Sparrow Socks

by George Selden, Peter Lippman (Illustrator)

48 pg. children's book in the ' Creative Reading Program ' about a Scottish family, sparrows & socks.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

George Selden (1929-1989) was the author of The Cricket in Times Square, winner of the 1961 Newbery Honor and a timeless children's classic. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Selden received his B.A. from Yale, where he was a member of the Elizabethan Club and contributed to the literary magazine. He spent three summer sessions at Columbia University and, after college, studied for a year in Rome on a Fulbright Scholarship.

People often asked Selden how he got the idea for The Cricket in Times Square. "One night I was coming home on the subway, and I did hear a cricket chirp in the Times Square subway station. The story formed in my mind within minutes. An author is very thankful for minutes like those, although they happen all too infrequently." The popular Cricket series grew to seven titles, including Tucker's Countryside and The Old Meadow. In 1973, The Cricket in Times Square was made into an animated film. Selden wrote more than fifteen books, as well as two plays. His storytelling blends the marvelous with the commonplace realities of life, and it was essential to him that his animal characters display true emotions and feelings.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...

Reviews

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful tale about a family who makes socks and is having trouble with marketing - until son Angus McFee notices a cold sparrow who, maybe, will feel warm if he makes him a pair of socks. Once the first sparrow gets his pair of socks, all the sparrows want a pair! And then the townspeople want the same snazzy-patterned warm winter socks. The sparrows did the marketing for the family!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite picture books with magnificently quirky illustrations of a Scottish sock factory and its owners, the McFee family. When human customers stop buying socks, the factory starts making teeny tiny socks for the chilly birds that live in the town. The townspeople see the sparrows wearing their warm cozy McFee socks and then start buying from the factory again. It's adorable and off-the-wall and original and hilarious. Cannot recommend highly enough. Little kids will enjoy the cute story and adults will get a kick out of the many clever details of the illustrations. Shout-out to fellow Goodreader Ruth Ann (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4...) who found the book after many years of me trying unsuccessfully to locate it (I had forgotten the title).

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun find. This story deals with a Scottish family who owns a sock factory, but can't seem to pull in customers to buy. With the unlikely friendship between the owner's son and a sparrow, things change for the factory and family. It's a cute story about marketing. A little long, but full of heart. It's always fun to discover these out-of-print lost stories. The pictures by Peter Lippman were well-suited to the story. My rating - 4/5

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Precious little picture book about a boy who makes socks for sparrows (simple enough). Beautiful illustrations throughout.