Everyone longs for the Good Old Days, those magic times when the world turned a lot slower. Don Levi lived that life, and by sharing his memories he has ensured future generations can experience them too. As Americans move farther and farther away from the farm, this book will help preserve the values that make rural living so wonderful.
Jim McCarty, editor
Rural Missouri magazine
A charming book for young and old alike -- author Don Levi brings farm life before electricity alive to children who have never experienced the quiet of a world without the hum of computers, refrigerators, and the easy access to information through the television and internet.
Living with Gram-Ma and Gram-Pa Denim brings children into the once real world of reading by candlelight, catching fish and frogs for dinner, and farming with livestock -- not gas-powered machines.
A compelling read-aloud book for grandparents and grandchildren to connect over the changes in our world. Or, a wonderful fun read for older children. Classroom teachers use the text for teaching about the importance and role of electricity. Lesson plans are available for teachers and homeschooling parents ready to help today's children appreciate the importance of science, electricity, and how much life changed as we electrified our country's farms and rural areas.
As an educator with a master’s in curriculum, I look for engaging texts for my students. Introducing them to Donnie Denim has been a delight. These stories offer students an opportunity to experience Donnie’s antics on the farm through a window to the past and are idea! for teacher read-alouds, shared reading, and silent reads.
Teachers can use the text to help children with a variety of reading strategies. There are even opportunities for STEM projects. The book is especially appropriate for the intermediate elementary classroom. My students enjoy reading from a kid’s perspective, and Donnie Denim's narrations take them to a place they might not otherwise experience.
Kim Ashley, elementary teacher
Langston Hughes Elementary School,
Lawrence, Kansas
