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Rose and Riley Come and Gowritten by Jane Cutler, illustrated by Thomas F. Yezerski48 pp., full-color illustrations, ages 6-8 (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005) ISBN-10: 0374363412 ISBN-13: 9780374363413 To jump ahead on this page, click one of these links:
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Rose and Riley have come back for more fun, but now they’re on the go! Riley is still the eager groundhog. Rose is still the practical vole. They both still have a lot to learn from each other. And they are still the best of friends.
Rose and Riley Come and Go is three adventures. In “The Seashell,” Rose and Riley are headed to the beach. Riley searches for the picture-perfect seashell. Rose finds her own idea of perfect shells.
“Wildflowers” has Rose on the hunt. She wants to shoot some pictures of spring blooms, but Riley is worried about wild flowers. He goes along to protect his friend, and she wonders what he is so scared of.
In “The Mockingbird,” Riley has had enough of the noisy birds in his back yard. Rose comes over to help him find who is singing so many songs. They are both surprised to find out what’s going on. Rose is delighted. Riley is not.
After Rose and Riley were cooped up in their first book, I was happy to get outside on this one. I enjoyed finding the right natural colors for the beach, the forest, and the apple tree in Riley’s yard. The settings also inspired me to be expressive with a few of the drawings. The scene of Rose alone on the beach and the picture of Rose and Riley looking at tiny red flowers at the end of a long wooded trail are a couple I especially like. Another page that tickles me is the one of the mockingbird while Rose explains to Riley what it is. That piece was inspired by James Audobon’s ornithological (bird-related) paintings from the 19th Century. Maybe you won’t notice all the thinking that went into these, but it’s part of what makes illustration — and reading — fun!
Rose and Riley Come and Go was selected as one of Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year. Here are excerpts from the reviews:
“. . . [E]merging readers (and listeners) will enjoy the silly puns (sand-wiches at the beach), the exciting discoveries in the natural world, and Yezerski’s soft-toned, detailed watercolor-and-ink illustrations, which strengthen the meaning in the short, simple sentences and extend the gentle affection between the friends.” — Booklist, June 1 & 15, 2005
“Rose the little vole and Riley the big groundhog, have another trio of small adventures punctuated by intriguing thoughts on wordplay and perceptions. . . Yezerski’s soft and friendly pictures are a perfect match for the unassuming but puckish text. New readers will love reading these on their own.” — Kirkus, July 1, 2005
“Thomas F. Yezerski provides the engaging color drawings thoughout the cute chapter presentation Rose and Riley Come and Go.” — The Children’s Bookwatch, October, 2005