Product Description

The children of a South African village eagerly gather at the crossroads to welcome their fathers, who have been away for months working in the mines. The children wait, but the men don't come. So the children keep waiting. And waiting. They wait all through the night, until the dawn brings both the day and the longed-for loved ones.A "lively portrayal of young children in a South African village eagerly awaiting their fathers' homecoming after ten months of working in the mines....A unique glimpse...and one that deserves a place in all collections."--School Library Journal

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #936711 in Books
• Published on: 1994-02-18
• Released on: 1994-02-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- All over the world, children look forward to their parents' return from work. The perspective of this universal anticipation is expanded in this lively portrayal of young children in a South African village eagerly awaiting their fathers' homecoming after ten months of working in the mines. The celebration begins early in the morning, builds throughout the day, and is subdued but sustained until the following dawn when the men finally arrive at the village crossroads. The lifestyle and the setting are observed honestly and sensitively, without romanticism or sensationalism, as adults go about their daily routines and children fashion homemade musical instruments from salvaged scraps. The rhythm and repetition of the simple text evoke the jubilation and expectant mood of the children and reinforce their enthusiasm. Set against finely detailed depictions of village structures and striking landscapes, the expressive, impressionistic portraits of children and adults are best viewed at a distance, but blend beautifully in the perfectly composed watercolor illustrations. A unique glimpse of a familiar situation that is transformed into an extraordinary event through its foreign context, and one that deserves a place in all collections. --Starr LaTronica, North Berkeley Library, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
After ten months away in the South African mines, ``our fathers are coming home!'' to a shanty town set on an almost treeless plain. But the focus here is on joy and celebration: telling the other children at school, contriving instruments for a band to be joined by the whole neighborhood, singing and dancing at the crossroads. But it's a long journey home from the mines: the sun goes down, people drift away, and only the original handful of children waits until--at dawn--their fathers finally come. The understated drama of Isadora's quiet, carefully fashioned text blossoms in her freely rendered watercolors, where she conveys the beauty to be found in this shabby town: the rich colors of earth, sky and the surrounding hills; the patterns of fabrics and corrugated metal; the children's eager faces, vibrant with universal feelings. A beautiful, bridge-building book. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Many children dream of becoming dancers, musicians, actors, and artists, but few have the opportunity, the skill, and the determination to live out those dreams. Rachel Isadora is the exception. When she was young, she wanted to be a ballerina--and she became one. And now she has firmly established herself in a second career as an artist with an impressive string of picture books, including Ben's Trumpet, a Caldecott Honor Book.

Born and raised in New York City, Rachel studied at the School of American Ballet (associated with the New York City Ballet) as a Ford Foundation scholarship student. She danced with the Boston Ballet until a foot injury forced her to consider another career: book illustration. "I had always drawn for my own entertainment," says Rachel, "but I'd never had any instruction, and I wasn't sure how to proceed. So I just took a collection of sketches-odds and ends on bits of paper-to the first editor who would see me. She suggested I do a book about what I knew best." The result was Max, published in 1976 and named an ALA Notable Book.

Since Max, Rachel has written and illustrated many other books, and has illustrated three books by her editor, Elizabeth Shub. When Rachel begins a new book, she first imagines the story through the pictures. I 'see' each illustration separately," she says. "I write a description of what I envision on each page; then I go over it with my editor and make revisions. Next I do the actual drawing, and finally I write the text."

Rachel Isadora lives in New York City with her two children. When she is not busy with her family, she spends most of her spare time drawing. "Work like this is a dancer's fantasy," she says. "Because ballet is so demanding, dancers' stage careers are short. They can only dream of going on and on forever. With art, I can go on and on, and for me it's the only work that compares in intensity and joy."

Customer Reviews

"At the Crossroads"
A wonderful book telling of the warmth and love, not only in a family, but in a whole community. Eagerly awaiting the return of their fathers the children prepare a joyous welcome. Filled with rich, beautiful colors "At the Crossroads" tells a story of the love children have for their fathers, even though they may seldom see them. I felt that this really spoke of how those still at home kept the fathers 'alive' for the children. This is a wonderful book for children to see how other children live and how happy they can be with, what we would consider, so little. I use this book every year with our unit on Families.

I just found this book
Wow! My family is from South Africa and we were thrilled when we found this book at our local bookstore. It is sooo true to life and so uplifting. It brought back all the memories we have of our home and even the colors brought back memories. I am sorry we had to leave S. Africa and I am happy that Rachel Isadora could bring back the sights, sounds and smells. I hope that by understanding the terrible situation of apartheid the country will become a better place and all the people can live together. I hope my children will understand all this someday! Thank you for such a wonderful book.....

Story of longing, happiness and joy
This book is beautiful touching story of childhood longing.

Six children wait for their fathers to come home after ten months away working in the mines.

We start their day with them as they wake in anxious anticipation. We follow them through their day with descriptive prose and amazing illustrations as they dress, go to school, make music and celebrate and wait and wait and wait.

They will not go home until their fathers arrive. The wait is longer than expected but the excitement remains high throughout this book until the beautiful end.