Chinatown

September 1, 1997
PreS-Gr 2-In Chinatown, a young boy goes for a walk with his grandmother and describes the sights and the people on the busy streets. Delivery trucks, tai chi students, ducks hanging in the food store, fresh snapping crabs, and crowds watching the Chinese New Year celebration are vividly brought to life in full-page, vibrant oil paintings. This is a warm introduction to an urban community that captures images of interest to a child, from a child's perspective. The text reads aloud nicely, making this title useful for picture-book programs. While the setting is New York City's Chinatown, the stores, signs, and activities could be in any Chinese community across the U.S.-Susan Pine, New York Public Library

September 15, 1997
Ages 3^-6. A boy and his grandma take their daily walk through their Chinatown neighborhood. Low's brightly colored double-page-spread oil paintings show the vital streets packed with traffic, people, markets, and tall buildings. Some strong pictures focus on individual people inside the herbal shop and the seafood restaurant. The sizzle and noise of the restaurant kitchen contrasts with the quiet of the tai chi class in the park. The climax is the celebration of the Chinese New Year with parade, firecrackers, and a lion dance. There is no story, but kids will enjoy the physical evocation of an exciting city place, both the crowds and the close-up views of Chinese American culture that seem to burst out of every page. ((Reviewed September 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)