Peepers - Hardcover

Bunting, Eve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152602976 ISBN 13: 9780152602970

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001

Synopsis

While helping their dad run Fred's Fall Color Tours in New England, Jim and Andy think the tourists, or "Leaf Peepers," are pretty silly; then one night the boys experience something which makes them change their minds.

About this title

About the Authors

EVE BUNTING is the author of many acclaimed books for young readers, including the Caldecott Medal–winning Smoky Night. Her numerous honors include the prestigious Kerlan Award for her body of work. Ms. Bunting lives in Southern California.

JAMES RANSOME has illustrated many books for children. He received the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for The Creation and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Uncle Jed’s Barbershop. He lives in Poughkeepsie, New York.

EVE BUNTING is the author of many acclaimed books for young readers, including the Caldecott Medal&;winning Smoky Night. Her numerous honors include the prestigious Kerlan Award for her body of work. Ms. Bunting lives in Southern California.

JAMES RANSOME has illustrated many books for children. He received the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for The Creation and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Uncle Jed&;s Barbershop. He lives in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Reviews

Gr 1-3-Jim and Andy are obliged to help their father run Fred's Fall Color Tours in New England in October. Andy narrates in the present tense as they ride their bus through the familiar environs with the "Leaf Peepers." They think that everything is beautiful and photo-worthy, and the brothers snicker and mimic their superlatives behind their backs. Ransome's acrylic paintings are brightly realistic, capturing the brilliance of a fine rural autumn day. The intent of the story seems to be that the boys learn to appreciate the natural beauty around them in spite of themselves; however, they become aware of this only on the last two pages and, since they are embarrassed by their feelings, readers are likely also to be uncomfortable and unconvinced.

Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

In this somewhat sleepy story by the creators of Your Move, the young narrator and his brother, Jim, help their father with his business, bus rides for "Leaf Peepers" to view the fall foliage. The boys roll their eyes at the Peepers' awe and playfully mock their inevitable remark: "Oh!... Look! Look, how beautiful!" Though the brothers discover several diverting sights, for the most part they remain quite bored with the tour (which includes stops at a pond, cemetery, river and pumpkin patch) and readers may feel the same. As tourist season ends and Bunting's (Gleam and Glow, reviewed above) story winds to a close, the youngsters sit outdoors one chilly evening, admiring the starlit sky. Admitting his embarrassment at letting down his guard, the narrator notes, "I guess our winter sky is always like this, but I just never noticed. I'm seeing it now the way the Peepers would see it." At their best, Ransome's acrylic paintings present lifelike portraits of the characters and glimpses of vibrant fall colors dotting the landscape. Yet the vivid colors do not completely compensate for the uneventful plot. Ages 6-9.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5-8. Every fall Jim and Andy work with their father, who runs Fred's Fall Color Tours. They help him take care of the truck and guide the tourists around their picturesque village. The boys don't understand why anyone would want to take a tour of fall leaves, and they make fun of the tourists, especially their love of nature. This year, though, the boys slowly start to see some of the beauty they've always taken for granted, and by the end of the book, they're almost as sappy as the tourists themselves. The acrylic illustrations are lush and colorful, evoking fall so well you can almost smell the bonfires. A good introduction to both New England and the joys of nature. Marta Segal
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152602976
• ISBN 13: 9780152602970
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Ransome James E.
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32