Little House, Little Town by Scott Beck

From the Publisher

Author Bio: Scott Beck creates wonderful worlds in his timeless picture books. His works "hark back to 1930s-1940s era children's books"(Publishers Weekly). Scott is a fabric designer, father of two, and the author-illustrator of two highly praised picture books for young children. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

Publishers Weekly

"In the little house, in the little town,/ a baby wakes and Mama takes him in her arm," begins Beck's (Pepito the Brave) soothing look at the people and events of an infant's world. Meandering through the routines of suburban life, neighborhood boys ride bikes, while a woman hangs sheets on a clothesline, as bees and squirrels dance around a tree. Beck's text unwinds at a leisurely pace ("Daddy turns the sprinkler on./ Mama yawns a little yawn/ and pats her baby's back") while his full-bleed spreads and vignettes emphasize the steady, calm activities. Even a crowded avenue seems sedate: "Outside, the train goes down the track./ The mailman lifts his heavy sack./ The grocer puts a can on top./ Red light! Cars and buses stop." As the sky darkens and children head home, baby falls asleep in his father's lap. Each scene-with a fine line, simple shapes and saturated colors that recall vintage artwork-matches the text for austerity and gentleness. The book's many recognizable people and objects may well help kids relate to their own neighborhoods. Beck effortlessly and tenderly exalts the carefree days of childhood and a nostalgic sense of small-town America. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Mary Helen Sheriff - Children's Literature

This book is the story of what a baby sees in his little town one day. The community described is idyllic and old fashioned, complete with a woman hanging her sheets to dry and the mailman delivering the mail. Through the use of bright, mostly primary, colors and crisp lines, Beck depicts a safe ordered world; one I would wish for my own child, but one that seems farther and farther from the reality of many children. Little House harks back to the "Dick and Jane" series a little too much for my liking, but I understand that "Dick and Jane" are back in vogue, so if you're a fan, then you'll love this. The simple language and repetitive structure allows the book to transition easily from one that parents read to the very young to one that an early reader could read back. This book seems a natural choice for bedtime as it ends with the snug baby drifting off to sleep "in their little house, in the little town." 2004, Harry N Abrams, Ages 3 to 6.

Kirkus Reviews

Beck's mood piece pairs one or two lines of declarative text per spread with spacious, simply composed scenes to evoke the unhurried pace of a day in a small town. A couple with a baby and their little red house form visual anchors as the view moves down a street, past lawns and trees to a group of shops, then back through a park, and inside for a quiet evening. "Daddy rocks his boy to sleep. And with a kiss upon the cheek, he puts the baby down . . . in his little crib, in their little house, in the little town." Though at least some other town residents appear, playing or walking along, this isn't so much about a community as about its idyllic, laid-back daily round. Soothing, but-particularly compared to the likes of Amy Schwartz's A Glorious Day (p. 229) and other urbanized slices of life-one-dimensional. (Picture book. 4-6)

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