The Aunt in Our House [Library Binding]

Angela Johnson (Author), David Soman (Illustrator), David Samon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996 | Age Level: 4 and up

The visit of The Aunt brings new understanding to the children of an interracial marriage as they discover that love has no color or ethnic barriers and that families share a special relationship. By the author of Toning the Sweep.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Johnson's (Julius; Toning the Sweep) cryptic tale suggests questions, then leaves it wholly to the reader to answer them. Told by the older of two siblings who live with their white father and African American mother, the story opens on an affectionate note: "The sun shines brighter through the front window in our house since The Aunt came. It makes us warmer in winter." The child tells how The Aunt helps Mama weave blankets and rugs, lets the youngsters play her trumpet and encourages them to splash in puddles barefoot. Yet this apparently sunny woman spends some days gazing silently out the window, which brings the nebulous comment from Mama that The Aunt misses her home. Intentionally vague, the text leaves readers wondering why and for how long the Aunt has come to stay, and why she is occasionally so sad. Well-matched to the expressiveness of the narrative, Soman's (illustrator of Johnson's The Leaving Morning, see p.106) watercolor and pastel illustrations appear to move in and out of focus, depending on the mood of the moment, and effectively convey the characters' changeable emotions. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3? "The Aunt" comes to stay with the narrator's family, and "me and Sister" appreciate her mysterious presence. The siblings' parents are artists; their white father paints the woman's portrait while their African American mother teaches her to weave. Readers recognize and care about this family from page to page, but there are many questions that the text does not answer. Is The Aunt really Daddy's sister, or is the title conferred by love? And why is she there? Young children often accept house guests without question, as do these characters. But readers may wonder what is really going on in this enigmatic tale. Soman's well-designed watercolor-and-pastel illustrations render faces authentically and attractively. Whatever the reason for The Aunt's arrival, this exuberant family happily absorbs the woman's trumpet playing, tolerates her moods sympathetically, and appreciates the sun finally shining in her face. Curious readers will just have to trust that everything works out.?Susan Hepler, Alexandria City Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531088529
• ISBN-13: 978-0531088524
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,540,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.