Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey. Viking, 1979, 191 pages.
Reading Level: Middle Grades, 8-10
Maturity Level: 2 (ages 4-8) and up
Centerburg Tales is set in the same, small Midwestern town as Homer Price and uses many of the same characters. While Homer Price, though fiction, has a down-home, realistic feel of a boy’s experience, Centerburg Tales explores the tangibility of tall tales. Could Grandpa Herc’s story about a giant leap be verified by a breakfast food company’s experiment? It also exaggerates the potential of ordinary frustrations like ragweed allergies or a song getting stuck in your head (I love the solution to the latter dilemma being found in a librarian’s worst nightmare, looking for a “black-backed book that’s a little bit battered, or a brown-backed book, that’s a little bit battered.”). In each episode, Homer is the humble hero. The black and white illustrations are delightful. Excellent for independent reading or reading aloud, and improves upon each visit to Centerburg.
See also Homer Price and Lentil.
Cautions: none
Overall rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
Moral/Worldview rating: 4
Artistic rating: 5
Recommended Use: Entertainment, Read Aloud, Curriculum Tie-in (small town America, 1940s, tall tales)
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I’m surprised your review contained no mention of the racial setting of Centerburg Tales. I absolutely adore Homer Price, but this book oversteps boundaries that I’m not comfortable with and is not a ‘green light’ book in our house the way that Homer Price is. Some books (for instance, Sign of the Beaver) use racial terms deemed ‘incorrect’ by current standards but I believe it is still fitting to read those types of books since those terms were commonplace in its actual historical setting. It would be helpful for parents to have a head’s up- a “caution” in a book review for this book.
Hi Sarah,
Sorry to take so long in getting back to you. Since the book pokes fun at just about everybody by satirizing small-town life, I didn’t think about pointing out racism towards Native Americans any more than ageism against Grandpa Hercules. Thank you for raising the question so other parents could be aware of the possible concern.
Best,
Megan