Why does the blind man on the bus carry a cane and have a guide dog? I have some knowledge of the blind community and I have never witnessed someone using both. Why is she sitting in the handicapped seat on the bus? That does not seem like something thoughtful Nana would ever do. Where does Nana’s knitting come from? She is shown throughout carrying the tiniest of purses. Some might be silly, but may also be details a child (or the Caldecott committee) might notice. Robinson does a remarkable job of not translating the text literally but completely capturing the “feeling of magic” CJ experiences: all with minimal colors, simple shapes, the trademark yellow sweater, and CJ’s profile front and center, eyes closed in concentration and delight. I think few would argue that the most sublime spread is the one in which the guitar music CJ hears on the bus lifts him out of mundane reality, out of the busy city, and into a world of nature, where butterflies ‘dance free’ and waves crash against a sunset sky. It’s such a simple composition, but with its shapes and colors so artfully arranged. (In that same spread, note the way the tree behind them is composed of a collaged white trunk and painted green leaves, giving the tree remarkable texture and beauty.) On another spread, rectangles rule: the dark blue bus stop contrasts with the white sidewalk and bus, which contrasts with the green car, etc. One of my favorite double-page spreads shows Nana and CJ walking to the bus shelter in the rain, Nana holding her orange umbrella aloft and CJ, in his highly individual yellow shirt (with blue and orange stripes on the sleeves), closer to the puddled street, which reflects those oranges and yellows beautifully. The colors sing, with eye-catching blocks of color throughout, all in perfect accord with one another. The acrylic paintings and collage are artfully simple, and like Peter in The Snowy Day, CJ is an everychild - and a brown everychild. The Horn Book Magazine review basically said that the book was channeling Ezra Jack Keats, “in spirit and visual style,” and I think that pretty much captures its feel and appeal. Matt de la Pena’s text is both sensory and colloquial, with believable-sounding dialogue, and an equally believable relationship between grandmother and grandson.īut we’re here to talk about Christian Robinson’s art.
#Last stop on market street read aloud how to#
And other messages as well: the value of helping the less fortunate, how to grow up to be a good person (as guided by your Nana). Last Stop on Market Street is a lovely, warm picture book, with strong and commendable themes of intergenerational friendship, building community, and finding beauty in unlikely places. We’re starting with a book that was published early in the year, in fact in January, to much excitement and praise.
We are trying to present the books more generally in order of publication this year, in hopes that readers will have a better chance of knowing the books as they’re discussed.
And we’re off, with the first book discussion of the season.
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