Mountain Town

by Bonnie Geisert, Arthur Geisert (Illustrator)

Overview

During the last half of the nineteenth century, miners and prospectors flocked to the Rocky Mountains to find their fortunes. In the wake of this boom, small towns sprouted up wherever the precious ore could be found. Some of these small towns, born of the gold rush, still exist today. This, the third in a series about small-town life, once again turns the commonplace activities of townsfolk into a fascinating account of Americana. Exquisite etchings and spare text are carefully interwoven to create a vivid portrait of life in a mountain town, from snow that comes all year round to Fourth of July celebrations and football games in the fall. Children and adults alike will marvel at the incredibly detailed, panoramic hand-colored etchings that communicate change and the passing of time on each page.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547562179
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	03/28/2000
Series:	Small Town U.S.A.
Sold by:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Arthur Geisert’s unique and exquisite etchings have been widely praised and exhibited at the Chicago Institute of Art, among other museums. His work is regularly selected for the Society of Illustrators’, annual Original Art exhibition, and his illustrations are now being collected by the Dubuque Museum of Art. He lives in a converted bank in Bernard, Iowa.

Bonnie Geisert grew up on a farm near Cresbard, South Dakota, and her childhood adventures there inspired many of the events in her Prairie trilogy. Ms.Geisert now lives in a small town in northern Illinois, where she still revels in beautiful prairie winters.

Editorial Reviews

This is the third in the Geiserts' series of portraits of smalltown America throughout the seasons. After the gold and silver mines in the Rocky Mountains were played out, only a few towns like this remained. A simple sentence or two per page describe in words the activities—winter snowfalls and skiers, spring hiking and picnicking, rafting on the river and Fourth of July celebrations, football in the fall, and preparation for the long winter ahead. This leaves space enough for one or twopage, highly detailed depictions of the mundane activities of the town—kids leaving school buses, an unloading moving van, even a cutaway view of abandoned mine tunnels and a foiled bank robbery, all in panoramic scenes. The black etched lines and transparent, naturalistic colors convey the honest vitality of smalltown life. The last page gives readers a list of details they may have missed to find in the illustrations. 2000, Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin Company, Ages 4 to 8, $16.00. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature

Some Rocky Mountain towns disappeared, others became ghost towns, but this book is about a town that survived. Some historical information is provided, but the main text chronicles a recent year in the town. The detailed illustrations are outstanding and a sharp-eyed youngster will be able to spot the bank robbers and the blue car whose driver has a misadventure. As the seasons change, life changes because the weather is so acutely experienced at the higher elevations. The perspective presented in the illustrations is also interesting. The title page shows a close-up of blue columbine in the forefront and the first and last two-page spreads display panoramic views of the entire town. Anyone who has visited such towns in Colorado, perhaps Leadville, or even Cripple Creek, will find a truth in these pictures. 2000, Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin, Ages 4 to 8, $16.00. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

"Continuing the quiet, detailed depiction of towns in different geographic settings they began in Prairie Town and River Town, the Geiserts depict life over the course of a year in a community nestled in the mountains. . . . The final page includes clues to other things to look for in the pictures: children are sure to stumble across lots of little stories along the way."—Booklist (3/15/00)

Booklist, ALA

From the Publisher