13 Stories about Harris

by Amy Schwartz

Overview

Perfect for family storytime or emergent readers, this affectionate look at the ups and downs of preschoolers in the big city is sure to make you smile.

In thirteen brief, illustrated vignettes, young Harris gets into big and little adventures at home, at his best friend Ayana's house, and throughout his diverse city neighborhood.

"That's why they call permanent markers permanent," Harris' mother says as she surveys Harris and Ayana's handiwork in his bedroom.

Thes short, charming tales— all inspired by author Amy Schwartz's experiences as a parent— capture a preschooler's sense of wonder and possibility, as well as the beauty of young friendships. With very short text supported by bright illustrations, this is an excellent storytime choice for young readers beginning to read on their own— or a great choice to share together with the ones you love.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Bookpage Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823442492
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	08/11/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	270,836
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.33(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Amy Schwartz has written and illustrated many celebrated books for children, including What James Likes Best, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award; Polka Dots for Poppy, a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year; Bea and Mr. Jones, a Reading Rainbow selection; and 100 Things That Make Me Happy, which received three starred reviews. Her work has also landed the New York Times Best Illustrated List and won awards such as the National Jewish Book Award and the Christopher Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

05/25/2020

Through 13 vignettes set in an urban neighborhood, Schwartz (Busy Babies) introduces readers to Harris, a blond, curly-haired preschooler leading what appears to be a charmed childhood. Many of the collection’s flash-fiction-like chapters end with wondrous discoveries: in one, Harris babysits a hamster named Stanley and later finds six tiny pink babies in the cage; in another, Harris and his mother shake a jar of cream until it turns to butter. And in the book’s shortest story, the child’s mother stands before a wall covered in colorful scribbles: “That’s why they call permanent markers permanent,” she says. Harris’s playfulness is a constant, as when he draws a chalk line so long it leads him back home, but at the heart of the book is his purehearted friendship with brown-skinned friend Ayana, which culminates in an ending tribute to the pair’s affection for one another. If gender roles feel a touch outdated (it’s Harris’s mother’s shopping list that blows away when the family walks together), Schwartz’s simple, straightforward diction maps precisely to her delicate line drawings to create nostalgic snapshots that demonstrate the way magic can be found in the mundane. Ages 4–8. (July)

Publishers Weekly

★ "This book is exactly what being a toddler is all about, and Schwartz shares it with simple language, wonderful art, and an attitude of sheer delight."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
 
★  "Bright, clean, colorful illustrations are set against generous white space for maximum impact and appeal. Schwartz has for decades been one of our most tuned-in, honest, and sympathetic chroniclers of childhood; here she is at her absolute best."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

"The illustrations are classic Schwartz, with finely drawn, carefully composed vignettes in vivid colors of children at play. The stories’ pacing varies, but each one gets it just right. . . . Put 13 Stories About Harris into the hands of young readers ready for a baker’s dozen of whimsical tales."— Book Page

"Organized into a baker’s dozen of vignettes, each of the book’s chapters is full of charm and understated humor." —Foreword Reviews  

"Schwartz’s simple, straightforward diction maps precisely to her delicate line drawings to create nostalgic snapshots that demonstrate the way magic can be found in the mundane."—Publishers Weekly

"Because of their brevity, the chapters leave room for listeners to embellish the stories with their own creativity . . . . Harris gets into some mischief, but the book’s tone remains gentle and warm." —Booklist

From the Publisher

05/08/2020

Toddler-PreS—Toddlers don't look toward the future, unless it's a birthday coming, of course, nor do they mull the past. They're kind of in the moment. The brilliance of Schwartz is that she knows how to mirror the way they see the world. Harris, an imaginative, creative, and curious three-year-old, and his best friend Ayana are the central characters in these 13 episodes that are not necessarily connected, or even very important. A narrator chronicles unfolding events without any judgment at all—even when the little ones use permanent marker on the wall, even when they each come home from the beach wearing one sock. One day, Harris pretends he's a truck all day long. And he learns so much from all of this play: His mother puts cream in a jar, and Harris shakes it like crazy. When he's done, the cream is butter, which tastes delicious with bread and jam. This book is exactly what being a toddler is all about, and Schwartz shares it with simple language, wonderful art, and an attitude of sheer delight. VERDICT Harris and Ayana are best friends who will hold hands forever, and readers need to know more about what becomes of these two cuties. A must for every collection serving toddlers and their adults.—Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA

School Library Journal

2020-03-25
Small moments in the life of a small person.

Harris, a tiny blond white boy with a mom and a dad, has a happy life in a friendly city. Thirteen vignettes show moments in his life that will be immediately familiar to young children and their grown-ups. He falls off a toy truck, pretends to be a truck during Thanksgiving, experiments with permanent markers, and gets chocolate cake all over a pristine outfit. The illustrations are loose but expressive; everyone has tiny black eyes and relatively blank faces, but much is expressed through body language. Bright, primary colors match the simple, innocent text. These anodyne stories seem tailored to hark back to a fictional simpler time, like the “Here and Now” style pioneered in an earlier era of children’s literature, but unfortunately these come across as cloying rather than refreshing today. Despite the situational diversity (people of color in the background, including Harris’ black friend Ayana), this book feels old-fashioned rather than timeless. While children might laugh at some of Harris’ antics, and adults may chuckle along, the structure of 13 very short stories that don’t quite fit together makes this less than effective as a read-aloud.

Sweet but bland. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

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