Cool Ali - Hardcover

Poydar, Nancy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689807554 ISBN 13: 9780689807558

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry, 1996

Synopsis

On a hot summer day in the city, Ali decides to draw refreshing scenes on her sidewalk that amazingly come to life, as a lake becomes real, an umbrella provides shade, and a blizzard cools off the whole block, making Ali a real hero to all her neighbors.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2?As her neighbors relax outside their apartment building, Ali helps them beat the intense summer heat by drawing refreshing scenes in chalk: grass and flowers, a lake, a beach umbrella, the North Wind, a polar bear, and even a snow storm. Her sidewalk pictures create such pleasure that at first no one notices the rain. Ali's creations are washed away, but her friends hail her as a heroine. The text, which exudes an air of coziness as friendly as the building's multiethnic inhabitants, comes full circle with Ali drawing once again. This time she's indoors, and her subject is the sun. Poydar's cartoon illustrations, executed in watercolor, oil pastels, and colored pencils, depict several generations. The stoop and sidewalk, awash in shades of brown that suggest desert heat, are transformed into cool blues once the downpour begins. The neighbors move from lethargic stillness to whimsical play to joyful splashing in the rain. Pair this book with Stephanie Calmenson's Hotter Than a Hot Dog! (Little, 1994) for a refreshing story hour on a hot day.?Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

It hasn't rained in weeks, and the city block where Ali lives is mighty hot. While neighbors mop their brows and babies fuss, resourceful Ali beats the heat by drawing. With colored chalk, she creates a blue lake around Mrs. Frye's folding chair, a beach umbrella on the wall to shade her friend Ira, a polar bear on the sidewalk and white specks of snow all around. Her creativity does the trick, and the gathering crowds are "thrilled to be chilled to the bone." As an extra bonus, actual rain begins to fall, and though Ali feels disappointed when her artwork washes away, her neighbors' gratitude for her "cool" distraction more than compensates for her loss. Though occasionally sketchy and unfinished-looking, the busy illustrations offer kids ample diversion as they figure out what's real and what's not. A cool pick for summer reading. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0689807554
• ISBN 13: 9780689807558
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Poydar Nancy