Lentil

by Robert McCloskey

Lentil wanted to make music and since he couldn't sing he learned to play the harmonica, which replaced a whole band on an important occasion.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Music, Classics, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

John Robert McCloskey was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He both wrote and illustrated eight picture books and won two Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association recognizing the year's best-illustrated picture book. Four of those eight books were set in Maine: Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Time of Wonder, and Burt Dow, Deep-water Man; the last three all on the coast. He was also the writer for Make Way For Ducklings, as well as the illustrator for The Man Who Lost His Head.

McCloskey was born in Hamilton, Ohio, during 1914 and reached Boston in 1932 with a scholarship to study at Vesper George Art School. After Vesper George he moved to New York City for study at the National Academy of Design.

In 1940, he married Peggy Durand, daughter of the children's writer Ruth Sawyer. They had two daughters, Sally and Jane, and settled in New York State, spending summers on Scott Island, a small island off Little Deer Isle in East Penobscot Bay. McCloskey's wife and eldest daughter Sally are reputed to be the models for little Sal and her mother in Blueberries for Sal (1948), a picture book set on a "Blueberry Hill" in the vicinity. Three others of his picture books are set on the coast and concern the sea.

Peggy died in 1991. Twelve years later on June 30, 2003, McCloskey died at his home in Deer Isle, Maine.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lentil can’t sing or whistle and he loves music, so he plays the harmonica. The story is set up so that Lentil can save the day with his harmonica. How can someone playing a harmonica save the day, well, it's a great story and you should read it.

I love Robert’s drawings in this story and it’s a beginning story. This one is not long at all. It’s a great little story. I actually love this one. It’s silly and sweet and perfect. Robert has a gift when he tells a story. He really knows all the right notes to make a story sing, or play in this case.

The nephew kinda liked this book and I think he wanted a bit more. He gave this 3 stars. The niece enjoyed this one more. She loved that he saved the day with a harmonica. She gave this 4 stars.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting that sudden shift from an ordinary boy's desire to learn music to villainous lemon-sucking, but neat.

4 stars for the illustrations, 3 for the story. It's not replacing his Blueberries for Sal in my heart, for sure.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this five stars for the illustrations. The words are sweet, but I almost felt that the illustrations told the entire story just as well. Lentil is the most adorable boy and the story is nostalgic and fun and touching--poor Lentil cannot sing well, or whistle, but he loves music... so he saves his money to buy a harmonica; and his harmonica playing soon saves the day! This is from the early 1940s but you could totally picture Opie Taylor from "Andy Griffith" reading this and getting inspired to take up the harmonica like Lentil and parade through Mayberry with his tunes! ;->

[Tricia Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of my favorite author of children's books. As a child I read all of his books, my favorite always being Homer Price and Make Way for Ducklings. They will go down in history. Plus his illustrations will always remind me of my childhood. Lentil shows show a boy who can't sing can still be musical AND save the day. All children should read this one.

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice old fashioned kind of story about a boy who saves the day with his harmonica.

Mr. McCloskey sure liked to draw church steeples. Practically every page has a church in it, and there are at least three churches in the town of Alto, Ohio, judging by the endsheet illustration.

[uma · Rating 4 out of 5]

So silly. Love this man.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot believe I never read this when I was little. Lentil, a young boy who cannot pucker his lips, has never been able to sing, nor can he whistle. What is a boy to do? He goes to the store and buys a harmonica and plays it all around town all the way to school. Everyone likes it. That is, everyone except Old Sneep. While everyone is preparing for Colonel Carter's return to town, Old Sneep is being an old grouch and decides to suck on a lemon, which causes the band to not play (their lips are too puckered)!. How will the band and town recover? You'll just have to read the book. I would recommend this as a bedtime story.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It rather reminds me of McCloskey's Homer Price books. A rather goofy premise (boy playing harmonica) that turns into an entirely comical and unlikely adventure.

[Tym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great artwork! The story was cute but not especially good.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

To check out all my reviews: http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com

When researching about this authors bibliography I discover that some of his books are no longer in circulation which is disappointing at times but for this particular book I agree with the vast majority that this book should no longer be available for mass consumption.

This book takes place in Alto, Ohio where we meet our main character named Lentil who loves to play the harmonica. Based on the illustrations the small town is depicted between the late 19th century or early 20th century. The story makes references to the Civil War and how this one man named Colonel Carter help manage the town and all its public resources.

The town essentially deals with that Colonel Carter is finally visiting his small town after years in the service and the whole town is giddy about his arrival. They make sure that everything is perfect for his arrival and while it may seem such a simple task in the end it becomes difficult because there is this old man named Old Sneep who is a pain in the ass and practically a hobo with grudge and tries to ruin the moment but Lentil saves the day with his harmonica.

The illustrations are fantastic as always and my main issue is I couldn't connect to the story and I blame that on the world that I currently live in. At least in the United States, we no longer live in an innocent bubble where we are ignorant with what is going around the world. Every day I see the terror that the Media shows and tries to manipulate us and now kids are witnessing horrific images on tv because we live in an era of Terrorism.

Growing up in the 90s I felt like we lived in a simpler time because we didn't have the iPhones and social media to make us become Zombies. The media is constantly manipulating the masses and yet we do nothing about it. I cannot remember the last time I've had a deep meaningful conversation with someone that wasn't from Goodreads. We live in this superficial world where we focus on what's the latest news on the Kardashians then the important issues that is effecting our government and the world.

I'm sorry for my rant but that is the reality of the matter in my point of view and reading this book it's clearly illustrated that we don't live in this peaceful state of mind in the 21st century. Because of not getting into the story I didn't find it interesting or rather it was too predictable but the illustrations are great and I would highly recommend this book if you like classic children's book or you want to read a story that could take place essentially during Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn era.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a blast from the past! I found a nearly new condition copy of Lentil at a resale shop and bought it for my "Grandma" book shelf because it bears award-winning author Robert McCloskey's name. But I had forgotten how much I love this one--the illustrations are beautifully done and reflect another time perfectly. The themes of being yourself, searching until you find your niche, giving to others are all there. Teachers (and Grandmas) can use this book for teaching so many reading skills or just simply read it for the pleasure of a wonderful story. Budding artists would do well to study McCloskey's talents as an illustrator.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an old 'classic' book, illustrations are black and white but still very adorable. Lentil is a little boy that wants so bad to sing; but he simply can't. So he saves his money and gets a harmonica and teaches himself to play. He plays it everywhere he goes. A big parade to welcome a special town man coming to town is scheduled but when the train arrives with the man the bank can't play! But Lentil brings out his harmonica and saves the day!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book would be very long, but it's just oversized. The amount of text on the pages isn't too overwhelming. A very cute story about a boy named Lentil who can't sing but learns to play the harmonica instead. Then he and his harmonica help out the town at in a difficult (very funny!) situation.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute classic story. Robert McCloskey knows how to write fun and moralistic stories.
The moral of this story: just because you don't have one talent doesn't mean you can't find another and in some way save the day.
But don't forget to practice practice practice!!!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story that has humorous, unpredictable twists and is charming! Just start reading it and you'll see.

McCloskey's illustrations are a delight and I'm going to name him the "Children's Norman Rockwell" as he does such a fabulous job capturing old town America.

Ages 3+

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today's children need to read this, if only to see Lentil's bare feet everywhere, even to school. McCloskey definitely deserves all the awards he won as an illustrator. And the story is a hoot.

[Deania · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is cute and is revolved around music. A boy who does not have a lot of musical talent, finds a way to express himself musically through a harmonica. He finds his best place to practice and has fun while walking to school. It is good book.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curious about what life in a small town in the first half of the 1900s was like? The illustrations in this story about Lentil, a boy and his harmonica will give you a clue.

[Kaitlin Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We finally read it. McCloseky is my son's favorite author!

[carolina howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book has a terrible plot. read while babysitting and it makes no sense! why does seeing a man slurping a lemon make everyone unable to play there instruments? there’s a big disconnect between the lentil storyline and the colonel carter storyline. also, why does old sneep just randomly become not grumpy at the end?? that was weird. kids deserve better.. come on guys

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"you never can tell what will happen when you learn to play the harmonica." There is something so quirky about this picture book published in 1940. The story is silly, the character of Old Sneep (the lemon sucker) bizarre, and the conclusion humorous.

[Distant Sounds · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little read that didn't soar to any heights, but was not too bad. I got more from the illustrations which were well drawn and ones I really would have loved as a kid.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, quaint book! An unexpected ending.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had known about this book when my oldest son wanted a harmonica for his birthday. It would have been the perfect go-along gift. Such a sweet story about a boy who, though not musically inclined, wants to make music. He can't carry a tune, and can't even pucker his lips to whistle. So he buys a harmonica and practices during every spare moment. The day comes when that practice comes in handy and he saves the day with his harmonica tunes. Worthwhile themes such as community, giving and gratitude, perseverance, and following an interest are enhanced and brought to life by McCloskey's recognizable illustrations. We have several McCloskey books but I'm going to have to add this one to the shelf.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable book. The illustrations alone make it worthwhile reading--vivid, humorous, and nostalgic (although I guess they weren't nostalgic at the time it was written and first published). Lentil was a cute kid who didn't give up on his dream, and was rewarded for it. The story itself seemed far-fetched to me in several ways (Don't you purse your lips to play a harmonica too? It's been awhile since I've played around with one.), but this is a kids' book, so I guess it's not as big of a deal. I mostly just admired the artwork anyway. Definitely a cute and encouraging book to share with kids in your life.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh! There were many annoying factors to this story - the hero worshipping, the playing nice to get money from the rich guy, the supreme maleness of the book (I am giving allowances for that given the time the book was written), the requirement that the reader stretch credulity to the ridiculousness (and I give no allowances for that). BUT the main part that irked me was this book was obviously written by someone who knows nothing about playing band instruments, and yet he not only chose to write about that, but to make it a feature part of the story. Ugh!

It's a shame too because the illustrations were great.

[David Goetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid McCloskey book. Not as popular or enduring as his more famous works--Make Way For Ducklings, Time of Wonder, One Morning in Maine, and Blueberries for Sal come to mind--the second-tier of McCloskey books are still worth reading today for the playfulness, the nostalgia, and the illustrations.

"You never can tell what will happen when you learn to play the harmonica."

[Charity Yost Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not learn to whistle until I was 16, so this was another book, like Whistle for Willie, that would have been an encouragement to me then. My children were more fascinated with the lemon and harmonica themes here.

[Madelaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE. I discovered this book while grabbing "Make Way For Ducklings" and I'm glad I did!
"Lentil" is an adorable story about a boy who can't sing, so he learns the harmonica, a skill that comes in unexpectedly handy one day. 5 stars from me--AND from my 1st and 2nd grade class.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An average story, but great illustrations of quaint small town life and buildings.