Publishers Weekly
Ted Lewin presents another lavishly illustrated book to follow his Market! (in a starred review, PW said Lewin's tour of famous marketplaces "takes an everyday experience as an occasion to explore ethnic diversity"). This companion continues his tour of the globe to ask the question, How Much? Visiting Markets Around the World. A fried banana in Bangkok, Thailand, costs 20 bahts ("approximately fifty-three cents," explains Lewin); at the camel market in Cairo, Egypt, the author contemplates whether a camel will be sold as "a beast of burden or a pet," and, back in New Jersey, an ancient painted puppet from China goes for $25. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature
- Christina Moore
Need a camel, want to taste a fried banana dusted with cocoanut sugar, or just take a spin through a typical American flea market? Ted Lewin, the Caldecott Honor Artist, once again transports his readers to fascinating market scenes throughout the world as he did in his 1996 book Market! His wonderfully detailed illustrations let you feel the water lapping against the boats in a floating market in Thailand, experience the narrow dark tunnels of stalls in an Indian market, and feel the dusty hot sun in a camel market in Egypt, among other market scenes. Each time you look at his beautiful drawings you seem to notice details you have not seen before. The accompanying text gives some short exotic descriptions of what is happening in the markets. Unfortunately this text seems to be written for adult readers rather than the intended audience of five to nine year olds. Much of Lewin's vocabulary would make good SAT prep work for high school students, including words like stifling, labyrinth, oblivious, wielding, and disgorging. This book is a feast for the eyes but the text could use a good rewrite for the typical picture book reader.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-Lewin captures the excitement and unexpected beauty of marketplaces on four continents. He presents eight diverse outdoor venues, each one unique in its wares, from camels outside of Cairo and boats laden with fruit in Bangkok to a flea market in a New Jersey parking lot. Lewin accompanies each double-page watercolor scene with a poetic narrative that paints an equally rich picture. Art and text work together to bring all senses into play. In a flower market in Madras, India, for example, the author describes the scent of flower petals and freshly cut stalks, the visual delight of colorful petals heaped in baskets, voices bartering, and bodies crammed into the crowded, dimly lit bazaar. And while he accurately depicts the cultural and geographic differences of markets across the world, Lewin also shows that buying, selling, and bartering, as well as the language of trade, are universal. The author even presents the phrase "How much?" in a variety of languages, and includes a phonetic pronunciation guide. A fine choice for libraries looking for an accessible and captivating book about the world's marketplaces.-Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, Canada Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Although Lewin has already introduced readers to markets in an earlier effort, he retains the ability to fascinate viewers of all ages with his complex images, authentic representations of people and places from around the globe, and his practiced traveler's eye, which allows him to select a moment in time and capture it with his brush. The busy centers of commerce in his luminous paintings include a floating market in Thailand, a flea market in New Jersey, an Egyptian camel market and a train-side market on the way to Machu Picchu, the site of an ancient Incan city in Peru, where backpackers and tourists stop for souvenirs and supplies. A few sentences poetically describe the markets, the products on sale and the people peddling their wares. Young armchair travelers will taste the foods, hear the crowds and long to buy a treasure from the boy at the flea market selling his action figures. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)
