Marvelous Cornelius

July 1, 2015
An almost-true story of a man who loved his job and did it well.In this colorful melange of fact and fiction, Bildner tells the tale of Cornelius Washington, a sanitation worker who cleans the streets of the French Quarter of New Orleans and performs his job with flair. Cornelius does flips, lobs bags of trash into his garbage truck as if shooting hoops in the gym, makes trash-can lids into cymbals, and entertains locals while making the streets sparkle. Hurricane Katrina changes all of that, leaving trash, death, and decay in its wake, "a gumbo of mush and mud." After weeping for his city, Cornelius joins forces with his neighbors and the waves of people who come to New Orleans post-Katrina from all over to help make New Orleans sparkle once again. Parra's lively, rustic illustrations look textured, as if they were painted on wooden boards-appropriate for a book that depicts only outdoor scenes. Notably, the images of the French Quarter post-Katrina suggest a much more diverse population than those of pre-Katrina New Orleans; perhaps some who came to help stayed. The illustrator fills every page with activity, while the text comments on individual people readers can find if they look.A fine tribute to an unsung African-American hero. (Picture book. 3-7)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-A modern-day folktale about Cornelius Washington, a real-life figure who was a dynamic street sweeper in New Orleans. The working man, aka Marvelous Cornelius, can be seen doing fun tricks and flips while sweeping the streets of the Quarter. When Hurricane Katrina hits the city, Cornelius is overwhelmed by the cleanup, but volunteers come from everywhere to help. He soon finds his NOLA spirit and begins cleaning again in the aftermath of the great storm. Parra's paintings are modern and fresh, with bright colors paired with repetition of phrases and sounds. Children will enjoy both listening to the story read aloud as well as poring over the beautiful pages to learn about a slice of New Orleans history. VERDICT A stirring story of resilience in the face of adversity.-April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.