Tomie dePaola

Tomie dePaola is the main character in 26 Fairmount Avenue. Tomie was born in 1934. At the time the story takes place, Tomie lives with his older brother Joseph ("Buddy"), his mother Florence ("Floss"), and his father Joe in an apartment on Columbus Avenue in Meriden, Connecticut. Eventually, Tomie will have two younger sisters named Maureen and Judie. Tomie dePaola is Irish on his mother's side and Italian on his father's side. Tomie comes from a large extended family, which includes three grandmothers. On his mother's side, Tomie is related to the famous Irish tenor Morton Downey. Tomie enjoys going to the movies with his mother and wants to be an artist when he grows up. His two favorite movie stars are Shirley Temple and Miss Mae West. Tomie always calls grown-ups "Mr.", "Mrs.", or "Miss." Tomie's best friend is Carol Crane. Tomie is a bright, independent young fellow...