Popcorn at the Palace [Hardcover]

Emily Arnold McCully (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1997 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Maisie Ferris and her parents are interested in new ideas and the world beyond their small town of Galesburg, Illinois, even though their neighbors frown on anything too different. When a visiting journalist from England tells Maisie he has never heard of popcorn, Maisie and her father come up with the wild idea of growing popcorn and selling it overseas. Their plan is a success, and Maisie’s dreams of selling popcorn in England and meeting Queen Victoria come true.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3. In an author's note, McCully distinguishes fact from fiction in this picture book about a pioneer entrepreneur. Olmsted Ferris, Concurrance Ann, and their daughter, Maisie, are considered oddities by their traditional neighbors. Mustard, canary seed, and popcorn are not standard crops in Galesburg, IL, in the mid-1800s. But the man perseveres, and when Maisie explains their unusual-looking cornstalks to a visiting British journalist, her father sees the potential for a new market abroad. He and Maisie book passage for England and secure an invitation from Prince Albert to demonstrate the "corn that turns to snow." During their presentation, Queen Victoria gives Maisie a French doll dressed in velvet and lace, and father and daughter receive an order for their product. McCully's impressionistic watercolors, highlighted with pastels, show the contrast between prairie and palace; the artist's palette ranges from the soft browns of a frontier fireside to the lush greens of Windsor. Pair this with Aliki's Corn Is Maize (HarperCollins, 1976), Tomie dePaola's The Popcorn Book (Holiday, 1978), and, of course, a big bowl of the fluffy kernels for a primary-grade storytime on a uniquely American treat.?Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

McCully (Starring Mirette and Bellini, p. 559) bases this tale on a piece of history from her own hometown, Galesburg, Illinois, and one of its innovative founders, Olmsted Ferris, who experimented with unusual crops. When Olmsted learned that popcorn was unknown in Europe, he took a shipment of it to London and obtained an audience with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to demonstrate this wonder. Victoria gave Olmsted a doll for his young daughter, which was passed down through the family for generations. McCully fleshes out this historical account and tells it from the perspective of Olmsted's daughter (here called Maisie), imagining that the idea of exporting popcorn originated with her and having her accompany her father to London and to Victoria's court. The Ferrises are portrayed as energetic non-conformists, looked at askance by their staid neighbors before their trip to England, and lionized upon their return. What readers will remember is the pioneer spirit behind this appealing tale and a spunky girlreal or notat its center. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152776990
• ISBN-13: 978-0152776992
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #843,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Emily Arnold McCully was born left handed in Illinois and was transplanted to Long Island, where she grew up. A tree climber, bike rider, fort builder and ball player, she also devoted hours every day to reading and drawing. She majored in art history at college and acted and wrote for the theater. She lived in Europe for a year researching her Master's thesis, also in art history. Back in New York, she took to the streets with a portfolio of sample illustrations. Early assignments were for book jackets, magazine stories and pharmaceutical ads. A poster displayed in subway cars caught the attention of a children's book editor and a new career was launched. After illustrating other peoples' texts for several years and publishing two adult novels (A Craving and life Drawing) McCully began writing her own picture books.
She has been awarded the Caldecott Medal, Christopher Award, Jane Addams Award, O'Henry Award and many others.
She has two sons and lives in New York and Columbia County, N.Y., where she maintains a large garden.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the typical picture book, September 14, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Popcorn at the Palace (Hardcover)

This story is about an american farm girl who has a dream and a doll. Her doll is named after the queen of England who at the time was Victoria. Her dream was to meet the queen. One day the other farmers asked the girl why her corn looked so diffferent. She said its not corn, its popcorn. Then she gets an idea, her and her father would go to England because they have never heard of popcorn, but will she finally meet the queen?

I liked the book because it told a fictional story about a snack that almost every one loves, popcorn. The illustrations were good and the story was written very well. I think almost everyone will enjoy and understand this book. I also liked this book because it wasn't an ordinary picture book.This book had a story, it went very deep in character and it really got my attention. So if you like a good story, I suggest you read this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful use of words, October 11, 2003

By 

Mindy Hoff (O'Fallon, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Popcorn at the Palace (Hardcover)

This book is such a cute story. I used it for a lesson plan on suffixes because the author uses many different ones. I would suggest this book to anyone looking to entertain children in the primary grades. It is a simplistic story and it is an idea that the students can relate with, since many children love popcorn.