Aunt Pearl

Format:

Book

Title:

Aunt Pearl

Author:

Kulling, Monica author

ISBN:

9781773061535

Publication:

Toronto ; Berkeley : Groundwood Books : House of Anansi Press, 2019.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 23 x 27 cm

Summary:

"Aunt Pearl arrives one day pushing a shopping cart full of her worldly goods. Her sister Rose has invited her to come live with her family. Six-year-old Marta is happy to meet her aunt, who takes her out to look for treasure on garbage day, and who shows her camp group how to decorate a coffee table with bottle caps. But almost immediately, Pearl and Rose start to clash--over Pearl's belongings crammed into the house, and over Rose's household rules. As the weeks pass, Pearl grows quieter and more withdrawn, until, one morning, she is gone. Acclaimed author Monica Kulling brings sensitivity to this story about homelessness, family and love, beautifully illustrated in Irene Luxbacher's rich collage style."-- Provided by publisher.

Subject(s):

Aunts -- Juvenile fiction.

Sisters -- Juvenile fiction.

Families -- Juvenile fiction.

Homelessness -- Juvenile fiction.

Picture books for children.

Family life -- Fiction.

Genre:

Picture books for children.

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	JP Kulling	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Acclaimed author Monica Kulling brings sensitivity to this bittersweet portrayal of a loving family affected by homelessness, beautifully illustrated in Irene Luxbacher's rich collage style.

Aunt Pearl arrives one day pushing a shopping cart full of her worldly goods. Her sister Rose has invited her to come live with her family.

Six-year-old Marta is happy to meet her aunt, who takes her out to look for treasure on garbage day, and who shows her camp group how to decorate a coffee table with bottle caps. But almost immediately, Pearl and Rose start to clash -- over Pearl's belongings crammed into the house, and over Rose's household rules. As the weeks pass, Pearl grows quieter and more withdrawn, until, one morning, she is gone.

Acclaimed author Monica Kulling brings sensitivity to this story about homelessness, family and love, beautifully illustrated in Irene Luxbacher's rich collage style.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

Author Notes

Monica Kulling is the author of over fifty books for children, including Dr. Jo: How Sara Josephine Baker Saved the Lives of America's Children, illustrated by Julianna Swaney, and On Our Way to Oyster Bay: Mother Jones and Her March for Children's Rights, illustrated by Felicita Sala. She has also written the popular Great Idea series, and her work has been nominated for many awards, including numerous Silver Birch Express and Golden Oak awards. Monica Kulling lives in Toronto.

Irene Luxbacher is an artist and author living in Toronto. With more than fifteen years' experience as an illustrator, Irene has received many awards for her children's books. She has written and illustrated Deep Underwater ("Masterful artwork and nuanced verse" --Kirkus, starred review) and Mr. Frank, which was selected for the USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor List. Her illustrations for Malaika's Costume and Malaika's Winter Carnival by Nadia L. Hohn have also been highly acclaimed, and her illustrations for The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen were shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2--A family tries to provide a home for their relative who struggles with homelessness. Dan and Marta have never met their Aunt Pearl but they know that she doesn't have a home. One spring their mother decides to invite their Aunt Pearl to come live with them. Though the family tries to make room for her in their home and their lives, it's a struggle to accommodate her, as she accumulates odds and ends, leaves messes, and behaves in a manner they consider "strange." One morning in the fall Aunt Pearl leaves suddenly and the children are left wondering where she went. The topic of homelessness is carelessly handled in this story. Aunt Pearl and her actions are described as a "mystery," "wacky," and "a problem." The depiction of her mental health is poorly handled; one night the family wakes up and sees Aunt Pearl outside, "pacing and talking to herself," but it is not addressed beyond this one page. The white-presenting family lives in a suburban community and the addition of group of diverse children on a single page seems like an afterthought. The detailed collage illustrations add color and texture to the story and are skillfully employed to show the discrepancy between Aunt Pearl's disorganized, clutter-filled space and the rest of the home. VERDICT This story's lack of context and the absence of any additional information for parents and caregivers results in a confusing and lackluster attempt to introduce children to homelessness. Readers would be better served by other books that address homelessness such as Michael Genhart's I See You.--Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library, RI

Kirkus Review

Marta and Dan's mom wants to help her transient sister, Pearl, who's accustomed to couch surfing, hostels, and park benches." That's not how it should be,' said Mom. Pearl will live with us.' " Pearl, whom the kids have never met, arrives with a loaded shopping cart. A man with a van brings more stuff. It fills the garage, the basement, and Pearl's bedroomconflicting with Mom's penchant for tidiness. Dan reads the sentiments on Pearl's hat buttons: "Normal people scare me." Free-spirited Marta, age 6, accompanies Pearl on garbage-day scavenging, helping provide "a second chance" for castoff finds. Creative Pearl engages the diverse kids at Dan and Marta's day camp in decorating a salvaged coffee table with bottle capsa gift for Mom. But Pearl's hoarding behavior and failed attempts to help domestically deepen the sisters' discomfort. As summer turns, Pearl grows increasingly despondent, and one morning, she's gone. Dan's tearful: "Why'd she go?She left her stuff." But Marta "knew a mystery when she met one." Luxbacher's mixed-media illustrations supply visual clues: The buttons on Pearl's left-behind hat are obscured with fabric scrapsa double-edged gift for Rose? On the table rest three fabric napkinspolka-dot, just like Pearl's carry-bag. The ambiguity will have children and caregivers talking. Dan is dark-haired with light brown skin; the others present as white.A poignant look at a homeless woman and her familya constellation too rarely seen. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.