The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

English, Karen

Hot Day on Abbott Avenue

32 pp. | Clarion | May, 2004 | Trade ISBN 0-395-98527-7 $$15.00

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. On a sweltering day when the "fat sun drifts in the blue sky," best friends Kishi and RenÃ©e are not speaking. Finally, the siren song of a double-dutch chant from down the street lures the pair back together. The high-energy collage illustrations layer paper onto roughly painted planks of wood. This is a satisfying summer story about community and friendship, and about the way hot weather can spark hot tempers.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2004