Our Corner Store

by Robert Heidbreder

This delightful novel in verse follows the adventures of a brother and sister around the neighborhood, and especially at the corner grocery store!

Race you to our corner grocery store!Stanstones’ corner store is the heart of the neighborhood for the brother and sister in this story. They help to close the store every Saturday and save their pennies to buy candy. The store is the source of many adventures, where they spend a memorably spooky Halloween, play tricks on Mr. and Mrs. Stanstones, and form a search party to find Toby the store cat when he goes missing. What will happen to their beloved corner store when a brand-new supermarket opens up in town?

Full of humor and playful language, this novel in verse is a sweetly nostalgic celebration of a time when children had more freedom and a mom-and-pop corner store might be the center of a kid’s world. Based on Robert Heidbreder’s childhood, this follow-up to Rooster Summer can be read as a sequel or a stand-alone story. Chelsea O’Byrne’s vibrant illustrations bring the corner store and its colorful cast of characters to life.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Genres: Poetry

61 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2020

Reviews

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator fondly recalls the local grocery store, the owners Mr. and Mrs. Stanstones, the butcher Bert and even the store cat Toby, that was the center of the world for him and his sister when they were growing up. I loved this book and found it very reminiscent of my own childhood and the local grocery/deli. Highly recommend.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sequel to Rooster Summer, is a novel in verse that tells the story of two children and their relationship to the owners of the corner store in their neighbourhood. The rollicking poetry is full of the energy of childhood. Heidbreder captures the sounds and smells of a time gone by in these delightful poems. O'Byrne's illustrations add to these memories. The collection reminded me of being sent to the store to pick up grocery orders my mother had phoned in. Imagine sending a four year old a block and a half to the store now!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet cute and simple a great read for kids, made me wish for a simpler time in our ever busy world