AROUND OUR WAY ON NEIGHBORS' DAY

"Blue sky, no clouds, / Summer heat, side street, / Whirling, whizzing feet. / Everyone is out to play / Today, around our way." It’s a sunny, summer day—perfect for a block party. A pig-tailed protagonist heads home after double Dutch and dancing to help Momma cook. On her way she encounters some familiar sights: Grandpop at the barber’s, Raven painting a mural, a ball game at the center. In this lively and accessible poem, a multicultural community brings food, music and laughter to the streets to celebrate their neighborhood. Expressionist-inspired acrylics in an earthy palette strive to reflect the diversity of Brown’s characters. Unfortunately, Riley-Webb’s inconsistent use of lines to both define form and indicate motion creates a muddied result. Multiple perspectives are often attempted, but the discrepancies in the way brushstrokes are applied makes the work look flat and disjointed. A stronger choice for celebrating city summers and community is Ruth Forman’s Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon, illustrated by Cbabi Bayoc (2007). (Picture book. 4-7)