Hot Fudge Hero (Redfeather Books) - Hardcover

Brisson, Pat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805045511 ISBN 13: 9780805045512

Publisher: Redfeather Book from Henry Holt, 1997

Synopsis

Bertie learns through trial and error that making friends, playing the saxophone, and getting a strike at the bowling alley take hard work, patience, and time.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

In the Redfeather series, an easy-to-read chapter book--with short lines of text, rather than paragraphs--that highlights a boy's small triumphs and his camaraderie with his friend, Isobel, his budding friendship with the ``mean'' neighbor next door, and his affection for his mother. The first story involves a bet between Bertie and his friend Isobel: Either he retrieves his ball from mean Old Man Muckleberg's yard by the agreed-upon deadline, or he'll have to buy her a hot fudge sundae. He consults a library book for lessons in making friends, with the wished-for results. Bertie is not as enterprising in learning to play the saxophone, however, quitting in frustration until the arrival of his fairy godfather. Finally, Bertie is a bit of a whiner when he can't find a favorite bowling ball for a match with his mother. The well- evoked setting and a mild lesson on adapting to circumstances add up to above-average fare from Brisson (Wanda's Roses, 1994, etc.). In tidy, comic black-and-white illustrations, Bluthenthal chooses major scenes and vignettes with real flair, adding to the humor in her depictions of Bertie's laid-back approach as well as the manners and the stances of the other characters. Funny and sweet. (Fiction. 7-11) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist:

Gr. 1^-3, younger for reading aloud. This easy chapter book is excellent for beginning readers because the text is broken up into three related short stories. The hero of the title is Bertie, a likable going-into-second-grade kid, whose adventures always end with a hot fudge sundae. All three stories make the point that hard work and persistence pay off, particularly the finale, a humorous bowling adventure in which Bertie is determined to get his first strike despite getting stuck with a "plain, old, ugly orange" ball instead of the beautiful forest green one with silver streaks. Generously illustrated with attractive black-and-white and gray-toned drawings, this trio of clever tales is versatile enough to be used with middle-grade reluctant readers, as a read-aloud for younger children, or as an alternative reading selection for inclusion youngsters. Lauren Peterson

About this edition

• Publisher: Redfeather Book from Henry Holt
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0805045511
• ISBN 13: 9780805045512
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 80
• Illustrator: Bluthenthal Diana Cain