Description
Book SynopsisTom lives in the countryside in the mid 1800s and he’s curious — what is it like in the town, the city and the world beyond? It’s all “work and more work,” everyone tells him. Determined to find out for himself, Tom sets off with a bit of bread and cheese in a bundle…
He encounters crowded marketplaces, bustling wharves and storms on the high seas. In China he sees how tea is made; in India he watches men make deep blue dye from indigo; in Ceylon he marvels at the skill of cinnamon peelers. Eventually, he returns home with stories and gifts, showing his parents the riches to be found all over the world.
Includes an illustrated afterword about the different kinds of work mentioned in the story when, in the days before steam, nothing moved except through the power of wind, water and muscle.
Trade ReviewA young traveler discovers a world of wonders hidden in a seemingly ordinary word. * Kirkus Reviews *
Filled with exquisite illustrations . . . [a] fascinating industrial travelogue from the 19th century. * Cooperative Children's Book Center *
Linda Little’s rich language leads readers on a wonderful odyssey of sights and sounds. . . . A delightful book for storytellers and younger independent readers. * CM Magazine *
Pérez’s three-masted ships and visions of far-off lands provide plenty of visual sustenance. Readers will be surprised to find that some 19th-century children may have had more freedom than they do. * Publishers Weekly *
The natural curiosity of a boy growing up in the countryside leads him to discover an unimaginable world beyond his isolated home. * Booklist *
