Review of What James Likes Best by Amy Schwartz
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2004 Charlotte Zolotow Award Winner
James and his parents take several trips to visit people and places. At each place James experiences things to do, people to meet and play with, and sights. After each visit the question asked is "What did James like best?" The answer is left to the reader which gives plenty of opportunity for a child to guess what James liked, to use his or her imagination, and to even think about what they liked best. The illustrations are simple and clear – showing the various modes of transportation as well as the people and things James encounters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Amy Schwartz’s first picture book, published in 1982, was Bea and Mr. Jones, named a Best Children's Book by School Library Journal and one of the year's 100 Best Children's Books by the New York Public Library. She started her career in fine art, but as she was doing illustrations, stories popped into her head and she began writing and illustrating them. At last count, since her first book she has written and illustrated 11 books and illustrated 9 more.
For more about Alan Elliott visit www.alanelliott.com