Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-7. Bright lights glow invitingly beneath velvety skies in this exuberant visit to the fair. Crews (who, unable to stay away, gives himself a cameo appearance) places viewers in and slightly above the crowds that drift down corridors of food and game booths, spin gleefully on the rides, and finish with a trip to the top of the Ferris wheel to "see where we've been and where we can still go. WOW!" Hovering just over the banners and awnings, the night's opaque blackness not only brightens colors but also removes any sense of an outside world; even from high overhead, there's nothing to be seen beyond the fair's own illumination. Children will want to make repeat visits to this self-contained world, here after dark and in Kevin O'Malley's Roller Coaster (1995) in the daytime, too. --John Peters
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Step right up! Crews (Freight Train) gives young readers an open-ended ticket to the glittery goings-on after dark at the county fair in his energetic new picture book. In Crews's fair, clusters of food stands and game booths festoon the midway, and Crews perfectly captures the glow of kaleidoscopic candy-colored lights against a black night sky. Bold signs announce Funnel Cakes, Corn Dogs and Win Big Prizes to passersby. In several expansive spreads, kidstheir faces flushed with excitementride the carousel, giant Ferris wheel and the whirler, which twirl and twinkle like gigantic fireflies in the dark. Crews's text is minimal but captures the thrill of a child ("And now,/ on to the/ RIDES!"). The busy scenes filled with a rainbow of people eating, laughing and carrying stuffed animal prizes will have readers longing for the warm nights of summer and the next county fair. Ages 4-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2Opening with the graphic signage of a finger pointing "THIS WAY IN," Crews invites readers to join the crowd streaming through the gates. His prose is spare and energetic, perfect for initiating newcomers to the dynamic pleasures of the fairthe food, the games, the rides. Double-page paintings done in watercolor and gouache offer snapshots of the event bursting with brilliant carnival colors. Lights dance against the pitch black summer night. Observant readers will be tickled to see the author's rendition of himself strolling the midway. The best ride of all, the giant Ferris wheel, stands glowing in the night. The next page is a breathtaking view of the entire fair. "WOW!" is the only text needed. At last, another finger points "THIS WAY OUT," and the crowd files into the shadows. This subject has many sensory connections, and Crews so ably captures them that one can almost smell the food and hear the hucksters beckoning. Clean, large type, much of it white on black, will be accessible to even beginning readers. Urban and rural children alike will revel in the excitement of a Night at the Fair.Lisa S. Murphy, formerly at Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This oversized, big-experience, you-are-there picture book conveys the excitement and stimulation of a night at an old-fashioned county fair. Each borderless double-page spread bursts with color and light and action and noise as Crews cruises through the fair. A minimal text acts for the most part as captioning or clues us in to what's coming next in this truly spectacular visual experience. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Crews (Shortcut, 1992, etc.) uses, to great effect, the contrast of the night sky and the gaudy lights of typical fair amusements in his picture book of very few words but very kinetic images. Readers come through the main gate to a variety of games, rides, and food stands. ``So many choices,'' acknowledges the text: Among the rides shown in magnificent double-page spreads are a carousel, the whirl-o-rama, and of course, the ferris wheel. From the top of that, the whole fair is spread out like gems on velvet. All the cheesy games and foods that ever mesmerized fair-goers are lovingly delineated, and the amusement rides themselves are gouache and watercolor masterpieces. Alert children will note that the artist, seen in a photograph on the book jacket, has painted himself into one of the scenes. This evocative book could be paired to nice effect with Elisha Cooper's sunny Country Fair (1997). (Picture book. 3-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
