ALBERT THE FIX-IT MAN

Neighbors band together to help the local helper. Albert is known as the Fix-it Man and, with his flannel shirt and crisp overalls, he certainly looks the part. A smile peeks out of his snowy white beard as he patches Auntie Miller’s fence and fixes Mr. Jensen’s motor and re-hangs Akiko’s frayed clothesline. At night, he dreams about broken bicycles and loose floorboards. When Albert wakes up with a terrible cold, the sad news spreads quickly through the town. In no time at all, the people whom Albert has helped pile into the back of Mr. Jensen’s truck and visit the Fix-it Man. They bring nourishment and TLC to his bedside; later Albert drifts off into a recuperative sleep, dreaming of tomorrow’s projects. This is a warmly affecting story of (multicultural) community, greatly enhanced by Paschkis’s stylish watercolor illustrations. (Picture book. 4-7)