Hot Day on Abbott Avenue - Hardcover

English, Karen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395985277 ISBN 13: 9780395985274

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2004

Synopsis

It's the hottest, stickiest day of the summer. A fat-sun-in-the-sky day. An eating-ice-pops-on-the-porch day. And for Kishi and Renée, it's a best-friends-breakup day. Each girl sits on her own front porch, waiting for the other to apologize, even though they know they'll never speak to each other again, no matter how bored they get. But then the sounds of feet slapping the pavement and voices chanting double-dutch rhymes drift up the avenue, and neither one can resist going out in the street to play.

This lyrical friendship story, the first collaboration of two outstanding artists, pairs a rhythmic text with distinctive collage illustrations. Its subtle message about sharing and forgiveness will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced the ups and downs of being, and having, a best friend.

About this title

About the Author:

Karen English is a Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winner and the author of It All Comes Down to This, a Kirkus Prize Finalist, as well as the Nikki and Deja and The Carver Chronicles series. Her novels have been praised for their accessible writing, authentic characters, and satisfying storylines. She is a former elementary school teacher and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Javaka Steptoe is a Caldecott Medalist, Coretta Scott King Award winner, and New York Times best-selling picture book creator. He has illustrated several books for children, including Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio, A Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes, and Radiant Child, which he also wrote. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit him online at javaka.com and on Twitter @javaka_steptoe.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 3–Innovative illustrations add depth and texture to an evocative text. It's a sunny summer day, but close friends Kishi and Renée are on the outs and stubbornly refuse to play together. Their tempers flare right along with the temperature, but eventually the sweltering midday heat subsides and both are lured from their porches by a vigorous game of double Dutch. By the time the ice-cream man turns the corner, all is forgiven and forgotten. Steptoe's found-object and cut-paper collages highlight facial features and depict oppressive summertime weather to perfection. The characters' full, pouting lips and clingy, perspiration-drenched clothes are made of sheer crepe paper; faces, eyelids, and limbs are cut from cardstock; and substantial twists of raffia and twine become jump ropes and dreadlocks. The images are busy without being cluttered. English's simple narrative consists mostly of two to three sentences per page and ends on a gratifying note. This book cheerfully illustrates the significance of a short memory in a lasting friendship.–Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
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About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0395985277
• ISBN 13: 9780395985274
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Steptoe Javaka