Country Road ABC

Starred review from April 5, 2010
In this loving record of the Midwest farm community in which he lives, Geisert (Hogwash
) memorializes a way of life that has dwindled to a small population of stalwarts. Pastoral charm is not Geisert's aim; eschewing apples and aprons, he begins with “A is for ammonia fertilizer.” His finely worked etchings, colored in muted shades, sweep across a sprawl of fields and roads, from a sandy gully being filled in by backhoe (“E is for erosion”) to a boarded-up schoolhouse at the top of a rise (“U is for uphill”), its schoolyard occupied by sheep (the book's sly glossary defines uphill as “where the schoolhouse used to be located. Both ways, of course”). Each spread shows a single farm scene, while along the bottom a continuous scroll of country road runs through the farm year, from planting to harvest to deep snowfall. Much visual information about farming is provided for lovers of tractors and farm animals, but it's more than a simple picture book; it's a deeply personal account, down to the list of thank-yous on the book's final pages, to the owners whose farms he's drawn. Ages 5–8.

April 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 3-A storm is unleashed over a city on the title page. As the story progresses, the sky clears and readers travel with a school bus, trucks, and other vehicles into a rural landscape. Each spread is devoted to an uppercase letter, a corresponding word, and a small black-and-white rendering of a concept or object. The roadsurrounded by unfolding, full-color scenes of farms, a firehouse, a bar, a diner, a church, a rural town on the Fourth of July, and other assorted placescontinues to meander along the bottom of the pages. For those who aren't familiar with "ammonia fertilizer" (A) or "erosion" (E), a conversational glossary is provided. "X" marks a spot on Y's "County Road Y31"; the aerial view highlights the shape of the always-challenging letter nicely. While the alphabetic arrangement provides an organizational scheme and an informational resource, children will return to the illustrations to revel in Geisert's detailed etchings of farmers working and relaxing. The story spans the four seasons with touches of humor, solemnity, and of course, pigs a-plenty. Several scenes, rendered in strong, black silhouettes, lend an air of calm and contrast. Children may enjoy comparing the style and subject matter to Alice and Martin Provensen's "Town and Country" (Harcourt, 1994)."Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2010
Preschool-G Like Elisha Coopers Farm (2010), Geiserts latest picture book gives a refreshingly realistic view of contemporary rural life, from plowing fields and caring for livestock to chatting at the local diner. Each spread uses a letter to introduce a farm-related phrase, and the vocabulary, from ammonia fertilizer to the z-braces used to stabilize barns, is aimed at an audience older than the typical ABC crowd, although each phrase is explained briefly in an appended section. Its the clever design and highly detailed color etchings that stand out. On each spread, a scene illustrates the featured word, while the country road of the title runs along the lower half of each spread in an unbroken, continuous panel. A few dramatic scenes border on the abstract, such as the powerful silhouette of discarded objects that depict rust. For the most part, though, this offers snapshots of how farmers work todaynot the cozy, idealized images common in picture booksand both city and country kids will want to return to its elaborately illustrated pages for repeated viewings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)