Slide Already!

June 1, 2005
PreS-Gr. 2. This simple story begins with a boy seeing a playground slide for the first time. He thinks, perhaps, it's a big metal reclining chair. A crew of friendly kids sets him straight as they demonstrate sliding, complete with screams and yells. When the boy's turn comes, he dreads every step up the ladder, sits frozen for a terrified moment at the top, and screams all the way down. But after landing, he announces, "I LOVE IT!" Young children will enjoy watching the boy learn what they already know and remembering the agony and the thrill of their first slide. Utterly simple, the illustrations are broad, cartoonlike line drawings filled in with areas of solid color. A face consists of little more than two dots and a straight or circular mouth, but that doesn't limit its expressiveness. Padded covers and heavy pages will work well for little fingers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2005
Pushed into it by a gang of playground kids, a tentative little boy takes his first slide down a free-standing metal slide (the kind now deemed unsafe)--and loves it. The presentation is distinctive and bold--bright colors, Byron Bartonesque figures, cinematic action, interesting perspectives--but the situation and story seem too old for the small, sturdy, almost-baby-book format.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)