Saturdays and Teacakes (Hardcover)

~ Lester Laminack (Author), Chris Soentpiet (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-Every Saturday morning, the young narrator pedals his bike through town, passing familiar landmarks like the bank and the gas station, until he reaches his grandmother's house. The two share a special day talking, doing chores, and finally baking and feasting on Mammaw's special teacakes. Drawing on his childhood in Heflin, AL, the author splendidly re-creates these nostalgic scenes, carefully bringing the memories to life by describing the sunny kitchen, the crunch of gravel under bicycle wheels, and the sweet aroma of the cakes. The brilliant watercolor paintings glow with light and idyllically capture the world of yesterday. Older readers may enjoy sharing this book with their grandparents, and teachers might incorporate it into lessons about writing descriptive memoirs.-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Illustrator Soentpiet notes that his model is Norman Rockwell, and this picture book, set in rural Alabama in 1964, certainly evokes Rockwell's idyllic visions of family togetherness. It's Saturday, and everyone is smiling as a young white boy rides his bike through his small town and over the hills to his grandmother's house, where she sits on the sunlit porch: "She was waiting for me. No one else. Just me." Detailed watercolor pictures show the loving bond across generations as the boy mows the lawn in her bright garden, Grandma bakes him delicious teacakes in the kitchen, and together they listen to the calls of the blue jays around them. Most young children won't respond to the nostalgia and period detail, but the pictures are gorgeous, and the bond between child and grandparent is timeless. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156145303X
• ISBN-13: 978-1561453030
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 10.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,511 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gorgeous Trip Back to a Simplier time, October 31, 2004

By	Donny B. Seagraves "Donny Seagraves, Author" (WINTERVILLE, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is so well-illustrated that the pictures literally pop out at you on each page. It's not hard to imagine yourself in the scenes of a small town filling station or in grandma's kitchen complete with a red formica topped 1940s or 1950s dinette set and a vintage range. The artist admits that he was inspired by Norman Rockwell and his pictures show that influence.

The story is a gentle, nostalgic memory of a boy's visits to his grandmother's house. This book would make a great gift for a grandchild who shares this love of visiting grandma's house. It would also be a pleasant trip down memory lane for any babyboomer generation member.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable story; great illustrations, December 31, 2007

By	Grace Flowers - See all my reviews

This book is a particular favorite in our house - it reminds my husband of his grandmother. My kids (9yrs, 7yrs and 4yrs) have all enjoyed this book; the 4 year old says "pedal, pedal pedal" when he rides his bike.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to use with middle school students!, December 22, 2009

By	A. Bagnall - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I used this book as a "jumping off" activity with my 7th grade language arts class. I read the book aloud to them and we discussed what they liked about the book. Then they wrote their own memoirs. It was a huge success!