The Jones Family Express - Softcover

Javaka Steptoe

3.82

38 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1584302623 ISBN 13: 9781584302629

Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 2005

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Steven adores listening to stories about his Aunt Carolyn's travels but has always been too young to go on a trip with her. When she plans a visit, Steven is stumped over what kind of gift to give her. He finds the answer in an old toy train, which he transforms into "The Jones Family Express," a movable family photo album Aunt Carolyn can take wherever she goes. Javaka Steptoe's brightly colored mixed-media illustrations bring this joyous family tale to life.

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About the Author:

JAVAKA STEPTOE is the illustrator of Lee & Low’s In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall winner of numerous awards including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and an ALA Notable. Steptoe is renowned for his innovative collage constructions and his work has received recognition from the NAACP Image Awards and the Bluebonnet Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature, among others. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. This is his first book as both author and illustrator.� A Hot Day on Abbot Avenue by Karen English (Clarion, 2004, ISBN 0395985277) � A Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes (Chronicle, 2001, ISBN 0395938686) � Do You Know What I’ll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow (HarperCollins, 2000, ISBN 006027879X) � In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall (Lee & Low, 1997); more than 86,000 copies in print in hardcover and paperback.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-An engaging, slice-of-life story. Steven, an African-American youngster from Brooklyn, longs to travel the world like his Aunt Carolyn, and he eagerly awaits her postcards from exotic locales. He wants to find a special gift to welcome her home, but nothing in the local shops fits both Aunt Carolyn's style and his $10 budget. With time running out, Steven finds inspiration in a discarded model train. Using paint, family photos, and creativity, he transforms the engine into a vibrant assemblage, labeled "The Jones Family Express." Steven's story, while well told and filled with believable characters, basically serves as Steptoe's model train-a blank slate on which to layer his impressive collages of newsprint, stamps, photos, ribbon, cut paper, and hand-drawn faces. From Ms. Ruby's Jamaican gift shop to Uncle Charles's cluttered basement, the art spills over Aunt Carolyn's handwritten postcards, bustling with the rhythm and energy of urban life. Young readers will identify with Steven's struggle to choose a perfect present and his excitement over Aunt Carolyn's invitation for him to join her travels-but it is the illustrations that will cause them to linger over this book and delight in the colorful details. The collage of personalities in The Jones Family Express celebrates extended family and community in a fresh, authentic way.
Eve Ortega, Cypress Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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