Messenger, Messenger - Softcover

Burleigh, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1442453354 ISBN 13: 9781442453357

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011

Synopsis

Messenger, messenger, keepin' the groove, Always, always, on the move. Morning's come around again, and Calvin Curbhopper, the messenger man, is on the go, zipping around from spot to spot, taking shortcuts through parking lots, steering through the midday blare of honking horns, his breath like a smokestack in the frosty air. Wind, snow, rain, sun, can't keep Calvin from making his run. And Robert Burleigh's rhythmic language keeps the groove right alongside him, further enlivened by Barry Root's energetic illustrations.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Burleigh is the award-winning author of many books for children, including The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn, illustrated by Barry Blitt; Night Flight, illustrated by Wendell Minor; Black Whiteness, illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop; and Sylvia’s Bookshop, illustrated by Katy Wu. His many other books include Hoops; Stealing Home; and Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep! He lives in Michigan.

Barry Root is the illustrator of many books for children, including Gumbrella, which he also wrote; Dream Big; By My Brother’s Side; and Game Day, which received a Christopher Award in the category of books for young people. He lives with his family in Quarryville, Pennsylvania.

From Publishers Weekly:

Burleigh (Flight: The Story of Charles Lindbergh) hits the road with this lively look at a busy day in the life of a big-city bicycle messenger. Just after sunup, Calvin Curbhopper leaves his studio apartment with his yellow bike hoisted onto his shoulder ("Sun, wind, rain, snow,/ Messenger, messenger, gotta go"). By eight a.m., he's made his first delivery and embarked on a frenzied routine of carrying urgent business packages through traffic, tunnels, parking lots and dangerous neighborhoods, even eating his lunch on two wheels. He doesn't slow down until after nightfall, when he rides home, away from the glittering lights ("And then at last it's time to go,/ Calvin Curbhopper, takin' it slow"). The author's spare, rhyming text pedals along at the protagonist's swift pace, giving readers a taste of the messenger's special street rhythms. Root's (Two Cool Cows) dynamic gouaches of a bustling city are further energized by bold patches of sunny yellow paint bathing office buildings, taxicabs and trees. And Calvin's sleek red leggings and helmet are easy to spot as he zags and weaves through crowds of people and clusters of high rises. Ages 5-7. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1442453354
• ISBN 13: 9781442453357
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Root Barry