Herman and Rosie

Gr 1–3—Herman Schubert loves to play the oboe and Rosie Bloom sings, but when they lose their jobs, "everything [falls] out of tune"-until they happen to meet. There is, of course, nothing wrong with a picture book in which the illustrations are best appreciated by adults who like vintage postcards, the inventive use of collage materials, and a plethora of visual gags. But when such artwork is coupled with a story about the genesis of friendship between two adult neighbors in New York City, one has to wonder to whom the effort is truly pitched. Merely portraying the major characters as an alligator and an antelope (or maybe she's a deer?) does not ensure child appeal. A working knowledge of the lives of office workers and jazz singers in New York might provide an entrée for some children, but that's still a fairly narrow subset of potential readers.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY