Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Busiest Street in Town by Mara Rockliff

Rockliff, Mara. The Busiest Street in Town, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. $16.99. Agatha May Walker lives on the busiest street in town, Rushmore Boulevard. One day she tries to cross the street to visit a friend, but can’t because of the traffic. So she goes home and makes gingersnaps. She puts on her best hat, brings her cookies, and places her chair in the middle of the street. When the drivers complain she offers them a cookie. Soon everyone in the neighborhood is enjoying the street; playing games, planting flowers, playing Parcheesi, and dancing to a mariachi band. The style of the watercolor illustrations and the characters hark back to the sixties, but luckily every page is filled with bright colors. The premise is fun, but I could not get over the safety issue of playing in the street. EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.

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