Books with author Bob Merrill

The Pushcart War is a popular children's novel by the American writer Jean Merrill, illustrated by Ronni Solbert[1] and published by Harper & Row in 1964. It is Merrill's best known work.[1] The story is written in the style of a historical report from the future, looking back at the earlier events of a "war" on the streets of New York City between trucking companies and pushcart owners who use pea shooters as weapons to disrupt the trucks. Merrill said the idea for the novel brewed in her for several years while she lived in Greenwich Village.[1] She said the truck traffic there was oppressive and she fantasized about flattening the tires out with pea shooters.[1] She had an epiphany and thought that "What you feel about the trucks is what everybody feels about bullies," and from there she began writing the novel.[1] Merrill won a Fulbright Fellowship in 1965 for it.[1] It won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1964)[2] and was a Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (1965).[3]

“Puppy People and Kitty Kiddies” is the first in a series of three children’s books about making a decision on whether to bring a pet into the family. It describes the procedure on how to choose a puppy or a kitty. It also presents puppy and kitty training, feeding, and general care of a pet. The main theme of “Puppy People and Kitty Kiddies” is to make young children aware of the difference between a stuffed animal and a live pet. It describes in words and pictures the responsibilities that entail being a pet owner in words that they can understand. “Puppy People and Kitty Kiddies” is a chapter book with footnotes.

A Christmas Tree for Kim is a true story about a little girl who wanted her very own Christmas Tree. This story is a study in imagination and there is world that has been left unexplored. The author offers this world to the readers and the opportunity to add their own ending. Educators and parents who have read the story say that it is a true treasure.

“Shakespeare” is the third and final book in the series “Puppy People and Kitty Kiddies” and continues the format of a chapter book with footnotes. It illustrates the procedure on how to train, feed, and care for a kitten. “Shakespeare” is the life of a Domestic Shorthair cat telling the his life from kitten to death. It describes in words and pictures the responsibilities that entail being a cat owner in words that the reader can understand. “Shakespeare” was written for children between the ages of six and eleven, those individuals recovering from a stroke and in need of speech therapy, and people learning English as a second language. It is a basic guide to cat ownership. Parental discretion is advised regarding the last paragraph.