On the Eighth Day

Abstract

which allows them to be enjoyed by all elementary readers, long enough for beginning readers and short enough for oral readings. "An unusually rich debut picture book . . . with their vivid language, these tales simply sashay right along. Unusual artwork presents textured still lifes, like tapestry wallhangings; these convey both the history and morality of the stories, and, at the same time, portray splendid detail. A handsome, informative collection." —Publishers Weekly. Smucker, Anna Egan. Outside the Window. New York: Knopf, 1994. 32 unnumbered pages illustrated by Stacey Schuett. Hardback in dust jacket. $15.00. Anna Egan Smucker is a native of the northern West Virginia panhandle who lives with her husband and two children in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Her first children's book, No Star Nights, was a bittersweet reminiscence of a youth who lived under industrial smokestacks. This picture book is much more upbeat, a delightful, fanciful look at a little boy's day through the eyes of a family of birds in a nest above his bedroom window. It should bring this modest but deeply talented lady some measure of well-deserved success. On the Eighth Day God, in a playful mood, Piled up West Virginia, Then patted her down again. Pile, pinch, press, punch, On a hunch he left her That way. And it was good. —Phyllis Wilson Moore 74 ...