Voake (Ginger, 1997, etc.) coaxes wonders from scant text and spare, deft watercolors that detail the pleasures of waiting on a bridge for a train to pass underneath. A father and his two young children—Chloe and William—bike down to the narrow, high footbridge over the tracks every Saturday. They are joined by a few other folk, all expectations and grins. Finally, when the signals go green, a speck appears in the distance: “Louder and louder, nearer and nearer, it comes!” Sparks fly; the engineer hoots his horn—“Beep-BARP!”—and the train dives under the bridge. “The bridge rattles and shakes. Chloe SCREAMS because she thinks it will fall down. All the other children scream because they like screaming!” Then there is only one thing to do—wait for the next one. It all rings true because Voake is careful in her choice of words and spot on in the perspectives she brings to these scenes: When the train bears down on the spotters above, it is not hard to imagine the thrill and whoosh of an oncoming locomotive—a momentous event worthy of all the anticipation. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-7636-0438-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1998
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
Told from the point of view of two warring siblings, this could have been an engaging first chapter book. Unfortunately, the length makes it less likely to appeal to the intended audience. Jessie and Evan are usually good friends as well as sister and brother. But the news that bright Jessie will be skipping a grade to join Evan’s fourth-grade class creates tension. Evan believes himself to be less than clever; Jessie’s emotional maturity doesn’t quite measure up to her intelligence. Rivalry and misunderstandings grow as the two compete to earn the most money in the waning days of summer. The plot rolls along smoothly and readers will be able to both follow the action and feel superior to both main characters as their motivations and misconceptions are clearly displayed. Indeed, a bit more subtlety in characterization might have strengthened the book’s appeal. The final resolution is not entirely believable, but the emphasis on cooperation and understanding is clear. Earnest and potentially successful, but just misses the mark. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-618-75043-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
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