26 Fairmont Avenue by Tomie DePaola

I am not a wild Tomie DePaola fan, but I love his autobiography books! It isn't that I don't like any of his books, it is just that his books don't excite me that much. Strenga Noona is one of his most popular books, but it just doesn't speak to me. 

But then, I get to his autobiography books. I really like that guy! And his story. It isn't a dramatic story, just a nice, normal, I-am-about-to-be-famous story. 

This book begins Tomie's story and tells of how his family came to live at 26 Fairmont Ave. 

It opens with a dramatic, unprecedented hurricane in Connecticut. 

Part of the reason I like this book is because it is written just as he might talk to you. Fancy writing is a beautiful thing and it makes my heart sing. However if I was talking to someone and they broke out in beautiful utterings, I would be stymied. How can I talk when I am taking up time in which they could say something else memorable and glorious?  

I could talk to Tomie DePaola for hours on end without feeling intimidated. He is accessible, as they say.

I love Nana Upstairs and Tomie. Nana Upstairs couldn't sit up properly anymore, so they tied her in her chair. Tomie wanted to try it too. Except he didn't get tied in too tightly so he could wiggle out and do whatever he wanted to. 

Which involved finding candy in Nana Downstair's sewing box. When there was no candy one day, Tomie decided to solve the problem by finding some. He found chocolate flavored laxatives and shared them with Nana Upstairs.

"Both Nana Upstairs and I didn't feel so good, and I think we both made a mess.

Nana Downstairs never forgot the mints or lifesavers again."

I bet she didn't.  

That really makes me laugh. 

And here is a young Tomie letting everyone in the movie theater know that Walt Disney had not been faithful to the Snow White story line. 

He was so very, terribly excited for the movie. But Walt Disney had let him down. 

I love his outrage and his moral obligation to let everyone know that Walt Disney had left some parts out. 

While the plasterboard was still unpainted, Tomie was allowed to decorate it with his drawings. I love that his parents were so understanding of the artist's need to fill the blankness with something. 

Burning the weedy backyard got a little out of control. But the house was okay. 

After a lot of ups and downs, Tomie was finally able to ring the doorbell of his very own house.