Candy Shop (Hardcover)

by Jan Wahl (Author), Nicole E. Wong (Illustrator) "I'm a cowboy, riding my horse through our backyard, chasing buffalo..." (more)
Key Phrases: Aunt Thelma, Miz Chu, Candy Shop

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4--Daniel, an African-American boy dressed as a cowboy, and his aunt are off to do some shopping, including a visit to his favorite place, the Candy Shop. He describes the urban neighborhood they pass through to get to the stores: "Men sit on porches. Some houses are boarded up. We walk faster. There are empty lots." When they finally get to their destination, they find a crowd gathered and the Taiwanese owner, Miz Chu, in tears. Someone has written hateful words on the sidewalk in front of her shop. Daniel desperately wants to help and so he takes a bucket and brush and scrubs away those "dumb words." Wong's detailed, mixed-media illustrations capture the cityscape and the people who inhabit it. Wahl's story shows the love and caring that bind good people together. Aunt Thelma tells the upset woman, "…don't pay no never mind. There's mean, nasty folk in the world, but most are fine as gold." Like the characters in Eve Bunting's Smoky Night (Harcourt, 1994) and Christopher Myers's Wings (Scholastic, 2000), Daniel and his aunt help love triumph over hate. This picture book about tolerance will sit proudly on any library shelf.--Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 3. Daniel, a young African American boy, loves being a cowboy and wears the gear even when he goes shopping with Aunt Thelma. The mixed urban neighborhood where they live is full of small shops; in one, Daniel gets a haircut, though he protests cowboys don't do that. When they get to Daniel's destination of choice, the Candy Shop, a big crowd has gathered to read the ugly words written on the sidewalk (not shown) in front of Miz Chu's store. A cowboy, Daniel figures, would do something, so he gets a bucket and a brush and washes the words away. Aunt Thelma sends the crowd home and invites Miz Chu over for some sweet potato pie. The bright colors of the candy in the store reflect the many colors of the neighborhood population, and the clean hues and supple lines of the pictures support Wahl's gentle message of comfort and tolerance. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570915083
• ISBN-13: 978-1570915086
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,063,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly crafted and inspiring story , December 7, 2004

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Daniel the cowboy is a young boy who has done his chores, counted his money, and is going with his aunt Thelma to the Candy Shop for a well deserved treat. But when they arrive at the candy store the find a crowed in front bercause across the sidewalk someone has written angry, hurtful words. The owner of the Candy Shop is Mis Chu, and those hateful words have made her scared and hurt. What should an aspiring young cowboy like Daniel do? Enhanced with the artwork of Nicole Wong, Jan Wahl's Candy Shop is a superbly crafted and inspiring story for young readers grades 1 through 3 about a young boy's personal courage in the face of racial prejudice.