5 July 2020 KHALIL AND MR. HAGERTY AND THE BACKYARD TREASURES by Tricia Springstubb and Elaheh Taherian, ill., Candlewick, May 2020, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-5362-0306-6
“Look at them working in the hot sun
The pilloried saints and the fallen ones
Working and waiting for the night to come
And waiting for a, and waiting for a, and waiting for a miracle”
-- Bruce Cockburn (1987)
“The ground was hard to dig. Khalil found a few things, but not what anyone would call treasure.
Mr. Hagerty dug, too. He found some carrots, but they were small and shriveled.
The word for this was discouraging.
‘We need refreshments,’ said Mr. Hagerty.
Refreshments turned out to mean big pieces of chocolate cake and tall, cold glasses of milk.
Soon, Khalil and Mr. Hagerty both felt much better.
‘Maybe we’ll be luckier tomorrow,’ said Khalil.
‘Maybe,’ said Mr. Hagerty.
Upstairs that night, Khalil had an idea.
Downstairs, so did Mr. Hagerty.”
KHALIL AND MR. HAGERTY AND THE BACKYARD TREASURES is a wonderful intergenerational, multicultural picture book featuring an old man and a young boy.
In a two-family house, Khalil lives upstairs with his big, busy, noisy family. Old Mr. Hagerty lives downstairs, quietly and by himself. Khalil and Mr. Hagerty both enjoy the backyard and are good at sharing it. The old man gardens; the young boy seeks treasures like bugs and interesting rocks.
When Khalil is reading, and gets stuck on a word,.Mr. Hagerty helps him out. When Mr. Hagerty is saying something and can’t recall a word, Khalil helps him out.
One hot day, both have disappointing backyard experiences. That night, they both sneak out and plant treasures for each other.
Elaheh Taherian employs collage, oils, and colored pencils. The backyard is a lush wonderland with rich, brown soil, waves of greenery, big, old ladybugs, and interesting tree bark.
The text and pictures work well together to make this a lovely, satisfying, and touching read for young audiences.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
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