Children's Book Reviews

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How Little Lori Visited Times Square by Amos Vogel, Pictures by Maurice Sendak

HarperCollins, May, 2001
Hardcover, 64 pages
ISBN: 0060284625
Ages 4-8
Ordering information:
Amazon.com


How Little Lori Visited Times Square
by Amos Vogel, Pictures by Maurice Sendak How Little Lori Visited Times Square is the kind of story a child will enjoy reading, because it is an adventure story about a child going out into the adult world. Film expert Amos Vogel wrote this little book in 1963 for his own two sons, Loring and Steven, and it is the kind of story that can develop at story telling time between a loving parent and his children. The story is actually a tour of familiar parts of the city of New York as a child who lives there would see it. However, New York being a very influential part and a sometime home for many Americans, the story has interest beyond the borders of the city.

The story begins as little Lori, a little boy, sitting in his room gets an idea that he would like to visit Times Square. And this begins his adventure. A subway ride from eighth street lands him at South Ferry, and this is followed by a bus ride that takes him to 242nd Street. Even a person unfamiliar with the layout of New York can see that little Lori is getting nowhere near his destination. Finally, after ending up almost everywhere but Times Square, little Lori ends up crying in frustration in front of Macy's where he is approached by a friendly turtle. Little Lori cries and cries as he relates his sad tale of wanderings all over the gigantic city to the sympathetic turtle. The turtle offers to take little Lori to Times Square, and off they both go to wander for months looking for Times Square.

The drawings of Maurice Sendak, best known for Where the Wild Things Are, are so droll and amusing that no reader can resist them. Mr. Sendak has obviously watched children in emotional situations with an understanding and humorous eye. His drawings lead the reader through all the trials and frustrations of a child trying hard to make sense of a complicated world.

How Little Lori Visited Times Square will interest any child because of all the problems that the main character has. The reader is warned on the title page that reading this funny book may cause one to spill one's orange juice. This is no doubt true, because reading the reissue of this funny little tale and enjoying Mr. Sendak's hilarious drawings will clearly bring on the giggles.

-- Sarah Reeves White


The Seventh Tower: Into Battle by Garth Nix

Scholastic, August, 2001
Trade Paperback, 201 pages
ISBN: 0531303357
Ordering information:
Amazon.com


The Seventh Tower: Into Battle
by Garth Nix In this fifth entry in The Seventh Tower series, things are heating up for Tal and Milla. As the free Shadows of Aenir plan their takeover of the Castle, a defense is being readied by Milla who is now the war chief of the Icecarls. Milla has formed an alliance with the rebel Underfolk, and led the Icecarl host into the lower levels of the Castle. Meanwhile, Tal has gone to Aenir with his Spiritshadow to tell the Empress about the impending attack. But what he finds in Aenir will change his entire understanding about the dark world, and help him to discover incredible new powers of his own.

Into Battle heats up the excitement and suspense that has been building in the first four books of this outstanding series. Milla, who was a bit abrasive in the earlier books, has settled down quite a bit now that she has a terrible responsibility on her shoulders, and is developing into a very interesting character. Tal is also coming into his own and the revelations about his untapped powers are very intriguing. This is a marvelous series, and we can hardly wait to see the next installment.


Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown, Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon

HarperCollins, April, 2001
Picture Book, 40 pages
ISBN: 0060283769
Ages Baby-Preschool
Ordering information:
Amazon.com


Two Little Trains
by Margaret Wise Brown, Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon Two Little Trains is a story that shows a real train that goes West, along with a toy train that goes the same direction in a child's own home. The story begins with the little silver train pulling out of the station while the little toy train pulls out onto the floor headed past an enormous chair. On the left side is an illustration of the silver train that goes across the continent with the little train going in the same direction, except while it is in the house. The result is that the child learns how to play while he listens to the story. This is an invaluable little book for an adult who may not remember how to teach a child how to play. As the silver train crosses a real river by rolling over a real bridge, on the opposite page is an illustration of the toy train going around the side of a bathtub. Two Little Trains is also a beginning lesson on the geography and land forms of the American continent. The picture of the silver train going over the long steel tracks matches a picture of the little toy train going over the grid of tiles on the kitchen counter, and the picture of the little silver train going across the desert Southwest is matched by a picture of the little train marching across the dustpan. The trip over the mountains by one train is matched to a picture of the little train going up the bannister. And when the first train going West reaches the big, blue Pacific Ocean, the little toy train has finally gone upstairs toward a big blue blanket on a bed in which a child is fast asleep.

When the story is over, the child has been given many mental pictures of where his train can travel around the house, and the child's imagination has been stimulated by some very helpful ideas about how to play. This little book, by the author of Goodnight Moon, with new illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon is an excellent starting place for a young child just learning how to play and imagine.

-- Sarah Reeves White


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