4/15/2017 0 Comments Marvelous Cornelius2015, Written by Phil Bildner, Illustrated by John Parra Golden Kite Award for Picturebook Illustration (2016), Parents’ Choice Book Awards Gold (2015), Margaret Wise Brown Prize in Children’s Literature (2016) Marvelous Cornelius is the story of a real garbage man named Cornelius who worked hard to keep the streets of New Orleans' French Quarter clean, and the difference he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. With its beautiful illustrations, Marvelous Cornelius highlights an extraordinary man who would otherwise have been lost to history. As the author Phil Bildner notes in his Author's Note, Cornelius Washington was a sanitation worker in the French Quarter "who sang, danced, and performed tricks." In the picturebook, Cornelius embodies the lively spirit of the Quarter, with his musical calls, dances, and the twirling of trashcan lids. What I love most about Marvelous Cornelius is it gives Cornelius' story the rhythm and trappings of a folktale. Cornelius is larger than life, with an energy, charm, and musicality that is infectious to the other residents of the Quarter and to the reader. Marvelous Cornelius takes a man who many would overlook, and turns him into a legend. It feels like Cornelius could fit right in with other great American legends, like Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan. Marvelous Cornelius does so many things: it raises up an "ordinary" man, a black man who is a sanitation worker; it explores the rich and vibrant culture of New Orleans; it heroizes the often-overlooked but vital job of garbage collecting; and it serves as a good introduction to the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in American history. In a word, it is simply marvelous. The real Cornelius Washington died not long after Hurricane Katrina, but his spirit lives on in this wonderful book. Resources:
Cornelius Washington & Garbage Collectors
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