Aunt Claire's Yellow Beehive Hair

By Deborah Blumenthal

Book Overview

"What a treat it is to become acquainted with her family's cast of characters "
--Review of Texas Books

"Warmth, humor, and fond remembrance waft through this beautifully worded and evocatively illustrated exploration of a young girl's family tree."
--justonemorebook.com

One rainy day, Annie asks her grandmother about their family's history. Grandma Marilyn, who knows just how to tell a story, takes Annie on a genealogical adventure. When she shows Annie her old, dusty photographs, every aunt and uncle seems to come to life. Fascinated by the stories of her relatives, Annie decides to bring them all together in one album of family history.

With powerfully touching prose, this delightful story takes readers on a nostalgic journey that will leave them reminiscing about their own families. Fun and quirky drawings bring past relatives out of their frames as Annie's imagination brings them to life. Although each family member is unique, the love she finds for her ancestors is universal. Her story will inspire children to seek out stories from their past and create a memory album for their own family.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589804910
• ISBN13: 9781589804913
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.9" x 11.1"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Those Who Came Before.....

"Whenever our whole family gets together for someone's birthday, or a holiday, or just for the fun of it, we share a big meal, then eat and eat desserts. After we're so stuffed we can't eat any more, the grown-ups push back their chairs from the table and talk and talk about the people I see only in old pictures." Annie wants to know all about her family, the ones who came before and are now gone; the family she sees only in pictures. "I want to reach into the past and bring them closer to me." So one rainy day, Grandma Marilyn and Great-Aunt Ray take Annie on a "memorabilia" hunt. They search through the house, in closets and drawers, shoe boxes and albums, and find pieces of family history, letters, passports, pressed flowers, pictures, war medals, hair ribbon, even wedding lace. Once it's all laid out on the big kitchen table, Grandma and Great-Aunt Ray begin their story. "Oh, Annie, that was Aunt Claire's purple hair ribbon. She had yellow beehive hair, sharp red painted nails, and a deep, throaty voice....." Deborah Blumenthal has written a lovely, warm, and captivating story that begs to be read aloud, and shared by the entire family. Her eloquent text is evocative and entertaining, and beautifully complemented by Mary Grandpre's bold, vibrant, and expressive illustrations. Together word and art paint a vivid and engaging portrait of all the intriguing and colorful characters that make each family unique and special. Perfect for youngsters 5 and older, Aunt Claire's Yellow Beehive Hair is a wonderful way to open discussions, begin to introduce your own family's history, and most importantly, keep it alive.

Ethereal Illustrations make book

Mary GrandPre, of Harry Potter fame for illustrating both covers and inside spots, make this book stand out as a wonderful walk through the past. Annie searching to know more about her past learns a lot about her family from her Aunt. Ethereal visuals combined with Deborah Blumenthal's detailed story, the books plays out like a magically brilliant dream. In the end, children will enjoy looking at the stunning visuals, GrandPre showers with each page. A wonderful lap books for children who enjoy hearing stories about family and their past.