Raisin and Grape (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Raisin and Grape Deborah Stevenson Amico, Tom Raisin and Grape; by Tom Amico and James Proimos; illus. by Andy Snair. Dial, 200632p ISBN 0-8037-3091-8$12.99 R Gr. 1-3 The grape and raisin of the title are a plump young fruit and his companionable and wizened grandfather, who has "a lot of wrinkles." Grandpa is currently visiting, which means the grape gets a trip to the park, jam-jars of Grandpa stories, and some vintage grandparental advice about life. That's all the plot there is, but that's a fair amount of action for perishable foodstuffs, and the warm yet clever text effectively blends humorous grape viewpoints ("You know how they make grape juice? . . . They just let some grapes cross the street without holding their grandpa's hand") with familiar human dynamics ("Grandpa tells long stories on the way to the park. I can only listen short. But I like the parts I do listen to"). Snair spins the grapey chartreuse and violet tones into a retro palette that complements the viticulture with rusty orange, buttery gold, and muted teal; the thick, squiggly lines, approximately indicating the limits of figures rather than actually edging them, and the background elements in shades of the same tone similarly evoke a late mid-century graphic sensibility that's just ripe for the ridiculously touched domesticity of its scenes. Listeners will also appreciate the delicious oddity of this family story, while novice readers just coming to grapes—er, grips—with narrative will find this a flavorful alternative to sweeter tales. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois