Centerburg might be your town. Grampa Hercules and his never-ending tall tales, Dulcy Dooner, the uncooperative citizen, unbusinesslike Uncle Ulysses and his friendly lunchroom, the flustered sheriff, the pompous judge—they are all as American as they come. But there's a subtle and delightful difference. In Centerburg, along with the routine of day-to-day living, the most preposterous things keep happening. But nothing fazes Homer Price! Ragweeds taller than fire ladders, music that sets a whole town dancing—he solves these problems calmly and efficiently. Homer Price is a boy with a good supply of common sense—and ingenuity! Homer's Grampa Hercules is a delightful old rascal and his extravagent reminiscences of his youth are the starting point of many of the episodes. The chapter titles are as enticing as the chapters themselves: The Hide-a-Ride, Looking for Gold, Ever So Much More So, Experiment 13, Grampa Hercules and the Gravitty-Bitties, Pie and Punch and You-Know-Whats. Mr. McCloskey's characters have warmth and kindness and a healthy curiosity; but they are not above a few minor faults and foibles. They are unmistakenably alive. Like Mr. McCloskey himself, they are perpetually amused by the everyday hazards and discrepancies around them. It's not that the folks in Centerburg are especially nosy; it's that in a small town everyone seems to know everything. But Homer Price does know more about what's going on than anyone, because he's usually in the middle of things... Robert McCloskey (1914-2003) wrote and illustrated some of the most honored and enduring children's books ever published. He grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, and spent time in Boston, New York, and ultimately Maine, where he and his wife raised their two daughters. The first ever two-time Caldecott Medal winner, for Make Way for Ducklings and Time of Wonder , McCloskey was also awarded Caldecott Honors for Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, and Journey Cake, Ho! by Ruth Sawyer.  He was declared a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2000.  You can see some of his best-loved characters immortalized as statues in Boston's Public Garden and Lentil Park in Hamilton, Ohio. Centerburg might be your town, but there’s a delightful difference—Homer Price, Dulcy Dooner, Uncle Ulysses, the flustered sheriff, and the pompous judge all live there. And that’s why in Centerburg, along with the routine of small-town life, the most preposterous things keep happening. A mad scientist grows ragweed taller than fire ladders, a jukebox gone wild sets a whole town dancing, and a slick salesman dupes the citizenry with “Ever So Much More So” magic elixir. But nothing fazes Homer Price! He solves these problems with a good supply of common sense—and ingenuity.     CENTERBURG TALES BY ROBERT McCLOSKEY GRANDPA HERCULES I. THE HIDE-A-RIDE IN EVERY town there is a best place to do everything. For playing marbles there is no place in the town of Centerburg as good as the alley behind the barbershop. For playing baseball the best place is the empty lot next to the Enders Products Company. This place is no good for flying kites though, because there are too many wires in the way. The best place to eat doughnuts is in Uncle Ulysses’ lunchroom. The best place for ice-cream cones is Umpfschneider’s Drugstore. There are lots of places where you can go fishing, but the really best place is in Curbstone Creek, just below the railroad bridge. The best place for spinning tops is the cement walk around the G.A.R. monument in the middle of the town square. Of course there are usually a lot of girls getting in the way, because that’s the best place in Centerburg to play jacks and jump rope too. If you are a really expert top spinner you can make your top go hop, hop, hop, spinning right down the monument steps, providing there are no jacks players in the way. “Homer Price, the next time you spin that top in our jacks game we’ll take your top and keep it!” cried Ginny Lee. “We were here under the soldier first. You boys stay on the other side with the sailor and spin your old tops!” “It was an accident,” said Homer. “I didn’t mean to spin it in your jacks.” “Yeah,” said Freddy, “Homer’s top just sort of glanced off the cannonballs and bounced clear around the monument.” “Homer Price, you glanced that top on purpose!” said Ginny Lee. She stood up and prepared to throw Homer’s top as far as she could throw it. “Look who’s coming!” said Freddy, pointing across the town square. “Why, it’s Homer’s Grandfather Hercules!” said Ginny Lee, forgetting to throw the top. “That’s him all right,” said Homer, recognizing the tall old man walking swiftly in their direction. “Nobody else around here can walk that fast,” said Freddy. “He’s pretty fast, considering his age,” Homer agreed. “But he says that he can’t walk near so fast as he could when he was young.” “How old is Grampa Herc?” asked Freddy. “You can’t tell whether he’s fifty or ninety , to look at him.” “G