Our Corner Grocery Store [Hardcover]

Joanne Schwartz (Author), Laura Beingessner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A picture book that celebrates local shops and building communities.

Anna Maria takes great pleasure and pride in her grandparents’ corner grocery store. Every Saturday she spends the day helping to arrange fruits and vegetables, greet the customers, and keep things neat and tidy. Through her day we meet the neighbors and learn what an important part the corner grocery store plays in the community.

Nonno Domenico, Nonna Rosa, and Anna Maria supply more than goods as the steady stream of customers arrives. Lunches are made, news is shared, bargains are purchased, recipes are traded, and cheerful ciaos are called. By the end of a long day, Anna Maria has a true sense of just how wonderful the sights and smells within the store are and how much they mean to everyone.

Charmingly illustrated in great detail, Our Corner Grocery Store pays tribute to the small independent grocers who supply color and atmosphere to city streets. Young readers will particularly enjoy finding and naming the wide array of produce, breads, candies, and dry goods that abound in this friendly establishment.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3—This sweet story takes readers through young Anna Maria's Saturday as she helps her grandparents in their neighborhood store. The day is special for its simplicity; the book is special for its rich evocation of the delights of a little Italian market and the loving relationships between a girl and her grandparents. Beingessner's folksy illustrations and Schwartz's easy text fit well together and are filled with details. The fresh fruits and vegetables are lined up on wooden racks in front of the store, Nonno hand prints small signs to display among the produce, and fresh bread is delivered from a bakery in blue-and-white striped bags that Anna Maria sorts on the shelves. Nonna prepares a dinner of stuffed mushrooms in her kitchen behind the shop, and the girl and her friend draw on the sidewalks with chalk and share frozen treats from the store after dinner. The compelling visual and verbal descriptions make readers feel a part of the activities, as though they are living out one of those idyllic Saturdays. Reading this book is as appealing as spending a day in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood—both provide a gentle and welcome escape. Share this story during storytime and encourage children to talk about other places or memories that make them feel happy.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
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About the Author

Joanne Schwartz was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from York University and she has a Master’s degree in Library Sciences from the University of Western Ontario. Joanne is a children’s librarian with the Toronto Public Library, and she is a reviewer for the Canadian Children’s Book News. She enjoys art history, dancing, mountain walking, and reading picture books. Joanne has two daughters and lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Laura Beingessner has loved to draw and paint ever since she was a little girl. She is the illustrator of three books for children, including the award-winning If the Shoe Fits, a New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing pick. She lives in Toronto with her husband and son.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887768687
• ISBN-13: 978-0887768682
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 0.4 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,745,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a lovely little family-oriented book that many children and adults can both relate to!, June 26, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Our Corner Grocery Store (Hardcover)

Anna Maria has an apron over her clothing and is all ready to work at her Nonno Domenico and Nonna Rosa's little corner grocery store. She goes there on Saturday to work and is so excited about it she thinks that it is her "favorite day of the week." A little hug and some kisses from Nonna Rosa and she was all ready to begin her job. At eight o'clock everyone is ready to begin. The door is opened and the lights turned on. Anna Maria makes "sure everything is in neat rows" after Nonno Domenico "writes the prices on little cardboard signs." Her favorite day of the week has begun and it will be fun and busy!

The little corner store always has something new to look at before the deliveries start. When the breads start to arrive, she sorts them on the shelves. Nonna Rosa loves a slice of cornbread with her coffee so Anna Maria brings her one. In a quiet moment she and her friend Charlie make lots of squiggles and drawings on the sidewalk between the story and his house. At noon Nonno Domenico is busy, busy, busy making sandwiches. Someone wanted Provolone while another wanted Portadella and Havarti. Later children come to buy candy and Nonna Rosa gives her a wink and she knew she could "pick something too." Working in a store on a Saturday is great fun. There are many special things to do during the day, all day!

Children often have "jobs" helping out other family members and these are very special times for them. Like Anna Maria they feel they are contributing and have a lot of fun in the process. Her day is one you will enjoy sharing with your child or reading aloud during circle time. There is a very interesting recipe for stuffed mushrooms incorporated into the text that as Nonno Domenico says, is "Mmm. Delizioso!" The art work is charming and meshes very well with the story. This is a lovely little family-oriented book that many children and adults can both relate to!