Once upon a Company: A True Story (Venture-Health & the Human Body) - Hardcover

Halperin, Wendy Anderson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0531300897 ISBN 13: 9780531300893

Publisher: Orchard Books, 1998

Synopsis

Tells how a seven-year-old boy and his sisters started a wreath-making business which, over the course of six years, grew to include other businesses, marketing, wholesaling, and investing, and netted more than $16,000

About this title

From Booklist:

Ages 6^-10. This is an absolutely winning, and not easily classifiable, picture book. It tells the story of how Halperin's three children became young entrepreneurs in their hometown of South Haven, Michigan. Joel, who is seven the first year, tells how he and his sisters, Kale and Lane, began to make Christmas wreaths to sell, calling their endeavor the College Fund Christmas Wreath Company. In the summer, they build a stand in the shape of a giant peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and sell pb&j sandwiches and lemonade. At each step, Joel explains how they learned along the way, punctuated by exclamations ("Now, we were merchants!" "Now, we are bookkeepers!"), and what it means to have and run a business, and he gives information about profit and loss, investing, selling, and promotion. A glossary is included. This is all done in the most beguiling way, and not the least of it are the illustrations in Halperin's signature style. Her pencil-and-watercolor pictures are placed in a full-page frame, with many small scenes layered in rows or roundels. We see the children gathering pine boughs, talking on the phone; sharing space at the hardware store, and researching at the library. Text pages have charming heads and grace notes in the manner of an illuminated manuscript, except that the images include a pickup truck and an iguana that turns up in the oddest places. A fine seasonal title, a neat introduction to the world of business, and a clear young voice saying, "Go for it! The world is your friend." GraceAnne A. DeCandido

From Publishers Weekly:

A pastiche of elaborately bordered colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations packed with cozy details give Halperin's (illustrator of Homeplace) account of the business her children started (to save money for college) an old-world folktale touch. The approach in artwork is an unusual and particularly pleasing choice for a nonfiction picture book, one that, paired with a conversational text, helps make an intimidating subject both approachable and fun. For seven-year-old Joel and his sisters Kale and Lane, the College Fund Wreath Company was a success right out of the starting gate and quickly spawned another seasonal venture, the P.B. and J. Company?a summertime snack bar that sells lemonade and sandwiches. Told in Joel's first-person narration, the story chronicles the first six years of their business, from start-up to a thriving enterprise that employs other children and with profits to date totaling $16,000?now invested in zero coupon bonds. This warm and lively introduction to the world of business includes a glossary with additional information on words and concepts introduced in the text (complete with formulas and helpful hints). Informative and encouraging, this down-to-earth success story could inspire a whole generation of young entrepreneurs. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0531300897
• ISBN 13: 9780531300893
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40