From Publishers Weekly
In this sweet-natured picture book, a boy plays go-between, bringing together his two older neighbors, "neat as a pin" Miss Viola and "junky as a pack rat" Uncle Ed Lee. Miss Viola's grass is always cut, her shrubs trimmed and her picket fence gleaming white; Uncle Ed Lee has a yard with tall grass (and bits of trash in it), a leaning mailbox and a rusty wire fence. When Uncle Ed Lee decides he'd like to be friends with his tidy neighbor, he enlists young Bradley to help him out. Soon Uncle Ed Lee spruces up his house, his yard?and himself?so that Miss Viola will honor him with a visit ("He picked up his trash.../ and mowed his grass.../ until he ran out of gas"). The "twinkle in her eye" and their meeting for a card game and lemonade suggest a friendship that may bloom into romance. Duncan's (Willie Jerome) feel-good text will have readers rooting for thoughtful Bradley in his efforts to unite the unlikely pair. Stock's (Gus and Grandpa) soft and wispy watercolors, set in a quiet African-American neighborhood, deliver all the good cheer the story demands. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2?It's "Story Day" at Bradley's school, and he tells his class about how he helped two of his elderly neighbors become friends. Miss Viola is as "neat as a pin," while Uncle Ed Lee is as "junky as a pack rat." When the man tells Bradley that he would like to meet Miss Viola, the boy passes the message on, but the woman insists that her neighbor must "do something about that messy yard" before she will even consider a visit. Uncle Ed Lee cleans up his act and invites her and Bradley over for lemonade. Stock's realistic illustrations, rendered in soft watercolors, portray tenderness between these African-American characters despite their differences (right down to Uncle Ed Lee's dog and Miss Viola's cat). Told in Bradley's informal voice, the narrative makes the boy's friendship with his two neighbors believable and points out that opposites do attract. This upbeat tale will fill a multitude of requests (e.g., intergenerational stories and friendship) and makes a nice choice for reading aloud.?Olga R. Barnes, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
