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Title details for Sing a Song of Tuna Fish by Esme Raji Codell - Available

Sing a Song of Tuna Fish

by Esme Raji Codell
Esme Raji Codell
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
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2 of 2 copies available
Esmé tells us about the night she and her mother became "egg vigilantes" against an illegally parked car; her freewheeling first school, where kids sat on sofas instead of at desks and could choose disco dancing instead of math; her dangerous neighborhood, which her father made seem friendly and wondrous; the Passover dinner when she stole a matzoh right out from under a rabbi; the awe-inspiring, life-threatening Chicago snowstorms; and lessons about love from tea-reading gypsies and Popeye cartoons.
In stories that perfectly evoke the perspective of her ten-year-old self, author Esmé Raji Codell demonstrates her gift for making the ordinary extraordinary, and the unusual familiar. SING A SONG OF TUNA FISH is a memoir of a Chicago childhood; a tribute to the art of attention; and most of all, a joyful listening experience for kids and families.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 11, 2005

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780739345023
      • File size: 71921 KB
      • Duration: 02:29:50

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 3-6

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Fifth-grader Esmé has been told all her life that she is a child who is "broke," but the memories she has of her life growing up in urban Chicago reveal a life rich in adventure, unique experiences, and love. Since Esmé Raji Codell reads her own story, the listener is provided with the opportunity to engage with it exactly the way she intends. One might assume this is a story for children, but, while it is suitable for children, adults will find themselves smiling and reminiscing about their old neighborhoods and the creative ways they used to pass the time. S.K.P. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 13, 2004
      The author of Sahara Special
      eloquently expresses memories of her own fifth-grade year in this volume of loosely connected vignettes set in 1979. Readers who savor details will relish Codell's descriptions of her Chicago neighborhood, especially the series of unique specialty shops, ranging from the cigar store ("It was more like a hallway than a store. You had to say 'excuse me' to turn around") to the collector's shop specializing in war memorabilia ("Flags with swastikas hung in the window, along with lighters, knives in sheathes, and lots of jagged metal things that seemed to be for throwing at people"). Equally vivid are depictions of Esmé's family: her fiery-tempered mother, who encourages Esmé to hurl eggs at a rich man's car, parked in front of a hydrant; her soft-spoken, poet father; and the grandmother whose apartment is like a giant treasure chest, housing an assortment of entertaining artifacts. The author periodically interrupts the ebb and flow of family quarrels and struggles caused by being "broke," with landmark occasions such as Esmé's initiation to public school, a memorable Passover dinner (when Esmé manages to outwit the rabbi) and a freak storm that covers Chicago with piles of snow. With its strong nostalgic flavor and poetic imagery, this warmly humorous memoir will likely find an audience with children of the 1970s as well as with children of the new millennium. Ages 9-up.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 14, 2005
      The author of Sahara Special
      returns with this collection of colorfully and carefully detailed anecdotes from her grade-school years, circa 1979 Chicago. Whether she's hurling eggs from her apartment balcony (with encouragement from her mother) onto the shiny car of a "rich schmuck," describing her parents' sometimes loud shouting fights or the fascinating layout of her grandmother Evelyn's apartment, Codell paints a realistic and deeply felt childhood. Her bright, occasionally soft-spoken voice has a youthful tone, which wrings notes of humor, revelation and poignancy from her written words. Listeners also get an extra treat here—two stories not included in the print edition of the book. Ages 8-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:3-6

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