He began to draw and paint the things around him in everyday life. The result was Lentil, the story of a boy and a harmonica in a typical Midwestern town.
In the six preposterous stories of Homer Price, Mr. McCloskey looks back with humor and affection at the Midwest America of this childhood. When you realize how much Homer resembles his grown-up author-illustrator, it adds to the fun. In fact, Mr. McCloskey, like Homer, was once an inventor: “I built trains and cranes with remote controls, my family’s Christmas trees revolved, lights flashed and buzzers buzzed, fuses blew and sparks flew!”
Two of Mr. McCloskey’s picture books, Make Way for Ducklings and Time of Wonder, have been awarded the Caldecott Medal, given annually for “the most distinguished American picture book for children.” He was the first artist to receive this honor twice.
Robert McCloskey and his wife divided their year between the Virgin Islands in the winter and their island in Maine in the summer, until his death in 2003.
CENTERBURG TALES
Robert McCloskey
It’s not that the folks in Centerburg are especially nosy; it’s just that in a small town everyone seems to know everything. But Homer Price does know more about what’s going on than anyone, because he’s usually in the middle of things. . . . And whenever there’s a problem Homer puts everything aright with his own common sense and ingenuity—like the time Uncle Heracles jumped out of his clothes and landed in another state, or a slick salesman duped the whole town, or the whole town started speaking in jingles. Nothing fazes Homer Price!
Centerburg Tales Page 12