“Cornbread & Poppy”
by Matthew Cordell.
Little, Brown and Company, New York, 2022, 80 pages, Grades 2-3.
Early readers are some of the most difficult books to write. As younger children transition from picture books to chapter books, authors must pay attention to many things. First, the story needs to be interesting to keep the youngsters’ attention. Second, the vocabulary can’t be too advanced or the story will not be able to be comprehended. Finally, the book needs to be emotionally satisfying for primary grade students. Matthew Cordell, a Caldecott Medalist, has written such a book. The title of this humorous book is “Cornbread & Poppy.”
Cornbread is a mouse that knows how to plan. He realizes that long winters means the food has to be stored. Because of this, he works all summer to gather grains, cheeses and berries. He carefully puts everything in order and lines up the food in his cellar. As winter sets in, Cornbread comfortably settles into his cozy house.
Suddenly, there is a loud knock on the door. Opening the door, he sees his friend Poppy standing outside. “Let’s go gather some grains,” she says. Cornbread tells her that she has waited too long. Everything has been harvested and the fields are bare.
He reminds Poppy that he has repeatedly asked her to go on food hunts. She always tells him the same thing: “Nah, I’ll do it later.” Unfortunately, later never came for the girl mouse. Now it is winter and she is out of luck. Still, it is better to try to find something than just sit around and bemoan the circumstances. So the two mice begin climbing Holler Mountain looking for food.
Cornbread tells Poppy that there are owls on the mountain that like to eat mice. This trip is very dangerous. But Poppy pushes on and Cornbread follows. Suddenly, a huge shadow glides over them. The mice realize an owl is about to swoop on them, so they hide in some brush. The owl lands and smells the mice. Poppy picks up a rock and strikes the owl’s foot, hurting him.
Hobbling around, the owl, Bernard, tells the mice that he is a vegetarian and never eats mice. He asks them why they are on the mountain. The two mice say they are looking for food. Bernard says to jump on his back and he will fly them to a food source. With this, they climb onto the owl’s back and soar into the air. After a thrilling ride, the mice see a cabin in the woods. Bernard slows down and lands next to the cabin. The door slowly creaks open and someone is coming out. The mice wonder why have they landed here and who is coming to meet them.
What happens at the cabin? Is the person in the cabin friendly? Do Cornbread and Poppy find the food she needs? What do the mice learn about planning while living spontaneously? How do both mice show each other a different way to think? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this charming beginning reader, “Cornbread & Poppy” by Matthew Cordell.
We can hope that this book is the first in a series of early stories about Cornbread and Poppy. For readers familiar with the enjoyable series of stories of George and Martha by James Marshall, you are in for a potential treat. Like that series, this story is amusing and the illustrations are sometimes hilarious. Do yourself a favor and check out this title. You and your family will find it a treat. Enjoy!
