New Hope

In his first time out as a writer, Sorensen (illustrator of I Love You As Much) speaks volumes about the growth of America, family lineage and national pride with a fluid tale about the founding of a Midwestern town. When Jimmy inquires about a statue in New Hope's park, Grandpa tells him about Lars Jensen, a Danish immigrant who arrived in New York City in 1885 with his wife and two children and ``took a train to Minnesota.'' An axle on their covered wagon breaks on the journey further west, and the family decides to settle on the spot. After building his family a cabin and planting crops, Lars builds a rustic ferry across the nearby river. Soon merchants set up shop, and before long ``New Hope became a busy, bustling place.'' And Grandpa, it turns out, is the great-grandson of Lars, whose statue honors his achievements. Adding scope and atmosphere to Sorensen's straightforward, affecting narrative are vigorous acrylic paintings. Whether depicting the port of Old New York, burgeoning New Hope or a blacksmith's smoky workplace, these true-to-life images fairly rise off the pages. Ages 5-up. (May)