Vero and Philippe

By Caroline Kim Hatton

The Vo family has just moved to Paris from a small town in northern France. The change is almost more than nine-year-old Vero can manage. Her parents are too busy to keep an eye on her in the big city, and her older brother, Philippe, wants nothing to do with her. In fact, the siblings can barely stand each other. Since Vero and Philippe aren't allowed to play outside, they must find ways to amuse themselves. Vero devises imaginative activities like raising a prize snail, creating families of chestnuts, and engineering a fake monster to scare her brother. Philippe does his best to put up with her antics, though the task becomes increasingly difficult. Francine, the young maid and nanny, is little help, consumed as she is by housework and a new boyfriend. Over the course of the year, everyone in the family learns to adjust to their new home. Vero survives her brother's meanness, her father's attempts at cooking, and a new school. And when Francine is fired, Vero and Philippe unite in the cause to get her back.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081262940X
• ISBN13: 9780812629408
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Cricket Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 5

Customer Reviews

Vero Will Bring a Smile to Your Face

Caroline Hatton's first published full length story is well-crafted and appealing to young children of all ages. It is a great read-aloud book for younger elementary school children. Because it is based on the author's own childhood, the characters ring true. The essential spirit of a loving family is captured in a realistic, humorous way. Young Vero is struggling to adjust to her new home in the city after living in the French countryside all of her life. She and her beloved brother Philippe have their differences of opinion, but they love each other dearly. Vero has a strong spirit, and a creative mind that gets her into scrapes at school, at home, and everywhere she goes. If you are looking for a charming, fresh story--this is the book for you. If you liked reading Little House on the Prarie but wished it was funnier and more modern, you'll like Vero and Philippe. Nice pen and ink illustrations throughout for those children who prefer books with pictures to go with the text. For parents looking for good books for their children--this is a winner--no bad language (like Junie B. Jones), no situations requiring parents to explain about bad things in the world (like Magic Treehouse historical fiction), no violence (like Pokemon)--just a wonderful story that will become a children's literature classic and that you will want to read again and again.

Vero and Philippe

I think Vero and Philippe is a great book. I really enjoyed all of the adventures that they had. I really liked how Vero let her pet snail Thor free in an orchard. Philippe turns out to be a nice older brother when he takes the blame for the practical joke that they play on their parents to get their maid Francine back. I would reccommend this book to kids and adults.

Vero and Philippe

I like this book because it taught me how hard it would be to move from one place to the other. Because I have two brothers and a sister, I could relate to the fighting and frustration between Vero and Philippe. There were many parts that were very funny and just as you were going to put the book down, something would always happen to make you continue reading. It was a fun book to read.