  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 11/15/2008 French siblings Adéle and her younger brother, Simon, last seen in Paris, are now in America, visiting their aunt. They are looking forward to their cross-country train journey, but once more, Simon is being less than careful with his belongings. He starts the trip with a journal, pencil box, cowboy hat, drinking cup, and several other items, but alas, they’re soon strewn across the states. It is this thread that keeps the narrative going, but what will entice readers most is McClintock’s meticulous artwork, which brings to life a time gone by. Re-creating the early days of the last century, she uses soft colorings and plenty of cross-hatching to show readers all manner of sights: a North Dakota farm; the Pacific Ocean, south of Seattle; a dusty ranch in Texas, complete with cowboys and a chuck wagon. The absorbing artwork will sustain many viewings, perhaps even enough for eagle-eyed readers to spot Simon’s (tiny) lost objects in the spreads. Those who want to know more will enjoy illustrated endnotes that offer facts about the destinations. - Copyright 2008 Booklist. School Library Journal - 08/01/2008 K-Gr 3-The French youngsters introduced in Adele & Simon (Farrar, 2006) return in this early-20th-century adventure with their Aunt Cecile. This book follows the same format and look as its predecessor, complete with McClintock's signature pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, off-white paper, vintage font, and endpaper maps following the siblings' travel route. As the children pack for their train trip across America, Adele reminds Simon to try not to lose anything, while Aunt Cecile reassures them that she has labeled all of his belongings with his name and her address. This is a necessary precaution, because as soon as they arrive at the train station, Simon's journal goes missing. And in typical fashion, he continues to lose an item at each of their destinations, from San Francisco's Chinatown to Washington, DC. Fans of Where's Waldo? will enjoy searching for Simon's lost items amid all of the action-filled scenes, while adults will appreciate the great detail and line work. Readers of all ages will delight in the variety of facial and bodily expressions found in both the main and background characters. Also, while the colors remain muted, they are ever so slightly brighter than those in Adele & Simon, creating a more open and airy feel to the scenes. Like the first book, McClintock includes endnotes detailing each location that the children visit. This is a feast for the eyes and a wonderful way to incorporate geographic information into a child's frame of knowledge.-Kim T. Ha, Elkridge Branch Library, MD Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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