A Grain of Wheat: A Writer Begins - Hardcover

Clyde Robert Bulla grew up on a farm in Missouri, attended a one-room school, and began writing stories at an early age; he has now written more than twenty children's books. After spending fifty years in Los Angeles, Mr. Bulla moved back to Missouri.

Grade 3-5 The author of more than 50 books, most of them accessible to middle-grade readers, now provides his young audience with a story about himself. Briefly sketched in 49 pages are the first 10 years of his life on a farm in Missouri. Childhood pranks, accidents, the first day of school (his sister was the teacher) and the death of a pet are some of the memories the author shares, as well as his early decision to be a writer. The book concludes with ten-year-old Clyde winning a dollar in a writing contest (and his parents' singular lack of enthusiasm for his effort). The book can easily be read by children of the author's then age, who will be able also to identify with the feelings expressed. The selection of biographies, and especially autobiographies, for third- and fourth-grade readers is limited, and this fills a need. Addison-Wesley's "Self-Portrait" series reaches this audience as well, and those books do have more visual appeal than Bulla's book, which is not illustrated. (The dust jacket and frontispiece do show a few photographs of the young Clyde.) Where there is a need for middle-grade biography, or where Bulla's other books are popular, this is worth considering. Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.