Tales of Trotter Street : Angel Mae', 'Big Concrete Lorry', 'Snow Lady', 'Wheels - Softcover

Trotter Street is alive with activity! Mae prepares to be an angel in her school play, but will the arrival of her new baby sister spoil everything? The Pattersons have a load of wet cement unexpectedly delivered to their front doorstep. Carlos is itching for a new big bike, but Mom can't afford it. Still, his birthday is coming up... Samantha thinks Mrs. Dean next door is mean. But when Sam risks hurting her feelings, she feels miserable. These four stories--Angel Mae, The Big Concrete Lorry, Wheels, and The Snow Lady--are full of the everyday adversity and diversions familiar to anyone who has grown up in a closely knit neighborhood. Dozens of children from a bouquet of ethnic and cultural backgrounds tumble through the pages, weaving in and out of one another's lives in a friendly tangle of humanity. Well-loved British author and illustrator Shirley Hughes has a knack for treating ordinary lives and small moments as the important, fascinating times they really are. Her warm, affectionate tone and matching illustrations touch on real issues with a respectful light-handedness. Each simple tale captures the personalities and current drama of the characters, giving us a gentle glimpse of the tribulations that face all of us. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Ages 4^-7. Few picture books capture the everyday lives of families as well as Shirley Hughes' Trotter Street books, Angel Mae, The Big Concrete Lorry, Wheels, and The Snow Lady, which are here gathered into one beautiful volume. Each tale introduces people who all live on the same street, with some of the characters making cameo appearances in the other stories. The British-to-American glossary (biscuits means cookies, flat means apartment) facing the title page serves as a practical alternative to those annoying translations that mar so many English books condescendingly edited for American audiences. Though the texts appear to be uncut, a few of the illustrations have been omitted, slightly altered, or reduced in size to fit the new volume. Still, the fact that all four stories appear together makes this a good choice to add to collections, particularly for primary-grade children or even younger ones who want a big book. Carolyn Phelan