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(3)
K-3
After three kids stumble upon a typewriter, they discover that the act of typing a word ("Beach," "Ball," etc.) summons the object into outsize existence. After they pick the wrong word ("Crab"), one kid has a brainstorm that saves them all. This wordless story, featuring strikingly photorealistic acrylic-paint and colored-pencil illustrations, plays like a one-minute thrill ride.
32 pp.
| Godine
| August, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56792-518-0$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Max Dalton.
Not just for Luddites. A much-handed-down typewriter--formerly used to type pamphlets for MLK, a prize-winning poetry manuscript, etc.--is unearthed when young Pablo has to write a report and the family computer freezes. There's much humor and gentle fun-poking at today's techno-savvy kids ("A what-writer?"). Even skywriting pitches in to help tell the story in the inventive, retro-style art.
32 pp.
| Lee
| April, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60060-348-8$18.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Eric Velasquez.
Mason, a black teenager living in Greenville, North Carolina, in the 1960s, receives a manual typewriter from his father's civil rights group as thanks for writing letters for the activists; he uses it to compete against white students in a high school typing tournament. The fine oil paintings are worthy of this multifaceted story; an author's note explains its origin.
248 pp.
| Farrar/Kroupa
| June, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-374-38483-8$16.95
(3)
YA
Sixteen-year-old Victor lugs a typewriter up to his uncle's secluded cabin, strips down naked, and begins to write. After he catches Rose Anna, a precocious homeschooled girl, spying on him, their friendship blossoms into romance as they share their thoughts, feelings, and writing with each other. A quirky, humorous debut novel about connecting with kindred spirits and the environment.
32 pp.
| Simon
| April, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-689-83213-3$$15.00
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Betsy Lewin.
Farmer Brown's cows find an old typewriter and type up a request for electric blankets. When the elderly farmer refuses, the cows go on strike. Soon the hens join the strike, and Farmer Brown enlists the aid of a neutral party--a duck--to settle the dispute. The illustrations (splashy watercolor washes) and economical prose are equally delightful.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2000
5 reviews
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