Down the Road is a story of a typical childhood experience to which everyone can relate.  Hetty gets to walk down the road all by herself.  Her mission is to buy a dozen eggs from Mr. Birdie at the store.  She sets off with the money and a basket.  Hetty accomplishes this task just like a grown-up.  The next challenge is getting the eggs home without a crack.  Hetty does just fine until she comes to the apple tree. Reaching up to get one more apple for Papa the basket tilts and all the eggs are lost.  Like a typical child Hetty doesn’t hurry home but climbs the tree and sits awhile.  Papa finds her and the world is soon alright. Mama finds them both in the tree.  Booklist says, “Before long, her worried parents arrive--first Papa, then Mama--and in a tender denouement, the three sit together in the branches, talking quietly until Hetty's confidence is restored.” The next morning there’s pie for breakfast.

Alice Schertle ingeniously incorporates lyrical, rhythmic prose with rich imagery and poetic rhymes Hetty calls “walking words” into a narrative story.  This story is almost hard to classify as just a narrative picture book.  The writing has many elements: narration, conversation, descriptive sound words, italicized thoughts, and poetry. Children’s Literature says, “Schertle makes poetry out of the ordinary, portrays a loving family that fosters independence, and perfectly balances plot and character.”

The tone and setting of this loving story is superbly portrayed in E. B. Lewis’ soft watercolor paintings.  He portrays Hetty as a young southern African-American girl.  I can see roads and children in my mind that I have known that look like the ones in his paintings.  School Library Journal says, “The watercolor illustrations radiate an almost beach like quality of blinding light, as well as offer the shadowy relief of intense and subtle greens, blues, and browns.”  Children’s Literature says, “E.B. Lewis' realistic watercolors show the warm comfort of small town life and family with vivid colors, changing vantage points, and emotive expressions.”  Booklist says, “. The words are perfectly complemented by Lewis' dazzling, impressionistic watercolors.”

This is a beautiful book: language, art, and story.

ALA Notable Children’s Book

A Booklist Editor’s Choice

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Elder, Vanessa. Review of Down the Road in School Library Journal.   Available from:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0152024719//qid=1096421318/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-0793717-0123819?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews. Accessed 1 October 2004

Townsend-Hudson, Shelley. Review of Down the Road in Booklist.   Available from:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0152024719//qid=1096421318/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-0793717-0123819?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews. Accessed 1 October 2004

Wilde, Susie. Review of Down the Road in Children’s Literature.  Available from:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=6Y4yQH8ADZ&isbn=0152024719&itm=8#REV. Accessed 1 October 2004