Night on Neighborhood Street [Hardcover]

Eloise Greenfield (Author), Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

A rich collection of original poems celebrates the sights, sounds, and emotions of an African-American neighborhood over the course of a single evening. Reprint. Coretta Scott King Honor Book. Reading Rainbow. AB. K. SLJ.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-- Warm shades of blues, greens, and lavenders as well as the characters' gently, glowing shades of browns perfectly capture Night on Neighborhood Street . Each of Greenfield's poems deals with everyday concerns and delights of African-American city children: a lonely boy gazes at the moon, waiting for his "best, best friend" to come home; a newborn baby swaddled in pink cries because she's "too tiny a girl/ for this big new world." Nerissa tries to cheer her unemployed father and ill mother "by telling them the best old/ bedtime jokes." The most powerful poem is "The Seller," who "comes around/ carrying in his many pockets/packages of death." The final poem depicts a young mother playing a trumpet on a porch late at night. She "blows lullaby sounds/ into the silence/ the children hear and smile/ their sleep deepens/ and they are at peace/ with the night." A warm, triumphant book that will be wonderful to share with a group or in a more cozy situation. --Eve Larkin, Chicago Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

As ``dusk spins from daylight'' on Neighborhood Street, some children sing and play on the sidewalk, others trot sleepily to bed or lie wakeful. Juma gets a good-night hug from his Daddy; the Robinsons have ``fambly time''; Tonya's mother entertains her daughter's friends at a sleepover and--later that night--''blows lullaby sounds'' with her horn out over the silent street. Except for ``The Seller'' (``when the seller comes around/...all the children go inside/...they know his breath is cold'') and ``The Meeting,'' about an ever-angry neighbor, Greenfield's poems have a peaceful tone that is perfectly matched in Gilchrist's gentle, dreamy paintings, where brown skins glow with a warm light against soft-focus backgrounds of shadowed walls and deep, starry sky. A winning combination. (Poetry/Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (September 2, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803707770
• ISBN-13: 978-0803707771
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,340,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.