From School Library Journal
PreS. With a deceptively simple style, Sathre follows a young child through a day of work on Grandpa's farm. Short sentences evoke surprisingly vivid images: "Pickets wiggle. Grandpa holds. I hammer." All day long the "Tackle box waits," until finally "Lake ripples. Bobbers dip. Fish flop" as the companions end their day fishing. Hunter's childlike watercolor-and-ink paintings are a charming enhancement to the story. Very young listeners could easily retell the narrative, adding details of their own gleaned from the illustrations. Ever present are the jobs to do, the faithful dog, and the contented smiles on the faces of Grandpa and his helper. The double-page spreads invite children to notice tiny details: kitchen chairs that don't match, work boots left outside the back door, hoof prints in the cow yard. This is a reassuring book, quiet and visually attractive. Youngsters will be drawn to it again and again.?Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A quiet paean to the eternal rhythms of country life, from Sathre (Leroy Potts Meets the McCrooks, p. 468, etc.). ``Roosters crow. Grandpa rises.'' So begins a day for a boy on Grandpa's farm, entirely told in such simple constructions- -``Queenie scampers. Shadows stretch.'' The uncomplicated farmhouse and barnyard setting reveal routines of daily life, including gathering eggs from hens, feeding pigs, baling hay. Finally Grandpa calls his grandchild and the two go fishing, catching their supper. No one else is around as the two share a full day. Hunter's people are not as successful as her animals (Possum's Harvest Moon, 1996), but the interiors are laden with homey details--a minnow bucket, wildflowers in a pickle jar-- while pleasing landscapes make effective use of the artist's unique cross-hatching technique. Her illustrations charm readers with clear color sense and composition. (Picture book. 4-8) --
Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews