Candlewick Press
Illustrated by Gillian Tyler
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3208-3
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| It’s opening day at Derry Fair, and young Dinny
Brown can’t wait to see the carousel, the animals, the cotton candy, and
the hot-air balloon. But Mama’s baking pies for the contest and Daddy’s
chopping wood to sell, and it seems as if Dinny will never make it to
the fair on time! Won’t someone finish up their chores and take him to
the fair? Dori Chaconas and Gillian Tyler offer a rhythmic read-aloud
that celebrates the delights of the county fair, culminating in a
bustling panoramic gatefold that lets readers explore along with young
Dinny. Behind the scenes: This story started out as a much different thing than the story it ended up being. The main character was a baby who was too young to voice his wish to go to town to see the sights. Thanks to editors Amy Ehrlich and Andrea Tompa for helping shape it into publishable and more pleasant form. And to Gillian Tyler for her warmly detailed art. Booklist:
Anxious to enjoy the rides, animals, and treats at a local fair, Dinny
goes to the members of his family and urges them to hurry. He ends up
helping his mother by whisking eggs for her lemon pies; his father, by
stacking firewood to sell; and his sister, by grooming animals to show.
Grandma Patty, though, drops everything to take Dinny to the fair, while
the rest of the family hurries after them. Told in rhyming verse, the
story moves along at a modest pace and allows plenty of scope for the
amiable artwork. Though Dinny’s farm has an old-fashioned look, the wind
turbines on a nearby field are certainly up-to-date. Tyler’s appealing
ink drawings, warmed with gentle colors, offer plenty of details to
engage children. The final spread is a standout, folding out to four
pages wide and offering a detailed, panoramic view of activities at the
local fair.
— Carolyn Phelan
PreS-Gr 2–Dinny
Brown can’t wait to go to the county fair, but Mama, Daddy, and Sister
Lucy need to finish their preparations before they can leave. Dinny
hurriedly helps Mama whisk the eggs for her lemon pies, stacks the wood
that Daddy chops, and helps Lucy brush her show animals, but they are
still too slow for the impatient boy. When he tells Grandma Patty to
hurry, she agrees, and off they go down the road while the rest of the
family follows. When they arrive at the fair, flaps on both sides of the
final spread open to reveal a four-page scene that incorporates the
Derry Fair preview pictures shown earlier in the book. Chaconas
establishes a jaunty rhyme and rhythm as Dinny appeals to the first
three family members. Tyler’s pattern of fair pictures and farm action
scenes perfectly mirrors the text as they depict farm life and Dinny’s
excitement. The homey scenes softly rendered in watercolor and ink on
cream-colored paper give the book an old-fashioned feel. Children will
enjoy poring over the detailed illustration of the fairgrounds. A
pleasant choice.–Martha
Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT |
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