Country Dawn to Dusk

A poetic portrait of a day in the life of a country girl follows a child as she eats her breakfast, runs out to the bus, studies in school, plays at recess, and enjoys a quiet evening with her family.

PreSchool-Grade 2-- An angelic looking child enjoys a day from dawn to sunset on her family's picturesque farm and in a one-room schoolhouse. She plays with her dog, laughs with friends, and takes special note of the ever-changing sky. The language is simple but not particularly poetic. The pen-and-colored pencil pictures, framed in bands of pink and blue, are sentimental, with a lot of golden light, glowing faces, and old-fashioned country scenes. The total effect is a bland coziness that is not likely to interest most readers. --Kathleen Odean, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Levinson ( Watch the Stars Come Out ) and Chorao ( The Baby's Bedtime Book ) are in impressive accord in this chronicle of a day in the life of a girl living in the country. Their focus is the dramatic performance nature gives from sunrise to sunset; the child's first-person account of her day is primarily acommentary on the changes occurring in the skies above her. As she rises early and looks out her window, "The deep orange sun peeks over the edge of the hill." Following breakfast and a bus ride to a tiny schoolhouse, she does her lessons while clouds gather over a lake. After "heavy rains slap the ground" a rainbow appears, which Chorao imbues with the same glowing pastels that tint the surrounding countryside. These arresting landscapes give way to equally effective interior scenes when the girl returns to her family's snug farmhouse. Supper is served there as the girl sees the last trace of the setting sun through her window, ending this tranquil tale on a pleasingly hushed note. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.