Harry's Helicopter
When Harry Hopkins' cardboard helicopter takes off in a gust of wind, he delights in learning to steer it, then follows two seagulls south over the George Washington Bridge and into Manhattan. After a stop in Central Park, Harry soars down canyons of skyscrapers, circles the Statue of Liberty, and then returns to his own backyard. " 'You'll never believe what happened to me today,' " says Harry to his father. " 'Maybe I will,' " his father replies. Readers may be teased into belief by Ancona's inventive trick photographs of the flight. The stubby red helicopter stands out against green lawns and sunny blue skies; often the camera looks over Harry's shoulder, sharing his bird's-eye view through the slightly ragged windows. Anderson's engaging text, printed in comfortably large type, goes beyond mere picture captions; it slants up when Harry takes off, down as he learns the controls, and smoothly and simply adds details of action and feeling to link the photos seamlessly together. A happy, cleverly illustrated wish-fulfillment story. --John Peters, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.