“ALONG A LONG ROAD,” by Frank Viva, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, June 28, 2011, $16.99 (ages 4-8)
Roads wind through towns, across countrysides and through cities. They are what connect people to each other.
In “Along a Long Road” by Frank Viva, readers follow a never-ending road from page to page without a break. The road, highlighted in yellow and with a smooth texture, stands out as it winds across the pages.
The road crosses through trees, under power lines, around a small town, into a tunnel, over a bridge and going really, really fast.
Limited to primary colors, the illustrations here are graphic in nature and play to the movement of the winding road. And the physical texture of the road is a nice touch. Unfortunately the review copy I received, the UV coating was not completely dry when the book was assembled and it stuck together, leaving a tear near the spine. It’s a small tear, however, and only slightly detracts from the book as a whole.
There’s little text to “Along a Long Road,” but it’s really not needed. It’s a fun little book that children will appreciate for its movement and that parents will appreciate for its artistic merit.
