Synopsis
Agapanthus Hum loves to have lots of fun wherever she goes! She's always tumbling, jumping, and flip-flopping around, and just can't stand sitting still. There's one problem though--Agapanthus wears eyeglasses, and they seem to get in the way of all the kooky fun she has. One day, while she's having a good ol' time--KRACCCCK!--go her glasses. Will Agapanthus get new glasses? And how will she not break those, too? Maybe she'll come up with a really good idea....With brightly colored illustrations throughout. A Publisher's Weekly Best Book of 1999.
Agapanthus struggles to do handstands and other acrobatic tricks while wearing her eyeglasses, which have a tendency to fall off as she cavorts about.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1999-01-01 | | Illustrator: | Jennifer Plecas |
| Size | | Length: | 48 pages | | Height: | 8.5 in | | Width: | 5.5 in | | Thickness: | 0.2 in | | Weight: | 8.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
Meet Agapanthus Hum! That running, cartwheeling, humming whirlwind. But when she goes flying, so do her eyeglasses. Not even wearing a bag on her head when she flips-over helps! Leave it to good little Mommy and Daddy to come up with an idea: Why not see what real acrobats do with their glasses when they are tumbling and flying through the air? Maybe Agapanthus can do the same. Of course, this is Agapanthus Hum we are talking about! From the internationally beloved storyteller Joy Cowley comes a warm, fun-loving, unforgettable new character—brought charmingly to life by illustrator Jennifer Plecas. An easy-to-read book the whole family will smile over.
Meet Agapanthus Hum. That running, cartwheeling, humming whirlwind. But when she goes flying, so do her eyeglasses. Not even wearing a bag on her head when she flips over helps. Leave it to good little Mommy and Daddy to come up with an idea. Of course, this "is" Agapanthus Hum we are talking about!. Full-color illustrations.
Industry Reviews
Agapanthus Hum, the altogether winning heroine of Cowley's (Mrs. Wishy Washy) spunky chapter book, has an exuberance befitting her name: "she was called Hum because she was such a whizzer, humming and whizzing like a button on a string." Her rushing, twirling and cartwheeling, however, sometimes results in minor accidents and often spells trouble for her eyeglasses, which fall off and get bent and twisted. Though they warn her to be cautious, Agapanthus's parents encourage their daughter's acrobatics and also treat her to a trip to the circus, where Agapanthus is in awe of the trapeze artist ("I am going to do that," she announces). Cowley's tale features playful language, characters that have their quirks yet stay believable, and a fun-to-read pace that is sure to keep beginning readers entertained as well as a bit challenged. Plecas (Rattlebone Rock) plays up the text's sweet-natured humor with her springy-limbed heroine, who indeed looks as if she can barely contain her energy; and with the introduction of a busy little dog, a constant companion that is Agapanthus's equal when it comes to childlike glee. Ages 5-8. (Jan.)
White
K-Gr 3-The text of this beginning chapter book races along just like its main character. Agapanthus Hum is a bundle of energy with "...tunes inside her, tunes for running and whirling, tunes for dancing in the wind...." Because she is always "humming and whizzing" and tumbling with acrobatic abandon, accidents often happen and her glasses swing, slip, and drop, and are constantly in need of repair. When her understanding (and comically exaggerated) parents, "good little Mommy" and "good little Daddy," take her to a show, they discover how a real gymnast saves her glasses. Unlike many books for newly independent readers, Cowley's word choices provide readers with interesting images-"tunes that bubbled toothpaste and gurgled lemonade," "her hum puffed out like a birthday candle," "beads went everywhere, like blue hailstones," etc. Plecas's illustrations extend the humor and reinforce the seven-chapter text. There is at least one Agapanthus Hum in every classroom and that child is waiting for this delightful book.-Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID
Dirda
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