Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award
2016 · Grades 3-5 · Nominee
About This Book
"Pick whatever you like most. Then I'll tell you its story."
When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather's diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write — the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn't enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game. With a narrative entirely in dialogue, Paul Fleischman makes immediate the two characters' foray into the past. With warmth and an uncanny eye for detail, Bagram Ibatoulline gives expressive life to their journey through time — and toward each other.
When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather's diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write — the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn't enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game. With a narrative entirely in dialogue, Paul Fleischman makes immediate the two characters' foray into the past. With warmth and an uncanny eye for detail, Bagram Ibatoulline gives expressive life to their journey through time — and toward each other.
Awards
Georgia Children's Book Award
2015 · Picture Book · Nominee
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
2015 · Grades 3-5 · Nominee
Keystone to Reading Book Award
2015 · Intermediate · Nominee
Red Clover Award
2015 · Picture Book · Nominee
Show Me Readers Award
2015 · Grades 1-3 · Nominee
South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award
2015 · Picture Book · Nominee
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
2014 · Seven to Ten · Recommended
Christopher Award
2014 · Books for Young People · Winner
Jefferson Cup
2014 · Younger Readers · Honor Book
Junior Library Guild
2013 · Selection
