Country Kid, City Kid - Hardcover

Cummins, Julie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805064672 ISBN 13: 9780805064674

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2002

Synopsis

Ben and Jody may be miles apart, but they are two of a kind.

Ben is a country kid. He lives on a quiet farm, where he wakes to the peaceful sounds of cows mooing and birds chirping.

Jody is a city kid. She lives in an apartment building, where her mornings begin with honking horns and wailing sirens.

Their lives are nothing alike--or are they?

About this title

About the Author:

Julie Cummins has milked cows and climbed silos, ridden subways and lived in a high-rise. She currently lives in New York City, where she has a spectacular view of the Empire State Building, and vacations in the country, where she enjoys the lake views.

Ted Rand has illustrated many books for children, including Knots on a Counting Rope, Here Are My Hands, and Barn Dance! He and his wife, writer Gloria Rand, live with on Mercer Island in Washington State.

From Publishers Weekly:

Ben lives on a cattle farm and Jody lives in a melting-pot metropolis, but as Cummins (The Inside-Outside Book of Libraries) and Rand (Once Upon a Farm) see it, the ostensible differences in landscapes leave plenty of common ground. For example, each wakes up to noises outside the window. Ben "hears cows mooing and birds singing," while Jody "hears taxicab horns and fire truck sirens." The narrative continues to compare and contrast their everyday lives, until the final spreads, when the children meet at Camp Eagle Ridge and become fast friends. "Country kid, city kid-miles apart, but two of a kind," sums up Cummins, while Rand shows the two happily paddling a canoe together. Despite something of a dulling effect from the dyad structure and rather perfunctory treatment of Jody and Ben's friendship, this book possesses a vintage charm. The earnestly cheery, realistic watercolors focus on what may seem exotic to outsiders-Ben's chores tending cows, Jody and her mother's shopping at side-by-side Asian and Italian groceries; Ben's travel to a bookmobile stop, Jody's solo ride on a city bus. Youngsters will likely enjoy this welcoming approach to contrasting lifestyles. Ages 4-6.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0805064672
• ISBN 13: 9780805064674
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Rand Ted