New York Is English: Chattanooga Is Creek($19.33Value)

Description

Suppose you are a CITY. Yes, you, looking at this book. Who named you SANTA FE, or PORTLAND, or TOMBSTONE, or whatever your name is? This book invites you to a big party with lots and lots of relatives, near and far, from all over tha nation. These relatives will be glad to meet YOU! Kindergarten-Grade 4–At once carefully intentional and casually random, this is both a fascinating exploration of the etymology and derivation of American city names and a characteristic Raschka farcical flight-of-fancy. Each city is portrayed as a colorfully costumed caricature relating to its name's origins, and each one has a headdress topped by a significant symbol. St. Louis wears its famous arch while New York is crowned by the Chrysler Building. The latter is depicted as a pompously bewigged Duke who plans a party for his friends, the other cities. A guest list at the beginning gives the history of the names of 39 invitees. The party is a success and a reminder of American diversity even in the founding and naming of its cities. (Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is capped anachronistically by pollution-spewing smokestacks.) Raschka's illustrations rendered in ink and watercolor employ his loose, impressionistic, brushy style to perfect effect, giving the book its humor while artfully delivering his message and entertaining information. It's a rousing reminder that, A thousand names,/a hundred languages,/a million, and a million, and a million people/name one nation. Invite Laurie Keller's The Scrambled States of America (Holt, 1998) to the party for an even bigger celebration of Americana. –Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 1-3. It's hardly surprising that the creative mind known for eulogizing a sardine would approach our nation's multicultural tapestry in a similarly quirky manner. Following a map locating 39 cities and a spread discussing the origins of their names, personifications of the cities gather at New York's house for a party, where the guests' diverse backgrounds, personalities, and costumes (complete with architectural-landmark headdresses) make for an affair both socially successful and visually resplendent. Unfortunately, Raschka's effort to place curriculum-friendly information in an unusual new frame falls a bit flat, partly because the soiree seems too rooted in an adult's social sphere, and partly because the etymologies emphasized in the narrative (such as the "stinking onions" for which Algonquian Chicago was named) often seem to bear little relation to the wild, vaguely Picasso-like portraits. In the end, Peter Sis' Train of States (2004) is a more user-friendly source for social-studies trivia; the decision to purchase this intriguing but flawed offering may hinge upon whether or not your city is featured within. Jennifer Mattson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Chris Raschka is the illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window , which was awarded the Caldecott Medal. He is also the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes? ; Charlie Parker Played Be Bop ; Mysterious Thelonious ; John Coltrane’s Giant Steps ; Can’t Sleep ; and The Magic Flute . He lives with his wife and son in New York City.