The Sleeping Porch - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 2?The oldest child tells how his family has finally realized their dream of having their own home, though he says rather ominously, "...none of us imagined how much trouble the house would turn out to be." On a hot, stormy night, their roof leaks badly. The immediate effect is "laughing, playing" and kids having "splash fights"; but two pages later, the merriment dissipates and a line of "cranky, unhappy" people troop out to sleep on the porch. The narrator describes how they settle down, spend a comfy night in the dry, screened-in room, and proceed to use it in many ways throughout the year. Ackerman relates small details that give each use an easy-to-picture reality. Sayles's appealing pastel illustrations are dominated by various shades of purple that serve as warm backgrounds for the comforting glow of the porch's light. Each page is bordered with a thin line of purple and the text is set on soft yellow pages. A family story that will make readers wish for a sleeping porch of their own.?Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5-7. Ackerman extols the virtues of hearth and home as she did in I Know a Place (1992). Jonathan and his family are very excited about moving into their first single-family home. Although in need of paint and repairs, the house has plenty of space--including a screened-in sleeping porch. When a summer thunderstorm reveals a very leaky roof, the family discovers that the porch makes a delightful (and dry) spot to sleep. As the seasons progress, they find additional uses for this special place--a shelter for jack-o'-lanterns, a storage room for boots and sleds, and a nursery for spring seedlings. Sayles' pastel illustrations, rich in hues of purple and orange, convey the warmth and closeness the family shares. At the same time, fuzzy facial features create a distance between readers/viewers and the characters that is appropriate to the idealized family portrayed. A good choice for bedtime story hours or for families enjoying their own first house. Kay Weisman