Overview

Perry's mother and father are busy people ... they're impatient, they're tired, they get cross easily. And they think that only children, like Perry, should be kept busy. On Saturday mornings Perry and her father visit her gran, Honora Lee, at the Santa Lucia rest home, but Gran never remembers them. 'Who is that man?' Honora Lee asks when Perry's father leaves the room. After movement class is abruptly cancelled, Perry is allowed to go to Santa Lucia on Thursday afternoons. She discovers her Gran has an unconventional interest in the alphabet, so Perry decides to make an alphabet book with the help of Honora and the others. Soon everyone is interested in Perry's book project. The ACB With Honora Lee unfolds with characteristic warmth, quirky, surprising humor and a rich cast of 'residents'. The story is a meditation on kindness and patience and acceptance; that of the very young and the very old. It's a story that will resonate with echoes of recollection for many -- from Perry's endearing perspective on the adult world to the embracing kindness of those who care for the elderly.

Full Product Details

9781770497245

Table of Contents

Reviews

SELECTION - The Globe & Mail 100 Best Books of 2014 PRAISE FOR The ACB With Honora Lee De Goldi's story of an only child's determined efforts to know and love her grandmother deserves a place in the pantheon of quiet, word-of-mouth classics . . . Perry is funny and bewitching, and all of the other characters, even the walk-ons, are equally engaging. O'Brien's curious diagram-illustrations pay appropriate tribute to Perry's admiration for the unconventional. --Starred Review, Publishers Weekly Clever, poignant and sweetly funny, this will be especially appreciated by those who've experienced a loved one with dementia. --Kirkus Reviews This is not a predictable tale of hands-across-the-generations--there is no treacle in it, no weepy climax--but a portrait of an understanding heart and an exploration of the natural craving for order, however eccentric it turns out to be. --The Wall Street Journal PRAISE FOR The ACB With Honora Lee One of The Globe & Mail's 100 Books of 2014 De Goldi's story of an only child's determined efforts to know and love her grandmother deserves a place in the pantheon of quiet, word-of-mouth classics ... Perry is funny and bewitching, and all of the other characters, even the walk-ons, are equally engaging. O'Brien's curious diagram-illustrations pay appropriate tribute to Perry's admiration for the unconventional. --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review Colorful, chaotic line drawings that incorporate elements of the story embellish this novel about a girl's newfound relationship to her senile grandmother.... Clever, poignant and sweetly funny, this will be especially appreciated by those who've experienced a loved one with dementia. --Kirkus Reviews This is not a predictable tale of hands-across-the-generations--there is no treacle in it, no weepy climax--but a portrait of an understanding heart and an exploration of the natural craving for order, however eccentric it turns out to be. Sprinkled throughout with Gregory O'Brien's chic illustrations, which seem to mix midcentury modernity with a dash of Kandinsky, it's a beautiful little chronicle that will suit thoughtful readers over the age of 10. --The Wall Street Journal Perry is funny and bewitching, and all the other characters, even the walk-ons, are equally engaging. O Brien s curious diagram-illustrations pay appropriate tribute to Perry s admiration for the unconvent-ional. Publishers Weekly

SELECTION - The Globe & Mail 100 Best Books of 2014 PRAISE FOR The ACB With Honora Lee De Goldi's story of an only child's determined efforts to know and love her grandmother deserves a place in the pantheon of quiet, word-of-mouth classics . . . Perry is funny and bewitching, and all of the other characters, even the walk-ons, are equally engaging. O'Brien's curious diagram-illustrations pay appropriate tribute to Perry's admiration for the unconventional. --Starred Review, Publishers Weekly Clever, poignant and sweetly funny, this will be especially appreciated by those who've experienced a loved one with dementia. --Kirkus Reviews This is not a predictable tale of hands-across-the-generations--there is no treacle in it, no weepy climax--but a portrait of an understanding heart and an exploration of the natural craving for order, however eccentric it turns out to be. --The Wall Street Journal

SELECTION - The Globe & Mail 100 Best Books of 2014 PRAISE FOR The ACB With Honora Lee De Goldi's story of an only child's determined efforts to know and love her grandmother deserves a place in the pantheon of quiet, word-of-mouth classics . . . Perry is funny and bewitching, and all of the other characters, even the walk-ons, are equally engaging. O'Brien's curious diagram-illustrations pay appropriate tribute to Perry's admiration for the unconventional. --Starred Review, Publishers Weekly Clever, poignant and sweetly funny, this will be especially appreciated by those who've experienced a loved one with dementia. --Kirkus Reviews This is not a predictable tale of hands-across-the-generations--there is no treacle in it, no weepy climax--but a portrait of an understanding heart and an exploration of the natural craving for order, however eccentric it turns out to be. --The Wall Street Journal

SELECTION - The Globe & Mail 100 Best Books of 2014 PRAISE FOR The ACB With Honora Lee De Goldi's story of an only child's determined efforts to know and love her grandmother deserves a place in the pantheon of quiet, word-of-mouth classics . . . Perry is funny and bewitching, and all of the other characters, even the walk-ons, are equally engaging. O'Brien's curious diagram-illustrations pay appropriate tribute to Perry's admiration for the unconventional. --Starred Review, Publishers Weekly Clever, poignant and sweetly funny, this will be especially appreciated by those who've experienced a loved one with dementia. --Kirkus Reviews This is not a predictable tale of hands-across-the-generations--there is no treacle in it, no weepy climax--but a portrait of an understanding heart and an exploration of the natural craving for order, however eccentric it turns out to be. --The Wall Street Journal

Author Information

KATE DE GOLDI is one of New Zealand's most loved authors. The author of the phenomenal The 10 PM Question, which has been published extensively overseas, she is a two-time winner of the New Zealand Post Children's Book of the Year Award. She has held several major fellowships and is a respected broadcaster, book festival chair and public speaker. She is also dedicated and committed to working with children. The author lives in New Zealand. GREGORY O'BRIEN is a poet, painter and editor. He trained as a journalist in Auckland and worked as a newspaper reporter in Northland. His work has appeared in Islands, Landfall and Sport, Meanjin, Scripsi. He lives in Wellington where he is Senior Curator at the City Gallery Wellington.Gregory O'Brien lives in Wellington, NZ. Click here to add Reader Bio content

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