On the Riverbank - Hardcover

A long-awaited outing to the banks of a local river becomes a memorable family event in Temple's first picture book. Daddy and Mama bring along a picnic basket and all the gear needed for an evening of catfishing. The young narrator and his father rig up hooks on a trot line with "chicken guts, / fish guts, / any guts will do" and while they wait for nibbles, Daddy tells "all the tales he remembers" around the campfire. "A nice haul" of "five catfish flapping on the shore" caps an already perfect excursion. Temple's bouncy, toe-tapping rhythm and visually rich phrases energize a brief but detail-laden story in which each stanza amusingly advances the plot. Hall's rustic-looking, mixed- media paintings call to mind colored woodblock prints. Her cool palette of blues, purples and shimmering whites winningly matches the story's setting of a June night steeped in moonglow. All will surely rise to this enticing picture-book bait. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreSchool-Grade 1-- A boy and his parents enjoy an early summer night of catfishing on the riverbank. The step-by-step procedure is detailed in a rhyming text that needs to be read aloud or possibily sung. No music is included, but librarians with a guitar or banjo could add a bouncy rhythm to this salute to the joys of catfishing. The soft, mixed media illustrations have a verve that echoes the text and adds a romanticized dimension of a fond reminiscence to this story of an African-American family that has spent a long winter anticipating such an outing. The text seems choppy when read silently, but comes alive when given voice. This is definitely one for group sharing. --Anne Connor, Los Angeles Pub. Lib.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.