Girls Together [Hardcover]

Sherley Anne Williams (Author), Synthia Saint James (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Five friends get together one glorious Saturday morning. They want to get away from the Projects, where their mothers will find them something to do, and away from little brothers, who spy on them. These girls could ride bikes. They could collect bottles for the recycler to get money for the movies. But they decide to go climb trees, and off they go--Hey, hey!--linking arms.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4Five girls spend a summer morning climbing magnolia trees and just being together. Unfortunately, the language is self-conscious and does not flow. In addition, Saint Jamess graphic, collage-like paintings do not lend the feeling of unity implied by the narrative. Because the figures are faceless, their expressions are impossible to read; emotions can be inferred only by body language. When the narrator states my cheeks dimple when I smile, no happy, dimpled cheeks are visible. The book fails to capture the essence of friendship, giving readers only cutout figures and disappointing prose. Nikki Grimess Meet Danitra Brown (Lothrop, 1994) is a better and more engaging example of friendship among young girls.Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A paean to the simple joys of girlfriends takes flight in this vividly phrased and illustrated picture book. On a summer Saturday, five girls in ``the Project'' get together to find a little fun. The girls start drawing paper dolls at Hattie Jean's, who has a room of her own. ViLee wants to get out of the Project, afraid her mamma will make her take her baby brother along, so they end up walking, arms linked, to where they can climb trees. The narrator talks about some other activities, e.g., taking turns on Hattie Lee's bike, or collecting bottles for the recycler to earn money for a movie, or running errands for the neighbors. They end up climbing their favorite magnolia, and taking a blossom to Lois, the friend who couldn't get away, to put in her hair. Saint James's signature paintings are made of broad flat planes of color in bold, geometric shapes. The girls are clearly distinguished by their hair and skin tones, the narrator by her short hair and tiny gold stud earring. The marvelous closeness of girlfriends saturates the straightforward storyline, with a dialect from the inner city and a universal theme of escape, from parents and small siblings, just for awhile. (Picture book. 3-9) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152309829
• ISBN-13: 978-0152309824
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,551,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)