Fearless Fernie : Hanging Out with Fernie and Me

by Soto, Gary; Dunnick, Regan

• ISBN13: 9780399236150
• ISBN10: 0399236155
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-03-18
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Summary

For Fernie and his best friend, the fun begins when they are babies who crawl across the lawn towards each other, away from their parents' watchful eyes. And once they find each other, they are inseparable. Together, they grow to be the self-proclaimed artistic geniuses and master athletes of their school. But they do admit to being losers at spelling bees and camping out. And when it comes to romance, well, if waltzing with a broom in the kitchen or sporting glowing orange socks to a school dance counts, these guys are cool. Gary Soto's original poems and Regan Dunnick's clever illustrations will spark recognition in all middle-schoolers who've gone through the humiliation of sports try-outs and first dances; who've had to deal with body images and swinging moods. Each of the poems in this book shows a scene from their sometimes difficult, sometimes comical lives growing up together as best friends. Even though they don't have everything in common, they both know that at least they're in it together.

Author Biography

Gary Soto is the popular author of numerous books for young people, including Chato's Kitchen, Chato and the Party Animals, Too Many Tamales, The Old Man and His Door, Nerdlandia and Snapshots From the Wedding. He serves as Young People's Ambassador for California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) and the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). He lives in Berkeley, California. Regan Dunnick has received awards from the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Graphis, and the New York Art Director's Club. His work is in the Library of Congress's permanent collection and was exhibited in "The New Pop Show," which toured Europe and chronicled innovators of American illustration. He lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Table of Contents

Upstarts	8	(2)
How Coach Told Me I Didn't Make the Cut	10	(1)
Questions for the New Teacher	11	(1)
King Kong Versus Me	12	(1)
Guilt	13	(1)
Body Parts in Rebellion	14	(1)
Medicine	15	(1)
Dance Lessons	16	(2)
Fall Football	18	(2)
Stealing	20	(1)
What Fernie Thought	20	(2)
Spelling Bee	22	(2)
Fishing	24	(1)
Third-Grade Genius	25	(1)
Our Substitute Teacher Named Abraham	26	(2)
Confidence	28	(1)
Orange Socks	29	(1)
Fernie's Batting Average	30	(2)
Fearless Fernie	32	(1)
Itching the Itch, or How to Get a Soda	33	(1)
Bad Mood	34	(1)
Rumor	34	(2)
Cannibal Sandwich	36	(1)
Big Eaters	36	(2)
Emotions	38	(2)
On the Escalator at Macy's	40	(1)
My Name on the Kitchen Window	41	(1)
Who's Calling?	42	(1)
Description of the Suspect	43	(1)
Birthday Party for Fernie and Me	44	(2)
Bodyguard	46	(2)
Fernie and Me Go Camping	48	(2)
What They Don't Tell You About Cereal	50	(1)
What Fernie Learned	51	(1)
Fernie and Me Try Art	52	(2)
Art Collectors	54	(1)
Palm Reading	55	(1)
At the River Called Sadness	56	(2)
Close Your Eyes and Make a Wish	58	(2)
Big Boy Courage	60	(2)
Friends Forever	62