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AIRPORT

Name: AIRPORT
Author: Byron Barton
ISBN: 0064431452

illustrated by Byron Barton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1982

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In the pictures, as in a frieze, children can see what happens when you take a plane trip. But the text is both as tum-de-dum and as literal—as mechanical, altogether—as that sentence. The visual drama, too, is mostly confined to the scenes of arrival: people getting off an airport bus and out of a cab; lining up at the ticket counter; milling about in the waiting room. And there is one little boy, first seen on the bus, to watch for as he makes his way finally onto the plane and into his seat. (The finale is of course takeoff—and the plane disappearing into the distance.) What is lacking is any projection of the experience from a child's point of view (we don't, for instance, go through baggage-clearance with the little boy, we just see him emerging into the waiting room)—as well as any information special to a plane trip ("Up front in the cockpit," typically, "the pilots get ready"). But what youngsters could do, beginning with the people on the bus, is to make up their own stories and explanations; if they've actually been on a plane trip, they could provide a running narrative: Barton's pictures are, as usual, cheerful, interestingly composed, and infused with a spark of life.

Pub Date: March 1, 1982

ISBN: 0064431452

Page Count: 36

Publisher: T.Y. Crowell

Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1982

Categories:

CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
MY HOUSE
by Byron Barton ; illustrated by Byron Barton

- BOOK REVIEW
MY BIKE
by Byron Barton ; illustrated by Byron Barton

- BOOK REVIEW
MY BUS
by Byron Barton ; illustrated by Byron Barton

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FLYING

illustrated by Donald Crews ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 1986

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With minimal text and bright-color illustrations, Crews captures the essence of a plane journey."Boarding. . . Take off. . .Flying over cities. . .Flying into the clouds. . . Time to head down. . ."—the brief captions are hardly needed to accompany the 16 double-spread illustrations showing a small, propeller, driven plane on its way from city to city, day to night. With buildings and vehicles resembling simple wooden toys, the bold, sunny illustrations can be "read" by the youngest. Crews' style has become familiar, through several fine books; this is a worthy companion to the award-winning Freight Train and Truck.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1986

ISBN: 0688092357

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: April 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1986

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW MANY BLUE BIRDS FLEW AWAY?
by Paul Giganti Jr. & illustrated by Donald Crews

- BOOK REVIEW
THIS IS THE SUNFLOWER
by Lola M. Schaefer & illustrated by Donald Crews

- BOOK REVIEW
NIGHT AT THE FAIR
by Donald Crews & illustrated by Donald Crews

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HERE COME THE HELPERS

by Leslie Kimmelman ; illustrated by Barbara Bakos ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018

The lack of real excitement will make these helpers fade from memory like sirens on a distant road.

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Part emergency adventure, part reassurance that help is on the way—youngsters fascinated by vehicles with sirens will be attracted to this board book.

Straightforward, declarative text and fanciful, somewhat futuristic pictures describe “a big beautiful world, filled with awesome adventures.” The second spread previews the helpers and their vehicles with profile views of six types of vehicles against a clean white background. The final spread shows front views of the same six rescue vehicles. In between, spreads focus on three different emergencies. In a busy spread headlined “Uh-oh, an accident,” readers see a police car, an ambulance, and a tow truck, while a police helicopter hovers overhead. “Uh-oh, a storm!” shows the water-based versions of emergency vehicles against a rain-gray background. “Uh-oh, a fire!” focuses on firefighters, with police and EMTs playing supporting roles. All the vehicles are staffed by smiling animal characters reminiscent of Richard Scarry’s Busytown creatures but without the whimsy of those classics. The final text proclaims that “helpers…are the ones who save the world.” The wordy text and detailed pictures make this board book most suited for older toddlers intrigued by emergency vehicles, but the placid delivery is out of sync with the notion that the depicted world is in peril.

The lack of real excitement will make these helpers fade from memory like sirens on a distant road. (Board book. 3-4)