Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
On My Way
Fiction Series
For ages 7 to 9
Penguin , 2002 ISBN: 978-0698119482
When Tomie first became a big brother he was excited and happy. It was terrible for him to discover that being a big brother also meant that you worried about your little sister, so much sometimes that you couldn’t even sleep. When his little sister Maureen was just a few weeks old she got pneumonia and she was so sick she ended up in hospital. It was a dreadful time for the whole family, but luckily Maureen was a strong baby and she came through the ordeal.
With his awful experience behind him, Tomie throws himself into preparing for the recital that they are giving at his dance school. This is no mean feat, as Tomie has to play the part of the farmer in "The Farmer in the Dell" complete with a beard, a dance part, and a song to sing. He also has to play the part of a soldier in another dance part. Actor, dancer, and singer, Tomie loves the whole performance.
Soon kindergarten will be over and the summer vacation will begin. Tomie is very excited by the prospect of the new school year in September. At long last he will be in what he calls "real school" because he will be in first grade. Best of all he will get taught to read.
Once again Tomie DePaola has created a charming chapter book which takes us into the events that took place in his life when he was a little boy. There are those milestones that are so important to the young and that we sometimes forget to remember and to give due credit to. Luckily Tomie is there to remind us about them. This is the third book in a series of chapter books about Tomie DePaola’s childhood.
