From Publishers Weekly
This shimmering picture-book adaptation of a Gershwin tune from Porgy and Bess may be primarily for adults, but Wimmer's (Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh) lifelike portraits of a vibrant, closely knit African-American family are a pleasure for anyone to behold. Beautifully capturing the look and feel of Southern summer days, the paintings show the children splashing in the pond where "fish are jumpin' " while the adults work the cotton crops ("the cotton is high"), nap ("the livin' is easy") or bake apple pie in the kitchen. Wimmer's almost photographic oil paintings shift the action from the 1930s, when Porgy and Bess was first staged, to more contemporary times, swathing the song's lyrics in a new light. For example, such lines as "One of these mornin's you're goin' to rise up singin'/ Then you'll spread your wings..." here take on a joyful meaning, showing the family at church with voices raised in song. Wimmer is in fine form here, suffusing with varying degrees of sunlight and haze his scenes bursting with leafy summer foliage and happy faces. Ages 5-up. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 5-Gershwin's haunting tune, full of nostalgia and a sweet melancholy, is transformed here into a lullaby picture book for parent and child. Wimmer's oil paintings depict an African-American farming family "earlier in this century," as the jacket copy suggests. There is a timeless feel to the illustrations that is hard to pinpoint. The clothing appears to be from the 1940s. The dry sink in the kitchen, ice togs (for an icebox), and general sparseness of the furnishings might indicate a family of limited means, but the children are well dressed, and the mood throughout the book is one of easy contentment. The double-spread paintings are rich in color and texture, and their realism indicates they were probably done from models. There is no real story line to the images; they exist as framed moments. Each depicts a "summery" family scene with one line of text. But-although written as a kind of lullaby-the song was never really intended for children, and the mood in the text and illustrations speaks primarily to adults. Still, because of its view into a specific kind of family life not often pictured in children's books and its lovely tone, this title may find an audience.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
