TWU LS 5603 - Picture Book Reviews - UPTOWN

BIBLIOGRAPHY #2

Collier, Bryan. 2000. UPTOWN. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0805057218

PLOT SUMMARY

This picture book is a story of Harlem, New York and the sights and sounds on the streets as seen through a young boy’s eyes.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book is a series of statements about Uptown in Harlem, New York that has a duet narrator approach and is visible in the font choice and arrangement, and the color choice of each declaration.  Each statement defining Uptown has a response by the main character, a young boy, as seen in the illustrations which are intricate pictures formed from patterns and prints. The book is illustrated in the form of collages that invite the reader to linger on each page after the text has been read. The illustrations authenticate the text on the page.  For instance, “Uptown is Jazz” is reflected in the picture of the upright bass made of a collage of wood and a saxophone constructed from a metal watch collage. Both instruments reflect a visual element that is true to the authentic instrument.

The text is not difficult for young readers nor does it contain much material for further discussion. The illustrations are beautifully detailed and add interest to the layout of the book which could create avenues for class discussions about all the things that define Uptown.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist (2000) -  “It's the artwork that takes center stage, the gorgeous, textured collages giving impressions of spaces and moments in the boy's neighborhood.”

Horn Book (2000) - “From small intimate places such as the local barbershop to the world-famous Apollo Theater, the reader's senses are bathed in the sights and sounds that make Harlem this small boy's paradise.”

Book Links (ALA) 01/01/09                                   

Kirkus Review 06/01/00

Booklist 02/15/02

Library Talk 11/01/00

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 11/01/00

School Library Journal starred 07/01/00

Coretta Scott King Award/Honor 01/15/01

CONNECTIONS

Suen, Anastasia, and Karen Katz. 2004. SUBWAY. New York: Viking. ISBN 0670036226

·         Partner this book in discussing sounds of the city or how to get uptown by riding the subway

Dillon, Leo, and Diane Dillon. 2007. JAZZ ON A SATURDAY NIGHT. New York: Blue Sky Press.

ISBN 0590478931

·         Partner this book in discussing the Jazz as a musical form including some of the founding fathers of the musical genre