Mountain Town (Small Town U.S.A.) [Hardcover]

Bonnie Geisert (Author), Arthur Geisert (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Small Town U.S.A.

During the last half of the nineteenth century, miners and prospectors flocked to the Rocky Mountains to find their fortunes. In the wake of this boom, small towns sprouted up wherever the precious ore could be found. Some of these small towns, born of the gold rush, still exist today. This, the third in a series about small-town life, once again turns the commonplace activities of townsfolk into a fascinating account of Americana. Exquisite etchings and spare text are carefully interwoven to create a vivid portrait of life in a mountain town, from snow that comes all year round to Fourth of July celebrations and football games in the fall. Children and adults alike will marvel at the incredibly detailed, panoramic hand-colored etchings that communicate change and the passing of time on each page.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-A rural town nestled in the Rockies receives the same treatment that the Geiserts accorded to two previous locales in Prairie Town (1998) and River Town (1999, both Houghton). From the first snowfall through a calendar year and back to winter again, careful observers can follow small-town life through both annual celebrations and the mundane comings and goings of residents and visitors. A chimney fire, a family with an unlucky blue car, and a bank robbery are a few of the threads that weave their way through the fabric of daily life; a blizzard, the Fourth of July and Heritage Days supply seasonal diversions. The final page summarizes events and encourages readers to follow specific subplots. Thoughtful viewers can discover that while mining, heavy snows, and hikers are unique to the mountains, much of what goes on day-to-day is common to all communities. Etchings enhanced with watercolors provide sweeping panoramas, often on double-page spreads; perspectives include bird's-eye views as well as above and belowground cross sections. The present-tense text occasionally provides helpful explanations for the already-informative pictures but is often simply a redundant one-sentence commentary. Libraries owning the other Geisert books will want to purchase this for a compare-and-contrast exercise in community life, although the many intricate details prohibit group sharing. For other collections, it's a secondary purchase.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Continuing the quiet, detailed depiction of towns in different geographic settings they began in Prairie Town (1998) and River Town , the Geiserts show life over the course of a year in a community nestled in the mountains. There are car accidents on slippery roads, bank robbers using old mining tunnels to steal from a vault, a Fourth of July parade, and myriad other vignettes for careful eyes to look at. The text is brief, just one or two lines per page, and pleasant if occasionally stiff. This time Arthur Geisert gets a chance to use his etchings to depict night scenes, and he sharply contrasts the hazy, gray night with the crisp, bright details of the snow-covered town in the morning light. The final page includes clues to other things to look for in the pictures; children are sure to stumble across lots of little stories along the way. Susan Dove Lempke

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1St Edition edition (March 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395953901
• ISBN-13: 978-0395953907
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,522,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bonnie Geisert grew up on a farm near Cresbard, South Dakota, and her childhood adventures there inspired many of the events in her PRAIRIE trilogy. Ms.Geisert now lives in a small town in northern Illinois, where she still revels in beautiful prairie winters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun for mom and 2 year old kid, June 17, 2007

By 

K. Millen "momma" (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mountain Town (Small Town U.S.A.) (Hardcover)

we love this book! there is so much detail that will hold our interest for years to come, and the illustrations are dead-on; it looks just like the town we live in! There is even a special car that you can find on each page in a different place (and it is really small). i first saw this book in the library, and decided to make it a permanent addition to our home library. fun, fun book :)

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Educational and Entertaining, July 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mountain Town (Small Town U.S.A.) (Hardcover)

The Geiserts have made a book that can be enjoyed at many levels. At a basic level you have a lovely picture book about a small mountain town that has detailed pictures and is not too wordy. At another level a child can try to spot a blue car on each page and what experiences it has. On a more advanced level this book can promote a discussion of life in a small town and how the different seasons affect the lives of the folk who live there.