Maebelle's Suitcase

by Tricia Tusa

One-hundred-and-eight-year-old Maebelle has a lot of hats. And every year she makes a hat for the town's annual hat contest. One-hundred-and-eight-year-old Maebelle has a lot of friends. And every year her friends fly south for the winter. But this year, one of her friends is left behind. Young Binkle is afraid to leave home without his beloved possessions. So he packs his things into one of Maebelle's suitcases. But he can't fly with it. It is too heavy.
Maebelle has worked hard on her hat entry. She is very pleased with her work. But her friend Binkle needs help. She must persuade him to leave his things behind.
This is a warm, funny story about two friends who act purely out of love. And both characters are equally unforgettable.

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens, Friendship

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Alana Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Maebelle lives in a tree house and loves the birds. One bird can't stand to leave his nest and everything behind, so he asks Maebelle for a suitcase to carry his belongings with him. Bogged down by his luggage, the bird gets nowhere. This book illustrates the freedom that comes with letting go of the past and moving on to something new. I would recommend reading this to new students.

[babyhippoface · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was certainly not what I was expecting from the cover of this book. I was expecting a melancholy story, maybe about aging or even death, or maybe just about the value of friendship versus things. Instead, we get a 108-year-old woman and a goofy bird who collaborate to make one crazy-looking hat. Just a complete surprise.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Maebelle has lots of special friends. One friend, Binkle must fly south for the winter, but is afraid to leave home for the first time. Miss Maebelle has a clever idea with one of her special hats that will help her friend make his journey. A story of friendship and sacrafice.

[Edna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good friends and neighbors who live in the same tree create a hat that allows Maebelle, who 108 years old, to enter a creative hat contest and Binkle, who is a bird, to fly south for the winter.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maebelle's Suitcase. I expected to love this one (I'm a Tricia Tusa fan and I love books with elderly people who do something interesting and unexpected in their golden years) but it was just okay for me. It's sweet and quirky but somehow just didn't draw me in. (Please take this opinion with a grain of salt -- we are going on well over a week without sunshine so perhaps I'm just getting to be curmudgeonly!)

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Binkle the bird can't fly south without a little help from his old friend Maybelle, the maker of extravagant hats. Tricia Tusa is one of my all-time favorite comic illustrators, and this is one of her best books. A first-rate charmer of a story.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have adored this when I was young. Rounded up from young me, never mind my current opinion that it's just not quite enough (because I'm not sure why it seems like it's not).

[Helen Kumpel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who this book would be for: K-5
Science Topic: Seasons, Bird migration
Reflection:
Maebelle's Suitcase is a great book about birds migrating South for the Winter. When it is time for a bird to fly South he tries to take too much with him. Maebelle knows it is too much to carry so far and asks if she can use some very specific things from his bag for a hat she is creating for a contest. The bird is more than happy to help Maebelle and finds his flight South is much lighter than he had planned. Children get the idea that the bird must fly South for the Winter but will be back in the Spring when it warms up.

[Whitney]

I thought this was such a sweet fantasy book for children. Maebelle was preparing a hat to take to the towns hat contest when a neighbor drops by with a special request.
This book can be used in a variety of different ways within the classroom, to talk about friendship and contests, to start a discussion, or to design our own hats using elements of art, engineering, and mathematics. Maebelle's Suitcase can also be used to start a science conversation, "Do you think it is possible to live in a tree?" This book was very sweet and would be a good addition to the classroom library.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.