TO AND FRO FAST AND SLOW

Balancing city and country scenes, this is a collection of opposites, both stated and unstated. The city features neon lights, traffic, tall buildings, people, and shopping, while the country is filled with nature, houses, few people, picnics, and children playing outdoors. Two large words and an ampersand on each page are the only text, but even this sometimes get lost on the busy pages, as not all of them are against solid backgrounds. The format of the book varies, beginning with easily discernible splits between top and bottom, and left and right. It gradually progresses to spreads that feature a complete set of opposites on both pages, as well as spreads divided into fourths that mix and match opposites. Several of the pairs are rather difficult to portray pictorially—“back & forth,” “to & fro,” “hello & good-bye”—and children will have difficulty determining the action in these pages. In addition, the very first pair, the stereotypically urban north and rural south, are on a page split in half . . . south is on top, and north is on the bottom. The softly-colored illustrations are the strong points, filled with minute details such as the spider web hanging from the rural mail box, and the subway grating and trash cans peculiar to the city. The same young girl is featured throughout, pictured with her father in the city scenes, her mother in the country. Unfortunately, Bernhard’s second foray into the world of opposites is less successful than her first (Earth, Sky, Wet, Dry, 2000). (Picture book. 3-7)