Eugene and the sounds of the city

October 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-Eugene is an adorable, city-dwelling bear who just wants to dance. As he walks through bustling streets, Eugene feels the rhythm of the sounds he hears-buses rumbling, car horns, jackhammers-and moves his body to the tempo. He tries to convince other urban animals passing by to dance with him, but they are too busy and brush him off. After causing a traffic jam and angering a crowd with his dancing, Eugene becomes dejected and slowly walks away. Later that day, it begins to snow and Eugene hears the faint beats of the snowflakes falling. He begins to smoothly and carefully move his body. With the city at a standstill, other animals join him in calm and controlled dance moves. In the quiet, an animal crowd gathers and spends the evening making music and dancing together. Auzary-Luton uses line drawings to depict detailed urban scenes to great effect. The color palette is subdued, except for Eugene; his bold red fur causes him to stand out in every spread. A diverse collection of animals resides in this city-an elephant drives the bus; crocodiles and llamas drive cars; ostriches, flamingos, and giraffes roam the streets. VERDICT A charm-filled story with appealing illustrations, for larger collections.-Melanie Kletter, School Library Journal

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