From Publishers Weekly
Gibbons streamlines information without shortcuts or ambiguities in this suspenseful examination of a day in the life of a small daily newspaper. Those who wonder how a newspaper comes together, day after day, will discover that it is a fast-paced, usually harrowing race with the clock. The day begins early in the newspaper offices; the paper is due out in less than six hours. First, an editorial meeting, where they sift through news items and find out how much space has been allotted for advertisement. Stories are written, typeset in the composing room and pasted into position for printing. It gets really frantic when the lead story is "killed" so that a more important story can be published in its place. This newspaper game is exciting business; Gibbons conveys all that and appends to the entire process a history of newspapers. It's enough to satisfy anyone's curiosity and to inspire careers as well. Ages 6-.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3 Gibbons explains in simple format the incredible amount of activity generated by a busy staff during six hours in the office of a daily newspaper. The digital clock inserts, at least one per spread, show the minutes ticking away toward the deadline, which promotes a feeling of excitement and intensity. Computers and communications satellites, as well as telephones and typewriters are labeled, and their roles in handling the vast amount of incoming information is evident. When the presses roll and the finished newspapers are sorted and delivered, readers will breathe a relieved sigh along with the harried staff. Minutes later, however, these cheerful workers begin preparing for tomorrow's ``deadline.'' The colorful, cartoon-like illustrations reinforce the message of the text. The story could almost be told through the pictures alone. Unfortunately, there is disagreement between text and pictures in terms of the hour of the deadline. When the clock reads 6:50, the deadline is said to be in six hours. At 10:05, however, the caption sets the deadline at ``less than two hours away!'' At 11:08, it's ``less than an hour to deadline,'' but at 1:02, ``they made it.'' It is unclear as to whether the deadline refers to getting the paper ready to roll or to the finished product. Nonetheless, the sprightly crew in this newspaper office presents an exciting picture of an essential service. The book updates Feigenbaum's This Is a Newspaper (Follett, 1965; o.p.), and is intended for a younger audience than Sam and Beryl Epstein's First Book of News (Watts, 1965; o.p.), which also includes other types of media coverage of news. Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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