Moving Day
Teri Roche Drobnick, illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt. Holiday House/Ferguson, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5259-0
“But I don’t want to move!” mourns a voice that accompanies a watercolor-and-ink drawing by Reinhardt (Gondra’s Treasure) of a home with wide, eye-like windows; “I’ve been here my whole life—over one hundred years.” Readers soon realize that the house itself is the one speaking, and the one moving. Looking mournful, it clutches two floral bags as workers begin to tug it from its foundation and a truck tows it slowly down the street. “A crowd has gathered to see me off.... Kids ride their bicycles in zigzag patterns behind me and ring their bells. It’s almost like a parade.” Working from high up, above the buildings, Reinhardt follows the action: signs are removed and tree branches trimmed back as the procession inches forward. Then, in a dramatic
vertical spread, a great hill looms (“I move slowly, carefully, cautiously”). This sprightly story by debut author Drobnick does dual duty, offering a new angle on feelings about moving while exploring a striking feat of engineering. An author’s note shows the San Francisco Victorian home that inspired the tale. Human characters are represented with a variety of skin tones. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Marietta B. Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.)
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Reviewed on: 12/05/2024
Genre: Children's