The Books

Mountain Town (Small Town U.S.A.)

by Bonnie Geisert

Hardcover, 32 pages

Published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (2000-03-28)

See Used and New offers (From $11.54)

 

Amazon Description

During the last half of the nineteenth century, miners and prospectors flocked to the Rocky Mountains to find their fortunes. In the wake of this boom, small towns sprouted up wherever the precious ore could be found. Some of these small towns, born of the gold rush, still exist today. This, the third in a series about small-town life, once again turns the commonplace activities of townsfolk into a fascinating account of Americana. Exquisite etchings and spare text are carefully interwoven to create a vivid portrait of life in a mountain town, from snow that comes all year round to Fourth of July celebrations and football games in the fall. Children and adults alike will marvel at the incredibly detailed, panoramic hand-colored etchings that communicate change and the passing of time on each page.

One Potato Review

Another in the small-town series by those meticulous Geiserts (Prairie Town, Desert Town, River Town), although this portrait is distinguished by some pretty stiff headwinds from the start. The particular mountain town which they describe is essentially a relic from old mining days, struggling to stay relevant - and accessible. Much of the business here appears to derive from tourism - skiing, white water rafting - and the citizens spend a lot of time bailing themselves out from under snowstorms and generally forestalling disaster. New mines get dug (on a prayer) and there’s a tunneling heist that gets foiled along the way (the Geiserts love their heists), still what lingers is a wishful determination that was the reason for this settlement’s ever getting founded. With a glorious springtime to look forward to, high school football games, and an irrepressible Fourth of July.     

Related Blog Entries

Comments

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Add a Comment:

Notify me of follow-up comments?