Cinnamon, Mint, & Mothballs: A Visit to Grandmother's House

Cinnamon, Mint, & Mothballs: A Visit to Grandmother's House

When a child stays overnight at her grandmother's house, she becomes aware of all the different sights, sounds, and creatures there Grade 1-3-Echoing with memory and the crispness of autumn days, this poem in haiku form tells about a little girl's visit to her grandmother. Together, she and her sister explore rooms (parlors, porches, a library, and even a "narrow pantry that smelled of cinnamon, mint and, sometimes, mothballs"); discover a bathtub with "four big claws"; and visit the cellar, where Great-aunt goes first to check for snakes. The grandmother and great-aunt practically glow with affection for their young visitors, building them a fire and singing them to sleep. Meanwhile, readers are given a tour of the nighttime activities of the local creatures. Fireflies sparkle; foxes, raccoons, and badgers hunt for food. A tomcat prowls in the neighbor's yard. Frogs croak a lullaby to the fish sleeping in the pond. Sogabe's illustrations will be endlessly fascinating to readers. Each one was cut freehand out of a single sheet of paper, and backdrops of watercolored rice paper add just the right touch of color. The scenes feature incredible details such as Venetian blinds, jars of vegetables, ears of corn, and a string of garlic. Though not all grandmothers can offer such a delightful place to explore, Tiller has captured the priceless quality of all such visits-feeling completely at home while at the same time knowing that you are an extremely honored guest. Lisa S. Murphy, formerly at Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ages 5-8. This lyrical story, told in the Japanese haiku form, relates not only the smells associated with a young girl's autumn visit to Grandmother's farmhouse but also the sights, sounds, textures, and tastes. Unfortunately, there is a loss of focus when she falls asleep and the scene shifts to the natural nocturnal world. With bold, decorative design and thick lines in the manner of ink paintings, the mixed-media paper cuttings are in the Eastern tradition. These pretty full-page compositions give the text a sense of continuity. For instance, the picture that shows the "bathtub with four big claws on which to stand" has a rug that resembles the "snakes coiled on the damp dirt floor" that appear in the verse on the next page. Recommended as an additional picture book for collections needing more poetry and seasonal materials. Julie Corsaro On a visit to their grandmother's farm, two little girls explore the big old house and quiet barn, fall asleep by firelight to the sound of Grandmother singing and wake at dawn to her singing again. In their first children's book, both author and illustrator have gotten it just right--the smells in the pantry, a clawfoot tub, the mysterious dirt-floored cellar, a squeaky cistern pump, sunlight filtering through cracks in the barn, the wariness of half-tame farm cats. Cast entirely in haiku, the text flows into sentences with natural ease. The remarkable illustrations--black cut-paper outlines over luminous colored rice papers--are lovely. Elegantly angular type and antique-white pages enhance the understated artistry of the beautifully integrated design. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.