About the book
Albert Whitman & Co.
Ages 4 – 7
Like so many people during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Marshall Loman’s dad has lost his job.
There’s little money, but there are plenty of beans—in fact, Ma cooks them for supper every single night! Beans start looking better when Marshall sees the contest posted in the furniture store window. “HOW MANY BEANS ARE IN THE JAR? WIN THIS BRAND NEW SEWING MACHINE!” Ma needs that sewing machine—but how can the Lomans possibly guess right? With lessons learned in arithmetic class and guidance from his mother, can Marshall’s best guess help him win the contest and the sewing machine his family needs? Becky Birtha’s engaging story, based on her grandmother’s memories of Depression years in the African American community, is illustrated by Nicole Tadgell’s rich paintings.
Tadgell’s watercolor illustrations move the story and stir readers’ emotions.
The expressive watercolor paintings show both the racism that Marshall and his family endure as well as his final triumph, and Tadgell folds in humor, as Marshall faces what looks like a lifetime supply of beans.
ISBN: 978-0807547823 PUBLISHED: 2010 FORMAT: Picture book
2012-2013 Arkansas Diamond Primary Award
- Named one of the CCBC Choices 2011, the annual best-of-the-year list of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC).
- Named one of the 2010 Notable Books for Children list
- Named one of the New York Public Library’s Best 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2010.