AN APARTMENT HOUSE CLOSES UP

by Peter Schaaf ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 27, 1981

An elegant, spacious, East-Side-type apartment building (the like of which few American cities possess and few kids have ever seen) and its constituents: ""hallways,"" ""elevators,"" ""windows,"" ""heat,"" ""cold water,"" ""hot water,"" ""gas,"" ""electricity,"" ""garbage,"" ""laundry""--each featured at a separate opening and illustrated in two otherwise-uncaptioned pictures. Sometimes it's possible to relate the two pictures to a degree--the garbage can in the apartment, the bagged garbage by the service stairs, for instance. Sometimes the relationship begs for explanation--as in the case of the sink and rooftop water tank that represent ""cold water."" Also totally ignored is how these various constituents relate to one another--how, together, they comprise an interdependent web, a special environment for living. Indicatively, perhaps, there's not a person in any of the photos--making the label ""home"" at the last opening (the building lit up at night, a corner of a bedroom) a nice poetic touch without much foundation. The subject has possibilities, but they're largely unrealized here.

Pub Date: Oct. 27, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Four Winds

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1981

Categories: CHILDREN'S