Marge's Diner

by Gail Gibbons

Focuses on a small town diner where Marge and her workers prepare and serve meals to hungry customers twenty-four hours a day.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read because my library included it in a 'book bundle' for "Shared Meals / Food-Based Gatherings," the theme in Children's Books' picture book club Nov. 2020. I guess it fits, in that this town wouldn't be the same without this diner where all the regulars are known but even the tourists are treated just as well.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love children's books that look below the surface of things, which encourages children to do the same. This book is simple to read, but looks at a diner as not just a place to eat, but a place made up of people, with real lives. A trucker who is a regular is glad to get a break from driving. The owner's daughter does her homework at a table after school. It also provides a look at all that goes into making a diner operate, from planning the specials to ordering supplies, and everyone pitching in when it gets busy. All this is done with simple sentences and engaging illustrations.

[Rachel Rouleau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely made me want to go to a good diner!