Book Description

Reviews (7)

For A Childhood of Broad Shoulders
Carl Sandburg's *Rootabaga Stories* (once collected in a rather hefty volume, now available serially as they were originally released) are well-enough known that many may find it puzzling that these stories -- which seemed so wonderful to them as children -- are not more widely read and spoken of. I certainly do: but I wonder if the salient quality of the *Rootabagas*, the "vividness" emphasized by Maud and Miska Petersham's clean-line expressionist illustrations, make them something of the juvenile counterpart to Sandburg's multi-volume biography of Lincoln (a memento of an American past not fondly remembered by many). In other words, we might perhaps conjecture (quietly if necessary) that these stories were intended to 'equilibrate' children in an industrialized present, something like Walter Benjamin's cinema, and that the flavor of the monumental (which intimated to the post-war reader that they were in the presence of greatness) may not be to the taste of those not prepared to shoulder the burden of social control. But for those of us with sympathy for Robert Capa and suchlike, it is pleasing that we have a new "friend" in Libros Viajeros, who are making this book available as the imposing lump it ought to be; and perhaps it is still the case, even in this era of shorter school hours and an unfriendlier public sphere, that every child ought to have a hardback book. If so, this would not be the worst one.

Childhood memories
I must have had my dad read these stories a million times at bed time. I remember always bugging him to read one more story. It has been so many years since then and I can't wait to read them to my own children, although i don't think I can do the voices quit so well. The illustrations in the hardcover edition were beautiful and i would spend so much time pretending with my little sister that we lived in rootabaga country. It will be a pleasure to reread all the stories of my childhood. When i would pick rootabaga stories at bedtime even over everybodies all time favorite Winnie-the-pooh.

American Fairy Tales
Carl Sandburg, winner of Pulitzer Prizes both for his biography of Abraham Lincoln and for his COMPLETE POEMS, explores another genre in ROOTABAGA STORIES, fairy tales that he wrote for his daughters. When asked how he wrote the stories, Sandburg replied, "The children asked questions, and I answered them."

The ROOTABAGA STORIES are unconventional in almost every way. Unlike traditional fairy tales, they have no perfect princesses and evil witches. They are American fairy tales with a rural flavor and, in fact, they have no evil characters. The settings, though fanciful, include images that defined America in the 1920s, when the stories were published: the railroad, which "ran across the prairie, to the mountains, to the sea," and the skyscraper.

In Rootabaga Country the railroad tracks go from straight to zigzag, the pigs wear bibs (some checked, some striped, some polka-dotted), and the biggest city is the Village of Liver-and-Onions. Characters in this fanciful world are equally peculiar: Please Gimme, Blixie Blimber, Eeta Peeca Pie, and dozens of others. Children and literary critics alike would be hard-pressed to explain (even symbolically) the events that occur in the stories. Nevertheless, meaning comes through and truth is revealed. For example, in "Three Boys with Jugs of Molasses and Secret Ambitions," ambition is defined as "a little creeper that creeps and creeps in your heart night and day, singing a little song, 'Come and find me, come and find me.'" Who would expect that "The Two Skyscrapers Who Decided to Have a Child" would have an absolutely poignant ending?

Although the events of the stories may not be explainable, the stories are replete with concrete images. Sandburg provides both visual and auditory description with musical, repetitious phrases and novel juxtaposition of words ("a daughter who is a dancing shaft of light on the ax handles of morning"). Occasionally he invents words, such as "pfisty-pfoost," the sound of the train's steam engine, and "bickerjiggers," the buttons on an accordion.

ROOTABAGA STORIES are wonderful for reading aloud. They provide an opportunity for readers and listeners to delight in language and revel in truths revealed in a fanciful world.

Rootabaga Stories
Sometimes it is late and you want to read your child something short so you naturally will reach for this book - where most of the stories are 4 pages or less and they are not really connected - the problem is: you can seldom stop at one and if you are not careful you will read the whole book! My 10 year old is just as mesmerized by Sandberg's words as my 8 year old was 2 years ago, mostly because Sandberg's choice of words and fantastic plots and settings are continually unexpected and surprising. I'm mesmerized too, but I won't reveal my age.

unique and wonderful childrens literature
Is it possible in a half dozen pages to produce a credible and moving story of the love of two skyscrapers and the sorrowful loss of their child, a train? Only for Carl Sandburg, I dare say. I'm not sure who requests this book more often, me or my 7-year-old daughter, but these bite-size, fabulous stories increase their charm with each rereading. Each story is a treasure. This book is a must-have for anyone who loves beautiful and fantastic story telling. ... Read more

Book Description

A redesigned issue of the beautifully told story of young Abe Lincoln, drawn from the early chapters of Carl Sandburg's original biography, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

A home-style, family book for everyone
If you enjoy history and want a clean read that will keep you hooked cover to cover than this is the book for you! I found this children's book a fun read that would be great for adults and kids alike if they are trying to rekindle their innocent, free-spirit days as a child! It takes you from Abe's youth to his adolescent and the history of his aduldhood. What a great read! ... Read more

Book Description

Born in 1878, Carl Sandburg grew with America. As a boy he played, studied, and matured in Galesburg, Illinois. Sandburg's reminiscence delivers a nostalgic view of small-town life and an invaluable perspective on American history. Index. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Prairie Boy Returns to Western Illinois
What can you say about Always the Young Strangers, other than it reads as well in 2004 as it did in 1953.Sandburg's look at his boyhood in Galesburg, Illinois has all the elements of opening a time capsule and looking back at the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I am most fascinated by Sandburg's relationship with the Krans family who lived outside of Galesburg on a small farm.The respect that Sandburg accords the Krans' sturdy immigrant spirit permeates the entire book.Read the description of John Krans' death at the end of the book.It brought tears to my eyes.
Sandburg's shakey relationship with his father also attracted me to the book since I had the same type of relationship with my dad.August Sandburg never appreciated his son's writing talent.It took the mother, Clara, to nurture her son's mighty pen.
When I worked there in the 1970's, natives of Galesburg would tell me how much Sandburg hated the city.Always the Young Strangers tells a much different story.The love that Sandburg had for Galesburg and western Illinois jumps off the pages of this book.What a great read!

Always the Young Strangers Always a Good Read
Carl Sandburg's Always the Young Strangers is not a new book but that is what makes it such a compelling read.In an era marked by the popularity of the memoir, Sandburg's tales of growing up in Galesburg, IL at the endof the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s allow the reader to hear adistinctive voice no longer with us speak again. This is not any ordinaryvoice either but voice of a poet clearly in love with words. Though hisboyhood stories are simple, they are rich with detail that allow us insightinto Sandburg's future as a poet and as a most notable biographer ofAbraham Lincoln--in it, for example, Sanburg recalls attending a funeralprocession (probably one of many held across the country in a time longbefore TV allowed the nation to mourn together as we did when JFK wasburied) for U.S. Grant and watching from atop his father's shoulders as thevarious mourners passed. Clearly, this event, along with others hementions, fed Sandburg's curiosity about the Civil War and led him to writehis many volumes about Lincoln. If, like me, you enjoy autobiography andmemoir, you will enjoy Always the Young Strangers.

A Poet Remembers His Prairie Town
If one hears the name Sandburg, the first thing to come to mind is probably "Fog" or "City of Big Shoulders."But in reading this wonderful memoir, we are reminded of what a fine prose writerthe man was.The tale of his struggling Swedish immigrant parents findingtheir way in late nineteenth century America and young "Charley"as he liked to be called, as the name Carl marked him as a foreigner, is afascinating glimpse of a bygone time and place. The interesting jobs thatyoung Carl took on, such as traveling the back roads selling stereo-opticanviews, and his conversations with a civil war vet are rewarding andinsightful.I believe this is a wonderful read for anyone with a love ofbiography, history, or simply good storytelling. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Educators Recommend
In this biography of Carl Sandburg, Penelope Niven draws on her considerable knowledge of the poet to create a first-rate presentation. (Niven is the author of Carl Sandburg: A Biography as well as the founder and director the National Carl Sandburg Oral History Project.)

The book proceeds in chronological fashion. Each double-page section juxtaposes biographical information (on the left) with one of Sandburg's poems or a prose selection (on the right). This has the effect of making the poems and prose more personal, more meaningful. In the section titled "Soldier," for example, Niven discusses Sandburg's participation in the Spanish-American War. He and fellow soldiers had to wade "ashore in deep water, dressed in hot wool uniforms left over from the Civil War." On the facing page we read the poignant "New Feet":

Empty battlefields keep their phantoms.
Grass crawls over old gun wheels
And nodding Canada thistle flings a purple
Into the summer's southwest wind,

Wrapping a root in the rust of a bayonet,
Reaching a blossom in the rust of shrapnel.

Marc Nadel's watercolor-and-crosshatch illustrations are beautifully done, historically accurate, and the perfect compliment to Niven's text. According to the "Illustration Notes," Sandburg's personal possessions are featured in the artwork.

Carl Sandburg was a multifaceted individual: a journalist, a family man, a storyteller, an historian, and a dreamer. Niven does an extraordinary job of bringing to life America 's "Poet of the People."

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sixty years ago, Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)--America's unofficial poet laureate, Pulitzer Prize winner, biographer, and historian--wrote a batch of children's poetry, but it wasn't until 1999 that Sandburg scholars George and Willene Hendrick found these 19 lively prose poems amidst thousands of yellowed manuscripts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In Poems for Children Nowhere Near Old Enough to Vote we learn that "Eggs may speak to buttons--that is correct. /Buttons, however, must not speak to eggs." Sandburg, like most children, also enjoys musing on various body parts: "The nose is to breathe and to smell with. / Eyes need two and ears need two but one nose / is enough if it has two nostrils." In other poems, he revels in defining and exploring terms that we often use, letting his imagination wander through each word's possibilities: "Stumbling is where you walk and find you are not walking.""Manners is when you know how to eat without being bashful." "Music is when your ears like what you hear." Familiar objects such as wheels, clocks, chairs, and pencils are all subject to Sandburg's simple, childlike "write-down-everything-this-makes-you-think-of" approach to poetry.

In the hands of the whimsical Istvan Banyai (of Zoom and Re-Zoom), Sandburg's poems meet their visual match. Banyai's basic, black-and-white, pen-and-ink illustrations--combined with computer-generated stretched, condensed, curved, or diagonal type--enliven and enhance the poet's wordplay with equally inventive results. As Sandburg gleefully investigates the concept of chair legs, Banyai shows a chair casually crossing its legs. As Sandburg pontificates on pencils ("Pencils too pointed break the points and / then laugh at you"), Banyai sketches the antics of a pencil-headed man (who doesn't seem to enjoy the sharpening process). This unusual collection will no doubt encourage children to open their eyes to a nonliteral universe, and perhaps jumpstart an interest in creative writing. (That's right--poems don't have to rhyme!) (Ages 7 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Poetry for children of all ages
My favorite poem "Think about wheels" is simple yet profound -- "And in your head, in many little places behind Your blinking wonderful eyes, you can find, If you try, ten thousand wheels within wheels." Such poems are great for contemplation and for reading aloud to our children (I have a 4 year old)...

Great Introduction to Poetry
We purchased this book for our 3 year old and have found it to be absolutely charming. He enjoys several of the poems now, particularly the one about the egg and the button, and he will come to understand and appreciate others as he gets older. It is a wonderful book that a child can enjoy for many years. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

An American Fairy Tale
Carl Sandburg's Huckabuck Family will delight and charm children of every age with a story of family pride and optimism.When the Huckabucks Nebraska barn burns down and all their popcorn pops, they decide to go onthe road and wait for a sign to tell them when to come back home.Eachyear they move to a new town and Papa finds a new job.The Huckabucks mayhave good luck, or bad, but they always have each other.David Small'sillustrations add just the right touch to the story and are so detailedthat even the farm animals have facial expressions.So, sit down and takea trip across the country and back with the Huckabucks.I promise, youwon't be disappointed.This is a wonderful book the whole family canshare.

Small's whimsical pictures are perfectly suited to Sandburg
This book is a satisfying follow-up to David Small's last twobooks, The Gardener & The Library. Though this is an old story its optimistic message suits Small's whimsical style beautifully. I'm thoroughly confused by the review in Kirkus that criticizes the repetitive nature of thenames--this is part of Sandburg's poetic form--as well as the"pointless" nature of the Huckabuck family's travels, which isactually the whole point of the story. One must take a change in luck instride, go out and find one's new fortune, and you may even find yourselfback home having learned a thing or two. Cheers (& 5 stars) to the Huckabucks, Sandburg, and David Small. ... Read more

Book Description

These enduring poems by American master poet Carl Sandburg are perfect for a young audience, and now they have been newly illustrated with bright, colorful double-page artwork. The poems and illustrations work together, following a group of children through a day of enjoying and participating in Sandburg's poetry, observing nature, solving riddles and playing. Young readers will respond to the pastoral themes.

Sandburg lived the last twenty-two years of his life on a farm called Connemara in North Carolina, with his three daughters, Margaret, Janet, and Helga, and his wife, Paula Steichen, who raised champion goats. Sandburg described Connemara as "240 acres and a million acres of sky" and would often take walks in the surrounding woods. The birds, animals, and natural world that surrounded him at the farm resonate throughout these poems.

A prior knowledge and love of poetry are not required to appreciate the wit and insight of Sandburg's work - though a love of poetry may well result!

Poems: -Daybreak
-Fog
-Bluebird, What Do You Feed On?
-Milk-White Moon, Put the Cows to Sleep
-Spring
-Try Being a Goat
-White Wings
-Bug Spots
-Sleep Face
-Good Night
-Three Riddles:
--If You Ask Your Mother
--There Was a Zebra
--There Are 10 Apples

We have also included two of Sandburg's favorite poems:
-"Bee! I'm expecting you!" by Emily Dickinson
-"The Horse Named Bill" lyrics by Red Lewis ... Read more

Reviews (4)

My children's absolute favorite
Though I have always enjoyed Carl Sandburg's poetry, I had never encountered this book until my son discovered it at the library on his first library visit. We took it home, read it every night for 2 weeks and he didn't want to take it back. The day we returned it, we went to the book store and got our own copy. When my daughter came along, I ordered a copy from Amazon, as she also fell in love with the story. The Wedding Procession is a lovely go-to-sleep book, telling the story of the sweet Rag Doll who was loved by all, but who chose to marry the Broom Handle. We each have our favorite group from the procession. My son loves the musical soup eaters, my daughter adores the easy ticklers. And my favorites, after the clean ears, are of course the sleepyheads. Children will want you to read this to them nearly every night. And parents and caregivers will oblige happily because it is a quite, lovely, charming story that will march your children right along to bed in the Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle.

such happy memories
This was truly my favorite book as a child. I was surprised to find it available. Many happy hours were spent on my mother's
lap reading and looking at the unique pictures. I hope my Johnnie
loves it also!

Probably my favorite children's book
I don't even have kids and I'm ordering this book just to have around the house. Though I haven't read it in probably 25 years, I can still recite whole passages from it. I only wish it were still available in hardcover.

This was my very favorite book as a child.
I can remember checking this book out from the library dozens of times when I was a child. My mother finally insisted that I learn to read it myself, since she had long since tired of it. It was one of the first books that I could read. I loved the pictues, and the whole procession of Spoon-lickers and Easy-ticklers and Dirty-bibs delighted me each time. I read this book to my own children many times. ... Read more

Book Description

A selection by one of America's greatest poets of 79 of his poems particularly suitable for children, to which he has added 16 new poems. 7 line drawings by William A. Smith
... Read more

Book Description

The second volume of Carl Sandburg's beloved Rootabaga stories, this matching paperback edition contains the color and b&w illustrations of Maud and Miska Petersham. ... Read more

Book Description

An illustrated volume of all of Carl Sandburg's books for young readers: Rootababa Stories, Early Moon, Wind Song, Prarie-Town Boy, and Abe Lincoln Grows Up. Introduction by Paula Sandburg.
... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Child Life, published by Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. on January 1, 1996. The length of the article is 833 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The haystack cricket: how things are different up in the moon towns. (imaginary towns on the moon)(short story)
Author: Carl Sandburg
Publication: Child Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 1996
Publisher: Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc.
Volume: v75Issue: n1Page: p6(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

Originally published in six volumes, Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln was called “the greatest historical biography of our generation.” Sandburg distilled this work into one volume that became the definitive life of Lincoln. Index; photographs.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

In my opinion, the best Lincoln biography...
While Abraham Lincoln is among the most accessible characters in American history, no author has yet equaled Sandburg's triumphant chronicle of Lincoln. Artfully written, engaging, and thoroughly researched, the book is perhaps the most entertaining of all American presidential biographies. Sandburg's mastery of prose yields a coherent, effortlessly read text that develops more dramatically than might be expected from a biography, consistently retaining the reader's interest. Though some may claim that Sandburg's multi-volume account of the life of Lincoln surpasses the one-volume edition, for most readers, this edition is sufficiently thorough. I found it a pleasure to read and reread.

Not the gold standard but an excellent start
More books are published about Lincon than any other public figure and Carl Sandburg's take on America's 16th president is a good place to start your learning on this extraordinary individual. Sandburg's style shows his roots as a poet; the writing is lyrical and captivating. Though it leans towards myth-making, Sandburg doesn't leave out Lincoln's flaws. Other biographies go deeper into Lincoln's psyche or touch on specific chapters from Lincoln's life; however this book is a good start to begin your education on Abraham Lincoln. Find the complete six-volume set if you can. It does a much better job of putting Lincoln's life into the historical context of the 1800s than this abridged volume does. ... Read more

Book Description

"It is because I love you I give you for your birthday present the aurora

borealis" begins this never-before-published poem by quintessential American

poet Carl Sandburg.The brief text,designed with the air of a

turn-of-the-century love letter, tells of a lovestruck young man who struggles

to bring the "shimmering swimmering" northern lights to the front porch of his

beloved.This stylish valentine for all seasons is luminously illustrated by

Caldecott Honor artist Anita Lobel who lights up the sky in colors and images

that dance on the page.In a style suggestive of Georgia O'Keeffe's, Lobel has

created a picturebook tour de force that speaks to all ages.Handsomely

formatted, complete with a pink satin ribbon bookmark, it is a beautiful

testimony to the power of love and an elegant way to say "I love you"

any day of the year.




... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not Everyday a Book Like This
Right from the start this book is one of those that just feels good in the hand. A thin aesthetically pleasing little volume it has a red satin ribbon to mark your place and a brightly colored huge red heart invites you inside from the front cover. The text is a love poem by the great Carl Sandburg that has never before been published. The pictures are by Anita Lobel and they are filled with glad, warm-hearted images and colors.
A young man goes to "where the aurora borealises grow" and brings home a beautiful speciman for his true love's birthday. The enchanting swirls of color actually do quite well at depicting the essence of the aurora borealis and its mysterious, magical light show. I know, because the northern lights were swirling in the skies over my home just a few nights ago and Lobel captured the feeling just perfectly.
We follow the young man's struggle to find and bring the aurora borealis to his love and we believe that his feelings are so strong that he really can do anything for his love that he sets his heart on doing. He offers to bring her more aurora borealises or even a rainbow if she would like. This poetical man is letting her know that he will always work hard for her and struggle through life with her which is something a young woman may hope for, but this clever man has found a beautiful and romantic way to say it. His sensitivity to her need for beauty and abundance is the endearing point of the colorful promises he makes in this story.
I treasure this book and I think it makes a wonderful gift for anyone you love, especially yourself.

Pure and amazing.
I'm an avid reader of all sorts of novels. I've read 'em with thousands of pages, but none of them have ever moved me as much as this little book did. Both the poem and the illustration have a magical, enchanting quality to them. Buy it for yourself or as a gift. It's well worth the money.

The Most Beautiful Book I've ever read.
This book is so amazing that when i picked it up in the store and started reading it, i began to cry right there in the shop. i've never experienced that sort of thing in before. i bouth the book right there on the spot with money i had ear-marked for something else. It is just a really simple, really beautiful poem about love with wonderful illustrations. It makes a beautiful present for a child or even a sweetheart. ... Read more

Book Description

A painterÂ’s deeply felt images match a poetÂ’s timeless observations about the heart of America in this profound evocation of the texture of life in the Midwest. A sophisticated and beautiful book for all ages, Grassroots is Wendell MinorÂ’s tribute to Carl SandburgÂ’s work and to the Midwest upbringing they both share. ... Read more