Alvah and Arvilla - Hardcover

MARY LYN RAY has written many acclaimed books for children, including New York Times best-seller Stars, illustrated by Marla Frazee; Pumpkins, illustrated by Barry Root; and Red Rubber Boot Day and Mud, both illustrated by Lauren Stringer. She lives in South Danbury, New Hampshire.

Kindergarten-Grade 2?Set sometime around the late 1800s, this slight story focuses on a couple's odyssey from their farm in New England to the West Coast to see the Pacific Ocean. Unable to leave the farm and all of their dependent animals while on their trip, Alvah and Arvilla pile livestock, chickens, and dogs and cats into a glass-enclosed wagon. Drawn by their trusty pair of horses, they make their way in their modern ark across plains and desert, happily arriving at their destination. Along the way, baleful stares from their barnyard passengers translate into the common tripper's query, "Are we there yet?" Once on the vast sandy beaches bordering the Pacific, Arvilla realizes her life's dream, writing postcards to all the folks back home. Although there are amusing moments, the slim plot line is as fragile for support of the story as is the traveling barn of glass. Root's watercolor-and-gouache illustrations, with their subdued pastel hues and loose brush strokes, are reminiscent of the landscapes of Maurice Pendergast. The full-page pictures complement the text, but there are too many unanswered questions as to the point of the whole journey. Why not a quick visit to the more accessible Atlantic shore? Picture book audiences could skip this trip.?Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
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