Friday's Journey

Rush, Ken

ISBN 10: 0531086712 ISBN 13: 9780531086711

Publisher: Orchard Books, 1994

Synopsis

During subway rides that are a result of spending weekends with his father, a young boy discovers that, with the help of his imagination, he can take the train anywhere, even to a time when his family was together.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-Rush combines a child's enjoyment of a subway ride with a sensitive portrait of a family in recovery. Though he used to be afraid of trains when he was "little," Chris, now seven, loves them. When his father picks him up for the weekend, he anticipates their journey and pretends he is the engineer. Ever the good sport, Dad enters into the game with the same youthful abandon as the boy. As they throttle through the darkness of a tunnel, Chris imagines that he can take his train anywhere, illustrated by three wordless, double-page spreads. The tracks pass by a sunlit park, a museum, and a dock at sunset. The telling detail is that each location shows the child with both parents. As they climb the stairs to the street, Chris asks if they can go to "one of those places" where they used to go with Mom. After a moment, Dad agrees. Children will be reassured by the way that both parents show their love for their son, even though they no longer live together. Rush's impressionistic, bold strokes are perfect for portraying both the hectic world of the subway and the serene quality of the boy's memories.
Lisa S. Murphy, formerly at Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

When the doorbell rings on Friday, Chris, whose parents are divorced, knows that his father has come to pick him up for the weekend. The boy bids his mother goodbye, and he and Dad head for a New York City subway station. Chris's animated first-person narration reveals his excitement as the train arrives: "I see the eyes of the train glow in the distance. I feel its warm subway breath blow against my face." On board, Chris pretends that he is the engineer, in control of the throttle, and announces, "I can take my train anywhere." In a fresh if not fully exploited development, Chris steers his train through the landscape of his memory: on the three wordless spreads that follow, Rush's ( The Seltzer Man ) impressionistic oil paintings show Chris with both of his parents in several appealing settings. Once they have left the subway, Chris's dad asks him what he wants to do that weekend. Not surprisingly, the child answers that he wants to return to one of the places "where we used to go with Mom." Although it is disjointed, this bittersweet story will strike a familiar chord with many children. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0531086712
• ISBN 13: 9780531086711
• Binding: Library Binding