Product Description

Twilight in Johannesburg, South Africa, finds the bustle of the city beginning to subside. Work is over, and it is time for rest. But in Kruger National Park the setting sun beckons the animals and their young from the bush. On the darkened plain it istime to hunt, to graze, and to cool off in the night air. Rachel Isadora's portrayals of South Africa that delighted her readers in At the Crossroads and Over the Green Hills continue in this breathtakingly beautiful picture book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #317349 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-14
• Released on: 1998-04-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3?This simply written picture book focuses on the transition from day to night, contrasting the activities of humans in Johannesburg with those of the animals in Kruger National Park after the sun sets. First, readers see twilight in the city as stores close and people return home. Children and their parents take a stroll before dark. House lights come on as a little girl sleeps with a doll tucked close beside her. As day slides into night, the inhabitants of Kruger Park come to life. A mamba snake, lionesses, a leopard, a hippopotamus, and elephants are shown in their respective quests for food and water. With the sunrise, the animals seek shade to sleep, while in the city, flower vendors line up their goods on the streets. Isadora's vibrant watercolor illustrations are evocative of both the human bustle and the wild untamed life force of the animals; the open vistas of the park are effectively contrasted with the crowded streets. This excellent read-aloud will also serve well as a lucid concept book.?Gebregeorgis Yohannes, San Francisco Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 2^-5. Isadora's stirring picture book At the Crossroads (1991) about a family under apartheid was a Booklist Youth Editors' Top of the List, but Over the Green Hills (1992), also about South Africa, was more a scenic landscape than a children's story. Here, Isadora begins with glorious watercolor spreads of Johannesburg at sunset, first the broad view of skyscrapers and freeways, then close-ups of the streets and park as people go home after a long day. A small black child falls asleep in bed, and 200 miles away in the Kruger National Park, the animals begin to stir. A black mamba snake, lionesses, a hungry leopard, a hippopotamus, and an elephant and its baby are shown in dramatic sweeping paintings. Then at sunrise the animals lie down and the city wakes up. There's not really a story, but it is refreshing to have busy urban life a part of the southern African scene, and children will enjoy the exciting close-ups of animals in the wild. Hazel Rochman

From Kirkus Reviews
PLB 0-688-11390-7 South Africa by day is a bustling city with tall buildings, teeming crowds, and busy markets; but at night the animals reign. After showing people in Johannesburg and a toddler asleep in her bed, Isadora (Isadora Dances, p. 113, etc.) moves viewers to Kruger National Park. The black mamba snake raises its head for a meal, lions and hungry leopards roam and hunt, and the peaceful elephant and her young drink at a water hole beneath a starry sky. As the sun rises, the animals slumber and the people again take to the streets. This juxtaposition of viewpoints will help children understand some of the contrasts of contemporary Africa. The illustrations of busy, daytime Johannesburg are colorful and full of detail, while scenes at the animal park are murky, conveying both a sense of the shadowy unknown and the vast open spaces. Ghost-like lionesses move in a smoky landscape of gray and tan where there is no visible demarcation between ground and sky. An astonishing sunrise scene finds the animals settling down under a wide orange sky, while the city market comes alive with flower-sellers and shoppers, ready for a new day. Children will be fascinated by this co-existencea peaceable kingdom of sorts, with every rotation of the earth. (Picture book. 5-7) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

What a lovely book!
I just bought this book for my grandchild and was so happy that he enjoyed it as much as myself. I am from South Africa, and was glad to find a book that showed the joy and sweetness of that country. People around the world forget that there are little children that go to sleep everynight all over S.A. and just live simple lives. The pictures were realistic and lovely and made me homesick! I think this gives my grandchild a wonderful view of an incredible country and they have brought back memories for me. Thank You