Customer Reviews

Thimbleberry Stories

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

 

 

Enjoy this lovely book over leisurely cups of tea and hot cocoa with a youngster. Ms. Rylant paints a vivid picture of a community where the animals are very different from each other, but they accept and appreciate those differences. Although the book is not preachy or pushy, here are some lessons a young reader/listener might pick up: Nigel welcomes a newcomer, though the hummingbird's flashy style makes him dizzy; Nigel patiently helps a worried little perfectionist owl "redecorate" his home -- back to the way it was in the first place; Nigel encourages a garter snake to plant a garden, aware that his lazy friend will not see it through. And finally (this is a lesson most children need to hear) Nigel politely accepts lunch with a salamander, knowing his friend serves only terrible-tasting health food. His graciousness is rewarded in the end. The painted illustrations are as delightful as the stories and characters themselves. This book is remniscent of Jan Karon's good-natured Mitford series for adults.

Thimbleberry Stories is a quartet of short stories highlighting the life of the main character, Nigel Chipmunk, on Thimbleberry Lane. Nigel is a proud little fellow, and as we learn, he is very partial to his own way of thinking.

Nigel is supposed to learn through his encounters with a young artistic hummingbird named Dipper, his good friend Little Owl, Claudius, the garter snake, and Mudpuppy, the salamander, that life is about variety and accepting differences in others.

However, while I understood the author's objective in trying to teach children to accept differences, I found that Nigel was a bit too disposed in judging his friends to ever learn the lesson of compassion.

For instance, when Little Owl stops by to ask for Nigel's help in rearranging his living room, Nigel quickly agrees to go to Little Owl's home and help. On the way, Nigel finds that he didn't bring his hat along to protect him against the summer sun. Being an ingenious fellow, Nigel, grabs a large leaf and wraps it around his head, tying it off with corn silk. Ever conscious of his looks, he frets about someone laughing at his newly made hat. The only other animal he passes on his way to Little Owl's home is a porcupine. Yet he doesn't worry about the porcupine's opinion, because according to Nigel, this porcupine, "Never laughed at anybody because she herself always looked a little silly. (All those garish quills!)

Ouch! For Nigel to think so highly of himself and to make fun of another who was clearly self-conscious was not appropriate. It was these types of comments and opinions that made me dislike Nigel.

I would've enjoyed this book much more had the author shown Nigel growing in the knowledge that he was wrong to judge others. It would've been a better lesson to show children that while we are all quite capable of making the same errors as Nigel, to be a sympathetic person, one must learn from the mistake and take steps not to repeat the error.

Armchair Interviews says: A message to children that one aspect the adult reader may want to comment on.

I am six and I have read this book twice. It is very good; it is my favorite book. It's very nice about friendship.

I rated this book with 4 stars because the illustrations are completely engaging, filled with rustic charm, cute little animals, thatched roof cottages, pretty flowers like foxgloves and climbing roses. Maggie Kneen brings the little critters who live along Thimbleberry Lane to life with vivid colors and nostalgic sensitivity. That's certainly worth every point of the four stars! The reason I withheld the fifth star is that Nigel Chipmunk and his friends the owl, the hummingbird, the snake, the butterfly and the mudpuppy while adorable and friendly sorts are way too tame to attract any real interest from children (or adults who love childrens' literature.) They help each other with tasks and have meals together and in general are very neighborly which is certainly a virtue, but unfortunately they are a bit boring. A little mischief would go a long way on Thimbleberry Lane.

My six-year-old loves to read, but she is picky - there have to be illustrations (preferably color), and engaging stories. When I chanced upon Thimbleberry Stories by Cynthia Rylant, I knew she would love the book since the characters are made up of woodland animals. The central character is a chipmunk named Nigel who lives with several other animals on Thimbleberry Lane. The book contains four stories:

Nigel Meets Dipper - Nigel encounters a hummingbird named Dipper, and the two become friends.

Little Owl Redecorates - Nigel helps his fussy friend, Little Owl move things around his house, so that it is just right.

Claudius Plants a Garden - Nigel's friend Claudius the garter snake lives over in Moon Meadow, as does Copper a swallowtail butterfly. Nigel persuades Claudius to take up gardening so that the garter snake will be able to enjoy strawberries whenever he wants.

Mudpuppy's Picnic - Passalong Pond is where Nigel's friend, a salamander (and able boatman) named Mudpuppy lives. Although Nigel loves Mudpuppy's company, he does not look forward to meals with Mudpuppy as the food the salamander consumes are often altogether nasty. However, on this little boating trip, Mudpuppy may have a few tricks up his sleeve!

I enjoyed listening to my daughter read these stories out loud to me, and we delighted in the lovely colorful illustrations by artist Maggie Kneen. The illustrations perfectly capture the domesticity and coziness of English country living. This is a cozy read indeed!

Delightful characters, delightful story, delightful drawings. Who wouldn't love a story about an artist hummingbird, a health-nut salamander, and an owl who's troubled about arranging his furniture!
The protagonist chipmunk makes for a wonderful friend, always trying to help his neighbors and be kind.
My only complaint was that each friend had their own part of the story (which was fine) but that nothing came together as a whole at the end - I thought it would have been nice had their been a big celebration or something where all the critters were together in one scene. But, that's a minor issue, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I LOVE pretty stories with sweet pictures, and vice versa! This is a sweet little chapter book with adorable little pictures. I can't wait to give this to my Godchildren for Christmas. Makes life look like what we all wish it could be...simple, sweet, precious!