2018 School Spending Survey Report
Yard Sale
illus. by Lauren Castillo. 32p. Candlewick. Apr. 2015. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9780763665425. LC 2014939360.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—Opening on a yard full of items for sale, this picture book tackles the difficult discussion of transitioning to a smaller home or apartment. Callie, whose family is having the sale, watches as people slowly pick their way and prod through her family's items and memories. A particular heart-wrenching moment comes as a woman offers five dollars instead of 10 for a headboard because it is covered in crayon marks. Callie reflects, "I wish I hadn't put the crayon marks on there. They were to show how many times I had read Goodnight Moon." Several other small heartbreaks occur for Callie. Her bicycle is sold, she must explain to her best friend why she's leaving ("I don't know. It's something to do with money"), and she has to endure a well-intentioned woman asking, "Are you for sale?" While the topic is an extremely tough one, Bunting tackles it with her usual grace and poise. The clear and concise writing is a wonderful choice for the subject matter. The soft ink and watercolor illustrations with thick black lines portray the text excellently and without unnecessary additions. While the topic of moving is covered in a multitude of picture books, this one looks at it from a difficult perspective that most authors choose to avoid or gloss over. A vital purchase for collections everywhere.—Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, WI
In this heartfelt story, Callie and her parents must move from
their house into an apartment. Callie is bereft at their yard sale
but ends up embracing the idea that the important things in life
aren't things and that as long as they have one another, they'll be
okay. Castillo's ink and watercolor illustrations employ soft line,
warm colors, and close-ups of tender moments.
In this straightforward, heartfelt story, hard economic times mean that Callie and her parents must move from their house into a small apartment. "Small but nice," Callie's mother tells her. The family must sell many of its things to prepare for the move (hence the yard sale of the title), and Callie is bereft as she watches furniture and other items leave in strangers' hands. A neighborhood friend tries to comfort her, but their conversation is punctuated by instances of loss as more of Callie's things are carried away. Then a well-intentioned but misguided older woman says, "Aren't you just the cutest thing?...Are you for sale?" and this proves to be too much for Callie to handle. She bursts into tears, and her parents immediately reassure her that they would never sell her. "Not for a million, trillion dollars…Not ever, ever, ever." This is a turning point for Callie, who ends up embracing the idea that the important things in life aren't things and that as long as they have one another, they will be okay in their new apartment. Castillo's ink and watercolor illustrations employ soft line and warm colors to depict the story's scenes, and they expertly zoom in and out to provide broad perspective on the yard sale and close-ups of tender moments between Callie and her parents. megan dowd lambert
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