What's Black and White and Came to Visit?

Levine, Evan

ISBN 10: 0531087026 ISBN 13: 9780531087022

Publisher: Orchard Books, 1994

Synopsis

When Lily finds a skunk in her rain gutter, the whole town gathers round to help

About this title

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-What's black and white and comes to visit Lily's house? A skunk, that's what! It finds a cozy spot to hide in the rain gutter, and no one in the family seems to know quite how to get it to come out peacefully. Soon, their front lawn teems with the fire and police departments, the mayor, and even the town's expert yodeler. Opinions on the dilemma abound (but no solutions), and the discussions become more and more heated as the morning progresses. Lily's mother fixes salami sandwiches and lemonade, and the whole affair turns into a noisy picnic-with Miss Duffin yodeling to her heart's content. Enough is enough for the skunk, for it quietly, quickly scoots from the gutter and takes off for the woods-to be alone, no doubt. This merry romp and its complementary cartoonlike illustrations are full of the comedy that tickles funny bones and keeps pages turning. Lewin's pen-and-ink drawings, colored in with soft, watercolor pastels, deftly express the story's fun, action, and emotion. This is one mad scramble that young patrons won't want to miss.
Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

This cumulative comic tale delivers more than just a punch line for readers with a wry sense of humor. The buffoonery begins when Lily and her parents discover a skunk stuck in the rain gutter outside their home. Workers at the fire department, called upon to remove the animal, ask "if the skunk started a fire"; even without blazes, they rush to the scene with their biggest truck, "a Dalmatian, and a salami sandwich because one of them might be hungry." While Lily's father stands about reciting skunk facts from an encyclopedia, the befuddled firefighters can agree on only one thing: eating salami sandwiches. Responding to the "911PU," the police wait for the skunk to commit a crime; they are followed by the mayor, who appoints "skunk officials," and a yodeling neighbor, who tries to woo the critter with "The Skunk Waltz." Lewin's pen-and-ink illustrations energetically amplify the vaudevillian atmosphere, while Levine cleverly permits facts about the docile skunk to outweigh popular misconceptions. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0531087026
• ISBN 13: 9780531087022
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 1
• Illustrator: Lewin Betsy