From Booklist
In intricately detailed watercolor and pencil art and descriptive prose, this picture book for older children raises thought-provoking questions about change and progress as it contrasts the daily lives of a modern boy, Michael, and his great-great grandfather, Nathan, who lived in the 1880s. Each illustration and accompanying text highlights a topic, first in the past, then in the present. For example, Nathan looks out at a serene schooner-filled harbor; Michael views the waterfront bustling with cruise ships. Nathan's family hosts a gathering with friends and family singing at the piano; Michael's family is pictured in the same, differently decorated room, watching TV and playing video games. Colorful art captures the times--the past somewhat nostalgically, the present incorporating familiar scenes and scenarios that focus on young people's lives. But similarities are evident, too--family, pets, school--all of which will inspire discussion on how technology has changed our lives as individuals and as members of families and communities. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
