to her adoring niece. While places such as Bucharest, Pakistan, and Beijing, and items such as a parasol (from Montreal) and a red beret (from Mandalay) will be new to most preschoolers, the lilting text will have them chanting along before too many repeat readings. Each full-page spread depicts the earth's curvature in the background, a building native to the area of the aunt's visits on the left side, and the child's world on the right. The expressive African-American characters, brimming with joy, are vintage Cummings. An appealing offering by a multitalented author/illustrator.
Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

An unusual board book--and entry in the Harper Growing Tree series--that stars an irresistible aunt and a galloping text. Seven destinations and verses describe her travels, e.g., ``My aunt came back from Timbuktu/She brought me back a wooden shoe./My aunt came back from Pakistan/She brought me back a painted fan.'' At the end, the niece becomes a traveler, too. Every spread shows the curve of the earth in the background, with a building in the style of the country the aunt has visited on the left, and the niece's apartment building on the right. The aunt wears wild and exotic clothing throughout, and sports wonderfully decorated and adorned braids, but what emerges is her independence and sense of adventure, which she succinctly and affectionately passes on to her niece in very few pages. (Board book. 1-3) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 14 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival; Brdbk edition (February 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0694010596
• ISBN-13: 978-0694010592
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, June 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Aunt Came Back (Harper Growing Tree) (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book. I thought it might have been difficult for my 14 month old to grasp some of the vocabulary, however she LOVES it. It is one of her favorite books right now. I can read it over and over and she laughs every time! Delightful and fun, I very highly recommend this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for little ones ..., September 18, 2005

By 

Cara Weddington "C. Wedd!" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Aunt Came Back (Harper Growing Tree) (Hardcover)

I love this book. It is perfect for smaller kids who like to see colorful pictures and want to turn the pages. It takes you all over the world and introduces them to far away places. Most importantly, my African American 2year old son gets a chance to see characters who look like him. Also, he learned in different languages how to say good bye. He sometimes skips to the end and likes saying the words of the last page with me! "Ciao, Adios, Sayonara, Aloha .... BYE!"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exuberant, July 25, 2002

By 

"bethanrose" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Aunt Came Back (Harper Growing Tree) (Hardcover)

This book has a sense of song. The beautiful rhythmic words are perfectly matched with the spirited pictures. It is a comforting book, that reassures children their loved ones will return, no matter where they go. It conveys strong love from a distance, without being sappy.