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“Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans” Book Review

Published

10 years ago

August 17, 2015

Pick up your toys!

How boring is that? It’s much more exciting to get things out than it is to put them away, right? But guess what: when someone helps, cleaning your room isn’t a chore.

If you make it a game, in fact, it’s actually fun. In the new book “Marvelous Cornelius” by Phil Bildner, illustrated by John Parra, you’ll see how that works.

In the French Quarter, everybody knew Cornelius Washington.

They called him the Marvelous Cornelius because, well, he was! People looked forward to seeing him on the back of his garbage truck, waving and calling “Mornin’!” to everyone near Jackson Square.

But cleaning up wasn’t all that the Marvelous Cornelius did: on every stop, he “sashayed to the curb and shimmied to the hopper” of the truck. He hollered to the people nearby before yelling “Showtime!” and the fun began.

Cornelius did one-handed cartwheels and flips. He danced with the garbage bags before he lined them all up and threw them – one, two, three, four – into the back of the truck.

Not one stray paper missed his grab. Not one bit of trash was ignored. Not one bottle went unnoticed as he spun and weaved from curb to curb, dancing with the garbage cans, making a “one-man parade” in the Quarter.

The Marvelous Cornelius left his neighbors happy and his city as clean as a whistle.

But early one late summer morning, a storm came roaring into New Orleans. It didn’t take long for the streets to fill with water and for people and cars and rooftops to float up and away.

It was “a gumbo of mush and mud” and days later, after the waters left, the Marvelous Cornelius could see that the cleaning job would be too big for him to handle. That made him cry but “his spirit and will were waterproof.”

What else could he do but get back out to his beloved streets, behind his truck? There was work to be done, with the help of neighbors, new friends, and people who came to help. They had a city to clean!

Chances are, though the child to whom you’ll read this book will hear news stories about the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, he won’t remember it.

She might even be too young to understand – which is why you’ll want this wonderful slice-of-life on your shelf.

Based loosely on the real Mr. Washington, “Marvelous Cornelius” is lively and colorful, just like its setting.

Author Phil Bildner’s story is good, made better with illustrations by John Parra; together, they give kids a sense of Big Easy charm in the first half, followed by unmistakable devastation in the latter half.

Beware that that could cause a minor scare for sensitive kids, but it’ll also help them clearly understand what happened, and the meaningful afterward.

This is a great book for kids ages 3-5, although curious early grade-schoolers might like it, too. “Pick up your toys” may have new meaning after reading “Marvelous Cornelius,” so pick it up, too.

“Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans” by Phil Bildner, illustrations by John Parra, c.2015, Chronicle Books, $16.99, 44 pages

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

6 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

11 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

11 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.