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Emily Winfield Martin
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Oddfellow's Orphanage Kindle Edition

by Emily Winfield Martin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 193 ratings
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New York Times bestselling author Emily Winfield Martin brings a strange and wonderful place to life with her unique style of both art and writing.

What do an onion-headed boy, a child-sized hedgehog, and a tattooed girl have in common? They are all orphans at Oddfellow's Orphanage! This unusual and charming chapter book tells an episodic story that follows a new orphan, Delia, as she discovers the delights of her new home. From classes in Cryptozoology and Fairy Tale Studies to trips to the circus, from Annual Hair Cutting Day to a sea monster-sighting field trip, things at Oddfellows are anything but ordinary . . . except when it comes to friendships. And in that, Oddfellows is like any other school where children discover what they mean to each other while learning how big the world really is.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 9 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    144 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    2 - 5
  5. Lexile measure
    870L
  6. Publisher
    Random House Books for Young Readers
  7. Publication date
    January 24, 2012
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  12. ISBN-13
    978-0375869952
  13. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Martin’s debut features something unusual in children’s books: an orphanage that is run by kind people. Headmaster Oddfellow Bluebeard takes in orphaned children as well as individuals of all stripes, which include a boy with an onion for a head, a hedgehog, and a family of bears. After Delia arrives at this curious place, she finds that instead of math, reading, and spelling, students take lessons in fairy tales and folktales, cryptozoology (the study of mysterious or imaginary animals), and astronomy. Special occasions at the school include excursions to search for the Green Monster and Haircut Day, which comes around twice a year. Facing each chapter opener is a portrait of a single character, along with a caption, which reveals interesting tidbits: for instance, Ollie is the kind of onion that makes you laugh rather than cry. With the book’s quirky illustrations, satisfying attention to detail (pancakes come in the shapes of stars, hearts, and rabbits), and a loving family stitched together from the scraps of other families, early readers may find themselves drawn to this novel’s strange charm. Grades 2-4. --Ann Kelley

About the Author

EMILY WINFIELD MARTIN sketches, paints, and stitches to create imaginary worlds and characters. She is the author/illustrator of The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer. Her store, The Black Apple, has been featured in national publications and on TV shows, including the New York Times and The Martha Stewart Show.

Oddfellow's Orphanage is both Emily's first book for children and her first novel! The inspiration came from the real I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Oddfellows), dancing bears, ragtime music, and magic and mysterium of all sorts. Originally, Emily painted portraits of the children and adults at the imaginary orphanage, and from the portraits the stories emerged—enough to fill a book!

Emily lives among the giant fir trees of Portland, Oregon, with her fellow adventurer, Josiah, and their cat Miette. Visit her on line at the blackapple.typepad.com or etsy.com/shop/theblackapple.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004YWKKBO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Books for Young Readers (January 24, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 24, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10709 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 193 ratings

About the author

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Emily Winfield Martin

Emily Winfield Martin

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Emily Winfield Martin makes paintings, books and other things. When she was small, she spent every moment drawing, reading, dressing rabbits in fancy clothes, and having many peculiar daydreams. When she grew up, she began to illustrate those daydreams and she created a cottage industry called The Black Apple, which sells all manner of her art and etceteras.

She works in a tiny nook of a studio filled with old children's books, wind-up toys, and stacks of fabric. She lives in Portland, Or.

You can visit her at www.emilywinfieldmartin.com

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
193 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tracy Tanner
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book because my daughter and I loved Snow and Rose. It is different but really great as well. My daughter was 7 at the time of reading it and she absolutely loved it! She could read it herself but we chose it as her bedtime story so I read it aloud to her. I would find her rereading what we read the night before. She was inspired and spoke of the characters often! Such a fun thing to share with her! I only wish there was more to it! It was a quick read.
9 people found this helpful
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pitseleh
5.0 out of 5 stars My nine year old loved this book! Lovely illustrations and whimsical story.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2012
Verified Purchase
Both my daughter and I are huge fans of Miss Emily of the Black Apple's work. The illustrations of this magical book are delightful and the story is packed with imaginative characters. I bought this book for my daughter's 9th birthday (along with a print from the Black Apple!) and she immediately dove into it. She read it in bed, and brought it to school to read during silent reading time. It quickly became a popular title amongst her classmates. (I read it also!) I think this would be an excellent read aloud book for younger children too. I hope there will be more in the series!
5 people found this helpful
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StuntBunny
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, Enchanting Story for Young & Old Readers with Gorgeous Illustrations!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
I bought this as a holiday gift for a young girl in the 2nd grade who could fit seamlessly into one of Ms. Martin's whimsical stories herself! The Oddfellow's Orphanage story is enchanting, the illustrations are gorgeous, our whole family enjoyed it immensely. This version Amazon is selling is paperback though I prefer to buy hardback over paperback if and when available. Alas, it was not. (I already own the hardback version, but had hoped to get this one, which will be a gift, in hardback as well.) Highly recommend this book!
4 people found this helpful
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motherofpearl
5.0 out of 5 stars Please make this a series Emily!
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
The characters, the setting, all of it is begging for further stories to be told. Our family would be overjoyed to spend more time at Oddfellows Orphanage.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter loves it
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a really cute children's book by Emily Martin. I've been a longtime fan of her Black Apple website, and have followed her lovely illustrations of the little orphans since I discovered her artwork years ago. Now that my daughter is old enough to read, I decided to buy her this book for us to read together. She was delighted with both the characters and the story, and couldn't wait to begin each new chapter. This is a delightful book and I recommend it to anyone who appreciates a whimsical story and beautifully drawn characters.
5 people found this helpful
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SpookyGirl
4.0 out of 5 stars I really love this book and the illustrations
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
I really love this book and the illustrations, but you really don't want to cut the pages to make the dolls. Which is a little frustrating. So, if you want to have this book just to admire the art and whimsy, it's perfect. Also, if you did want to cut out the dolls, the paper just doesn't seem thick enough. It's fine for the clothing but the dolls just don't seem to be sturdy enough. And since the doll pages have printing on both sides, you would lose some text in the process. The backgrounds are ADORABLE, but since they are two pages (centerfold-like) you would destroy the middle taking them out of the book. Since the book doesn't open up flat, you can't fully appreciate the art either. Overall, I think the author and illustrator are amazing, but I think the publisher could have done a better job not making the construction of this book so frustrating.
15 people found this helpful
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Mrs.Leigh
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book but clearly needs to be a series
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
My little one has really enjoyed this book. It fits in that special space where it is a chapter book but has lots of detailed drawings. I think this needs to be a series with more character development. Shouldn't be hard to do with such lovely and odd characters.
4 people found this helpful
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SanfordDoug
5.0 out of 5 stars Was Oddfellows Orphanage inspired by a family event?
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Emily is such a talented writer/illustrator. I am emotionally attached to this particular book that an author with a family name of Winfield wrote. My 2nd great grandmother was a Winfield in eastern North Carolina. She died at a very young age with several young children some of which she was in the heart wrenching position of having to place with non-family before she seccumbed to her illness. One of which was my grandmother on my father’s side. Several of her siblings were placed in an Oddfellow’s orphanage in North Carolina. I would love to know if Emily wrote this story based loosely on family events and if we are cousins.
24 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Oddfellows Orphanage
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2013
Verified Purchase
I love the work of this illustrator and originally seen her work through the etsy shop The Black Apple. This book has lovely drawings and a great story. I would warn you that the illustrations inside the book are not in colour so are maybe more suitable for an older child. I have enjoyed looking at this book as an adult and can't wait until my daughter is old enough to enjoy it as a bedtime story.
One person found this helpful
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