Author : Mem Fox, Illustrator : Julie Vivas
Preschool - 2nd Grade

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partidge

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, Softcover, English, Book, Mem Fox, Julie Vivas, Preschool - 1st Grade, 9780916291266, $4.79, 40%-Off

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, a rather small boy, lives next door to a nursing home in which resides Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, his favorite friend, because she has four names as well. When Miss Nancy "loses" her memory, the intrepid Wilfrid sets out to find it for her. Full color.

Listen to Vienna Rose read Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge to you.  A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.

Amazon : The offbeat style of this wonderful story--and of Julie Vivas's perfectly matched illustrations--couldn't be summed up better than by the oddness of the first sentence: "There was once a small boy called Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge and what's more he wasn't very old either." Wilfrid lives next to a retirement home, filled with folks like "Mrs. Jordan who played the organ" and "Mr. Hosking who told him scary stories." But his favorite old person is 96-year-old Miss Nancy. Everyone says Miss Nancy has lost her memory, and despite the fact that Wilfrid doesn't even know what a memory is, by accident he helps her find it. Mem Fox's original take on the capacity of children to help the old remember is especially notable for its non-patronizing focus on old people. (Ages 4 to 8)

School Library Journal : Grade 1-3 A small boy, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, knows and likes all of the old folks in the home next door, but his favorite is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper she has four names, too. Hearing that she has lost her memory, he asks the old folks what a memory is ("Something from long ago" ; "Something that makes you laugh;" "Something warm;" etc.), ponders the answers, then gathers up memories of his own (seashells collected long ago last summer, a feathered puppet with a goofy expression, a warm egg fresh from the hen) to give her. In handling Wilfrid's memories, Nancy finds and shares her own. The illustrationssplashy, slightly hazy watercolors in rosy pastelscontrast the boy's fidgety energy with his friends' slow, careful movements and capture the story's warmth and sentiment.

The Los Angeles Times Book Review : "...a sweet intergenerational story that you don t want to miss." --- proper noun<br /><br />"Adults will likely turn the last page with a pang, then will read again this beautiful, gentle story about aging. Whether a child is listening or not. Young Wilfrid Gordon lives next door to a nursing home and is best friends with 96-year-old Miss Nancy, to whom he tells his secrets. When she loses her memory, he decides to find it for her with the confidence only an innocent can have...For a topic often spoken of in euphemism, the author has displayed warmth, wit and dignity without being sappy. The spongeable cover and dreamy watercolors complement this uplifting tale."

The Boston Sunday Globe : "A wonderful tale that celebrates both the exuberance of childhood and the dignity of old age."

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