Vero and Philippe [Hardcover]

Caroline Kim Hatton (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

The Vo family has just moved to Paris from a small town in northern France. The change is almost more than nine-year-old Vero can manage. Her parents are too busy to keep an eye on her in the big city, and her older brother, Philippe, wants nothing to do with her. In fact, the siblings can barely stand each other. Since Vero and Philippe aren’t allowed to play outside, they must find ways to amuse themselves. Vero devises imaginative activities like raising a prize snail, creating families of chestnuts, and engineering a fake monster to scare her brother. Philippe does his best to put up with her antics, though the task becomes increasingly difficult. Francine, the young maid and nanny, is little help, consumed as she is by housework and a new boyfriend. Over the course of the year, everyone in the family learns to adjust to their new home. Vero survives her brother’s meanness, her father’s attempts at cooking, and a new school. And when Francine is fired, Vero and Philippe unite in the cause to get her back.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Veronique Vo, nine, yearns for her familiar country home in Normandy after she moves with her family and nanny/housemaid to Paris. Anxiety about starting a new school, making friends, and navigating a strange city is exacerbated when her mother rashly fires Francine and Vero is left in the care of her 12-year-old brother, Philippe, the "Great Scholar." Episodic chapters offer humorous situations while furthering the plot, which revolves around the difficulties of life without the nanny and how to get her back. One particularly droll incident involves Mr. Vo's scientific approach to cooking. After several unsuccessful "trials," he resorts to using toothpaste to prepare mayonnaise for the family dinner-with minty results. In other chapters, Vero worries that she has inadvertently poisoned her new friend, trains a pet snail, and fashions her mother's favorite shirt into a doll's dress. Philippe resents being burdened with the care of his little sister and alternately ignores or mocks her. The siblings finally unite with a successful plan to get Francine back. While McDaniels's frequent (two per chapter), detailed pen-and-ink drawings are occasionally amusing, Vero appears disproportionately small in some pictures, and the children are portrayed as mop-headed poppets. Nevertheless, this entertaining read offers children a glimpse into the life of a Parisian schoolchild; a strict, but loving family; and the ups and downs of sibling relationships.

Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Cricket Books; 1st edition (June 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081262940X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812629408
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,800,857 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 Vero and Philippe, July 18, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Vero and Philippe (Hardcover)

I think Vero and Philippe is a great book. I really enjoyed all of the adventures that they had. I really liked how Vero let her pet snail Thor free in an orchard. Philippe turns out to be a nice older brother when he takes the blame for the practical joke that they play on their parents to get their maid Francine back. I would reccommend this book to kids and adults.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vero Will Bring a Smile to Your Face, August 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Vero and Philippe (Hardcover)

Caroline Hatton's first published full length story is well-crafted and appealing to young children of all ages. It is a great read-aloud book for younger elementary school children. Because it is based on the author's own childhood, the characters ring true. The essential spirit of a loving family is captured in a realistic, humorous way. Young Vero is struggling to adjust to her new home in the city after living in the French countryside all of her life. She and her beloved brother Philippe have their differences of opinion, but they love each other dearly. Vero has a strong spirit, and a creative mind that gets her into scrapes at school, at home, and everywhere she goes. If you are looking for a charming, fresh story--this is the book for you. If you liked reading Little House on the Prarie but wished it was funnier and more modern, you'll like Vero and Philippe. Nice pen and ink illustrations throughout for those children who prefer books with pictures to go with the text.

For parents looking for good books for their children--this is a winner--no bad language (like Junie B. Jones), no situations requiring parents to explain about bad things in the world (like Magic Treehouse historical fiction), no violence (like Pokemon)--just a wonderful story that will become a children's literature classic and that you will want to read again and again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vero and Philippe, July 10, 2001

By 

B. Proctor (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vero and Philippe (Hardcover)

I like this book because it taught me how hard it would be to move from one place to the other. Because I have two brothers and a sister, I could relate to the fighting and frustration between Vero and Philippe. There were many parts that were very funny and just as you were going to put the book down, something would always happen to make you continue reading. It was a fun book to read.