Customer Reviews

Lentil (Picture Puffin Books)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent book for the musically inclined child whose singing voice is a little less than melodious. In the book, the vocally challenged Lentil finds his mantra through the harmonica and ends up saving the day with it. My father gave me this book along with a harmonica when I was seven years old in response to my wobbly warbling, and I've been playing harmonica and many other instruments ever since. I just can't 'harp' enough on how great of inspiration this book was to me and could be for other vocally vexed children. -stephen

This is a lovely story set in a town in Ohio during the '40s. Lentil learns to play a harmonica and there are sweet scenes of small town life as well as a marching band. My 3.5 year old son loves this book, along with all of McCloskey's books. What has been wonderful for us about this book is the character of "Old Sneep", who grumbles and does mean things. This has really hit home with my son regarding our teaching of having a joyful heart and not complaining. Great literature at its best.

As a retired preschool/ daycare administrator I never hesitate to say that McCloskey is one the all-time great writers . Lentil has always been one of the best books to read at story time . You can't go wrong with buying this story for your favorite 4 or 5 year old, but even my 9 year old grandsons love this tale, and it got them interested in playing a harmonica!

Charles Gross uses "Lentil" as an argument for picture books on "Common Sense." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUEyoce-aoY

I enjoyed this book growing up and more recently ejoyed reading it to my children.

I bought this book for our two youngest children to enjoy as our local library doesn't have it on their shelves. The pictures are beautiful and the story is just as charming. It is a good book to purchase for younger children who may be experiencing some insecurity when it comes to keeping up with their peers accomplishments. This story focuses on the importance of music (as a means of self expression and celebration of life),the ability to remain focused when all doesn't go as planned (Lentil saves the day when he plays his harmonica at the Homecoming Celebration for Col. Carter), and acceptance of accomplishments of others (Even old Sneep is happy about the hospital that Colonel Carter is having built for the townspeople).

Before his illustrating style was etched into the mind of America with Make Way for Ducklings, McCloskey created Lentil. All of McCloskey characteristics were already in place here -- the expressive faces, the subtle shading, the free and dynamic use of line, the fluid hands, the wry humor, the expansive layouts.

And, of course, the sense of place. McCloskey is one of those story-tellers who is as comfortable with environments as he is with characterization. Whether in his book on Maine, the Boston of Make Way for Ducklings, or Lentil, the story is expertly situated in a place which is -- like his characters -- highly individualized and yet quite homey.

Great stuff.

My boys (ages 2 & 4) LOVE this book. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but there are several places in the story where the reader (me) can get really animated, whether singing "She'll be coming around the mountain" or making noises like someone slurping on a lemon (Old Sneep).

I highly recommend this book, as well as others by this author!

Awesome story. Perfect for kids (and moms reading aloud). Pictures are always entertaining. Along the lines of Homer Price.

ALL of Robert McCloskey's books are full of such lovely, fascinating illustrations and this one is no exception. My 4 year old son pores over the pictures over and over again of the small towns and the little details in each scene that make it fun to read the books again and again. Most of the stories and illustrations show every day things that kids can relate to. Lentil just arrived in the mail four days ago and we've read it every day since. Its sweet and simple and fun to read, or to just look at the drawings.

Like a 10-year old Jimmy Stewart (with a dash of Woody Guthrie thrown in) Lentil is an American Hero in that straight-backed, flinty but cheerful Depression-era style. He has ears that stick out, a relaxed, gawky gait, and a crooked grin. Like Stewart, Lentil has a way of facing adversity head-on, with a wink and a nod as if to say, "Aw, shucks. We'll figure this out. Times are tough but we'll make it!"

Sort of perfect for the big economic meltdown of 2009, isn't it?

At its heart, this book is about ingenuity and self-sufficiency. But your child won't really know that, since it's also a crackingly good, fast-paced story with enough humor and weird little details to demand multiple readings.

I wouldn't call it "tough," exactly, but it's so far from the saccharine sweetness that afflicts current children's literature that in comparison, Lentil can seem more like a collection of Walker Evans photographs than a kid's book. Depicting the town of Alto, Ohio, as a dusty little burg populated with clapboard buildings and stray cats, a place where nobody has much, but everyone is strong, McCloskey paints an almost documentary-style picture of small-town America in the 30's. Of course, since his incredibly evocative pencil drawings leap off the page with such humor and humanity, there's never a risk of declining into maudlin sentiment or (shudder) Teaching Big Lessons.

The story starts off with a big obstacle for our hero: Lentil is so musically disinclined, he's forbidden to sing in music class. His voice scares the local cats and dogs. The poor kid can't even whistle!

But does he let it get him down? No. Does he give up on the idea of making music? Wouldn't hear of it! No, Lentil saves up his pennies and gets himself to the store to buy a harmonica. Keeping with the self-sufficient theme, Lentil's family appears nowhere in this book. (I kind of imagine his father hitching a ride on the Burlington Northern to look for work while his mother sweeps dust off the porch and gazes worriedly into the distance. But that's just me.)

Continuing on his path to self-reliance, he practices his harmonica constantly, including during his walks to and from school. Your kids will note that not only does Lentil carry his books on a leather strap (no backpack), the kid doesn't even have SHOES. And yet, he is ridiculously happy.

Yes, this book raises as many questions as it does answers, something that I consider a key to its success. I still remember demanding: "So, sucking on a lemon in front of a marching band will make it impossible for them to play their trumpets? Really?" Now, I don't want to give too much away, but the entire plot hinges on this point: a grumpy old guy loudly sucks on a lemon and causes an epidemic of mass puckering, destroying Alto's big parade and leaving only one option for our modest, shoeless, harmonica-wielding hero: SAVING THE DAY. Something all kids can relate to.

As the closing line puts it so succinctly: "You never can tell what will happen when you learn to play the harmonica." But be warned: if you don't already own one, buy one before you read this book to your kids. Trust me.