Review of
Uncle
Harold and His “Johnny Popper” by Thomas J. Curoe
Five out of five stars
To Iowa farm
boys like myself, the term “Johnny Popper” refers to an earlier model of a
small John Deere tractor. Like many others, I once owned such a tractor and can
still mentally conjure up the sound that it made as I galivanted across the
property in the metal seat.
This story is
about an farmer and his old tractor that he would rather repair than replace.
The author spent his first summer on Great Uncle Harold’s and Aunt Naomi’s farm
when he was seven years old. Harold’s sons had left the farm to pursue careers,
so a child was very welcome on the farm. The author spent nine straight summers
on the farm, and he looks back on them with great fondness. After all, even if
there is no television, no one is ever bored on a farm during the summer
months. There are chores and an infinite number of things to play with and on.
He watched Harold
and the tractor age together and he relates to Harold’s funeral and the final
resting place of his beloved tractor. It is fitting that it ended up being a
toy in a park. Uncle Harold must have been a very important man, for John and
Bobby Kennedy once drove Johnny Popper.
This is a
short, yet very good book about a boy growing up on a farm and sharing his fond
memories of the experiences. It is something that is now far too rare, smart
phones cannot replace what life on a farm gives you.
No comments:
Post a Comment