Sofia's Stoop Story: 18th Street, Brooklyn
By Maria LaPlaca Bohrer
Illustrations by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
Harcover: 32 pages
List Price: $17.95
ISBN 978-0-9885295-2-6
(Ages 7 - 10+)
Publication Date: February 10, 2014
About the book
On a stoop in Brooklyn, in the 1960s, Uncle Frankie begins telling Sofia and her cousins a story about the day he met Carl Furillo. Meanwhile, Sofia’s Nana is next door, preparing the Italian family’s Sunday dinner. Nana calls Sofia and sends her on errands to buy cheese, bread, and cannoli. Sofia returns to the stoop, only to discover that Uncle Frankie’s story is over, and it’s time to eat. When Uncle Frankie realizes Sofia is upset because she only heard bits and pieces of his story, he shares his historic tale from beginning to end, and he gives her a keepsake that he’s saved since 1947.
Maria LaPlaca Bohrer’s story reveals the 1960s, Brooklyn landscape through her own memories of Sunday dialogues with her Nana, her Uncle Frankie, and local merchants. She explores the warmth and consistency of intergenerational relationships in a typical, Italian-American family.
What people are saying
Kirkus Reviews: "A richly sentimental picture of a Sunday gathering from the author’s youth...the memories are as rich and savory as Nana’s homemade sauce.”
“Sit on the Brooklyn stoop with Sofia. Listen to and enjoy, as I did, the story of her uncle’s brush with history.”
--David A. Adler, author of the Cam Jansen Mysteries
"My father believed that baseball players belonged to the people. Now, thanks to Sofia's Stoop Story, Carl Furillo belongs to a new generation of fans."
--Carl Furillo, Jr.
What a beautiful book! Dona De Sanctis, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, Italian America Magazine
About the Author
Maria LaPlaca Bohrer is currently a Reading Specialist and has taught for 24 years. She spends her spare time reading, writing, cooking, decorating cakes, and frying meatballs for her family. Maria also enjoys boating on the waters of Long Island, NY, where she lives with her husband, Glenn. Sofia’s Stoop Story is her first picture book.
Maria LaPlaca Bohrer is an active member of Rotary International, whose main objective is service in the community, in the workplace, and around the globe. Rotary International receives a portion of the proceeds from the sales of Sofia’s Stoop Story.
For more information about Maria, her book, and for free lesson plans, go to Sofia's Stoop Story Blog.
About the Illustrators
Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher have collaborated on over fifty books for children, including Dr. Seuss’s My Many Colored Days, Garrison Keillor’s Cat, You Better Come Home and New York’s Bravest, by Mary Pope Osborne. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit their website at johnsonandfancher.com.