The Elevator Man
PreSchool-Grade 2—Nathan's apartment building has an old-fashioned elevator, complete with an elevator man in a handsome maroon uniform who opens the gates and turns a handle to make it go up or down. The boy's greatest wish is to be an elevator man when he grows up, so when traffic is slow, his friend lets him help. Much to Nathan's dismay, a new elevator is installed, with buttons to push, an automatic door, and no need of an elevator man. However, all ends well: Nathan's friend becomes the building's doorman, and the child "heads toward the elevator to begin his new job." Rich, appealing illustrations sketch the characters in broad, quick strokes of black filled in with warm golds, blues, greens, and maroons, against the backdrop of the building's ongoing activities. The endpapers sum up the story marvelously—at the beginning, an oversize man is opening the gate of the old elevator for Nathan, and at the end, the boy is inside the new conveyance, wearing his friend's maroon hat and pushing the buttons. This story will appeal especially to big-city apartment dwellers.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LAEND