The Visit

This was a gift to my then newborn son. For the first 2 years he did not have much interest in the book, but now that he is 2 it is one of his favorites. We read this book 3 or more times a night sometimes! He loves the picures (there are many picture "frames" on each page that correspond with the verse) and the verses are soft and delightful. It is a wonderful book about siblings, love, and childhood. Highly recomended!

When big sister Beth and her little sister Jill visit their Aunt Laura and Uncle Ted's farm, they share a day of small delights tied together by the comforts of idyllic family life. There's no real conflict, no allusion to "society"--it's pure and simple escapist fare for the small fry, lovingly written and illustrated. The security of this overnight stay is evident even in the narrative structure. There are four rhyming lines on each two-page spread; the first and last line are the same: Porch steps and railings, front door and back. Beth calls, "Come on! It's time to unpack!" Uncle Ted says, "I think Jill needs a snack." Porch steps and railings, front door and back. Soft, hand-drawn arches, resembling a theatre proscenium or a stained glass window, frame each illustration, and beneath each of these large pictures, there are comic strip-like panels that show other complementary action and detail. For example, under the picture of Aunt Laura making cookies, there are small pictures of the girls putting away their clothes, playing with the dog, and sitting by the "porch steps and railings." The story picks up speed (especially to audiences unfamiliar with farm life) as the two children move outdoors. They explore a huge barn (cleverly shown in a cut-away to reveal the tall haylofts), discover hidden and lost objects, play in the river, and watch "swallows, swooping to dine" over a meadow grazed by sheep. Jill "sees a hummingbird next to the hose," and the small pictures reveal a frog, a suggestion of a tiny hummingbird (you can barely see it), and the details of a flower. The rhythm of farm life continues with a yummy looking "supper": Chicken and biscuits, strawberry pie. Uncle Ted heaps the plates higher than high. Beth starts to yawn, Jill is closing one eye. Chicken and biscuits, strawberry pie. All is right on the farm, eventually Jill is a little scared by the "tall shadows, dark coners, noises at night" and "wishes Mama and Daddy were there." Quick-thinking Beth, sensing her sister's discomfort, suggests "My bed's too big--why don't we share?" "Tall sister, small sister, a new day is breaking with fun, adventure, and memory-making" Lindbergh's (the daughter of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh--though the flyleaf informs us only that she was "born into a family of adventurous travelers") lilting rhymes coupled with the pastel colors and soft shadings of Halperin's pencil and watercolor pictures make this a wonderful book for toddlers, farm-lovers, and perhaps little ones a bit afraid of travelling or staying overnight. For all, it's as reassuring as a rocker and as memory-making as the Fourth of July.