One Hot Summer Day

A steamy afternoon in the city and the resultant thundershower form the framework for Crews's promising debut. In an engagingly matter-of-fact narration, an African American girl voices colorful observations-"Dogs pant. Hydrants are open"; "I eat two grape Popsicles in a row." Her comments will be familiar to any child who has experienced the season's swelter. As visual accompaniment, arresting multi-perspective photographic collages depict the ebullient girl drawing chalk pictures on the pavement, playing on a swing; with this novel format Crews skillfully captures the childlike wonder at and appreciation of small delights. Spreads of the girl making shadows against the sidewalk and cavorting through the rain are particularly striking. Ages 2-up. (May)

PreS--Clever, colorful photo-collage illustrations feature a cheerful African American girl in an appealing urban landscape. Her summer day activities include an unsuccessful effort to fry an egg on the sidewalk (it's not quite that hot), a brief visit to the local playground (it's definitely too hot to sit on the shiny metal swings), and the messy fun of eating two grape popsicles in a row. The first-person narrative is filled with short, declarative sentences that are convincingly childlike. Changes in the placement of the text as well as in the art keep the book interesting and fresh. Particularly effective double-page spreads include one in which ."..mother tells me to play inside games." The accompanying collage is cut into jigsaw-puzzle shapes, and another features splashing raindrops in various shades of blue. A simple story of a child's everyday adventures, told in an innovative, yet accessible style that will be enjoyed by young listeners no matter what the season.--Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Arresting multi-perspective photographs collages depict the ebullient girl drawing chalk pictures on the pavement, playing on a swing; with this novel format Crews skillfully captures the childlike wonder at and appreciation of small delights.—Publishers Weekly