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Hot City
It's one of those days in the city when the sidewalk is hot as a frying pan, and Mimi and her little brother Joe are sweatin' out rivers. Spyin' on Mama and the blah blah ladies is no fun. Out on the street the buses are huffin' out dragon-hot smoke. Even a princess-pink snow cone melts away too fast to lick.
Then Mimi and Joe find their way to a place where it's always cool, a place where you can be a princess on a throne or a dinosaur in a forest, a place where you can let your imagination run free . . . the library.
Gregory Christie's red-hot illustrations team up with Barbara Joosse's smooth urban voice in this book that points the way to the coolest place in any city.
Hardcover
First published June 17, 2004
1 person is currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Barbara M. Joosse
67 books47 followers[Author also goes by the name Barbara Joosse.]
Barbara M. Joosse has written many books for children. Among them are Mama, Do You Love Me?, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee; and I Love You the Purplest, illustrated by Mary Whyte. She says, "When I was a little girl, I wished for two things — a best friend, and something so ferocious it would scare away the monsters under my bed. And so I have written Lovabye Dragon. I think maybe it’s for little me." Barbara Josse lives in Wisconsin.
Barbara M. Joosse has written many books for children. Among them are Mama, Do You Love Me?, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee; and I Love You the Purplest, illustrated by Mary Whyte. She says, "When I was a little girl, I wished for two things — a best friend, and something so ferocious it would scare away the monsters under my bed. And so I have written Lovabye Dragon. I think maybe it’s for little me." Barbara Josse lives in Wisconsin.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 15, 2018
A simple story about a brother and sister trying to find something to do on a hot day in the city and deciding to come to the public library to cool off and read some books.
I read this book today for a small summer camp group of 6-9 year olds, and they were mesmerized by the vibrant and realistic illustrations—particularly of the two black protagonists that resembled so many kids in the group. There was one black girl in the group who even had the same hairstyle as the female protagonist Mimi (two kinky buns on top of her head), and she was especially captivated by how ”real” the book looked. (As an aside, I have tried to make it a personal goal to always read a book with a black or brown protagonist when I do any kind of storytime activity, and this is where I truly see the power of representation at work. Almost without fail, the most engaged kids are the ones who look the most like the kids in the story.)
The children also enjoyed finding small details in the background and helping to make up stories to fill the wordless pages.
The story provides lots of openings for conversation about what kids do when it’s hot outside, why they like to visit the library, and what they would choose to read about in the library. It was a nice opener for a summertime tour in my urban library system.
I read this book today for a small summer camp group of 6-9 year olds, and they were mesmerized by the vibrant and realistic illustrations—particularly of the two black protagonists that resembled so many kids in the group. There was one black girl in the group who even had the same hairstyle as the female protagonist Mimi (two kinky buns on top of her head), and she was especially captivated by how ”real” the book looked. (As an aside, I have tried to make it a personal goal to always read a book with a black or brown protagonist when I do any kind of storytime activity, and this is where I truly see the power of representation at work. Almost without fail, the most engaged kids are the ones who look the most like the kids in the story.)
The children also enjoyed finding small details in the background and helping to make up stories to fill the wordless pages.
The story provides lots of openings for conversation about what kids do when it’s hot outside, why they like to visit the library, and what they would choose to read about in the library. It was a nice opener for a summertime tour in my urban library system.
January 8, 2024
When you're stuck in the city on a sweltering summer day, where's your best refuge? That ultra-cool place, the library!
Barbara Joosse had me at the name, the "blah-blah" ladies. Since I vividly remember the ladies like that from my childhood, the mothers who sat on the bench in our apartment complex. Watching every child, criticizing everything, and mostly talking-talking-talking.
Vivid details of this spirited story may wake up plenty of memories for you too, fellow Goodreaders. A FIVE STAR book can do that.
Barbara Joosse had me at the name, the "blah-blah" ladies. Since I vividly remember the ladies like that from my childhood, the mothers who sat on the bench in our apartment complex. Watching every child, criticizing everything, and mostly talking-talking-talking.
Vivid details of this spirited story may wake up plenty of memories for you too, fellow Goodreaders. A FIVE STAR book can do that.
March 18, 2021
This is such a terrific book, and yet I rarely see it included on any of the many booklists I read as a children's librarian. The illustrations are creative and the story is filled with hope and imagination. I cannot recommend this title enough.
June 2, 2015
Booklist July 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 21)
PreS-Gr. 2. The library is cool, and not just in temperature, when Mimi and her active little brother, Joe, seek refuge there from the "dragon hot"city streets. This time the team who created Stars in the Darkness (2002), about scary gang violence, tells an inner-city story that's affectionate and fun. First Mimi and Joe pour ice tea and pass cookies for Mama and the "blah blahladies."Then the kids slip out, slow and easy, and find the "cooooool"library, where they open the books and travel through time and space. The simple words are physical and immediate, and the gorgeous double-page spreads in Christie's signature painted-collage style show the kids'fabulous fantasy adventures: Mimi is a princess on horseback; Joe rides dinosaurs; and for pages the world is theirs. The contrast between the red-hot city scenes and the excitement the kids find inside books makes a great library poster.
Horn Book Guide Fall 2004
One summer day, an African-American girl and her brother take refuge in the air-conditioned city library and imagine themselves into the books they read. Joosse's free-verse text convincingly presents the girl's voice, and Christie adroitly uses fiery colors (he switches to lush greens and blues for the wordless daydream sequence) and off-kilter perspectives to evoke the sweltering urban setting.
Kirkus Reviews May 15, 2004
On a smoldering summer day, an African-American girl and her little brother sit on porch steps, "hot as a fry pan," trying to figure out how to cool off. When the icy pleasure of snow cones proves all too temporary, the two head for the local library, where they know it will be cool all day long. Once inside, Mimi transports herself to faraway lands through the magic of reading; the next four double-page spreads wordlessly showcase Princess Mimi's royal adventures in the enchanted forest, complete with fancy gown and the requisite ride on a pink unicorn. Joe, absorbed in his book of dinosaurs, is never far away, nor are the hot city streets that sneak back into the picture. Christie's vivacious, artfully distorted, stylized paintings are drenched in vibrant pinks, reds, and orange acrylics that sizzle along with the rhythmic, smooth-as-melted-butter voices. More slice of life than plot-driven story, this unusual urban portrait celebrates libraries and the delicious escape that books-and air-conditioning-offer. A vivid, if somewhat meandering summer-in-the-city vignette. (Picture book. 5-8)
Publishers Weekly July 12, 2004
Summer heat radiates from this evocative work by the creators of Stars in the Darkness. Against a cityscape backdrop of blazing pink, orange and yellow hues, the young narrator sets the scene: "Me and Joe on the front porch steps,/ cement steps, hot as a fry pan,/ sizzlin'./ And my own sweet self?/ That's what's cookin'." Mimi and her restless younger brother ("Oh, no. He's got jumps in his skin") spy on Mama and the other chatting "blah blah ladies," buy snow cones ("Princess pink for me. Dinosaur green for Joe") and walk along the steamy street ("Bricks on one side, bakin' in the sun./ Buses on the other, huffin' out hot") to the "coooool library." There Mimi heads for "the Princess shelf" while Joe "goes to Dinosaurs." As the two pore over their books, Joosse's narrative gives way to four fanciful wordless spreads in which Mimi, as a medieval princess, rides through a lush, verdant forest atop a pink unicorn while Joe hugs the neck of a dinosaur. Christie's quirky acrylic paintings take playful liberties with perspective and scale, and make effective use of unorthodox color (fuschia and lemon "brownstones," tangerine streets). Perceptive readers will pick up on a fun visual premonition: as the siblings approach the library, Mimi glances at a lost-pet-type flyer on a phone pole, picturing a unicorn. Ages 4-up. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal July 1, 2004
K-Gr 4-Two African-American siblings sit on the front stoop of their apartment building on a summer day wondering what to do for fun. After spying on their mother and the "blah blah ladies" and trying to cool off with swiftly melting snow cones, Mimi and Joe make their way through the sizzling streets to the sanctuary of the public library. They gratefully drop down into the "smooth and cool" chairs with their books, eager to escape from the heat into the imaginary worlds of princesses and dinosaurs. Eventually, the children reluctantly venture back outside, and as they head for home, Joe aptly sums up their afternoon by stating, "It's good we came. Isn't it." This eloquently told story is boldly illustrated with evocative acrylic paintings in shades of orange, red, and yellow. A few wordless spreads fluidly depict Mimi's imaginary adventure as a fairy-tale princess, as she rides a pink unicorn and foils a robbery. Pair Joosse's outstanding book with Pat Mora's Tomas and the Library Lady (Knopf, 1997), another tribute to the benefits of visiting the library and the joys of reading.-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
PreS-Gr. 2. The library is cool, and not just in temperature, when Mimi and her active little brother, Joe, seek refuge there from the "dragon hot"city streets. This time the team who created Stars in the Darkness (2002), about scary gang violence, tells an inner-city story that's affectionate and fun. First Mimi and Joe pour ice tea and pass cookies for Mama and the "blah blahladies."Then the kids slip out, slow and easy, and find the "cooooool"library, where they open the books and travel through time and space. The simple words are physical and immediate, and the gorgeous double-page spreads in Christie's signature painted-collage style show the kids'fabulous fantasy adventures: Mimi is a princess on horseback; Joe rides dinosaurs; and for pages the world is theirs. The contrast between the red-hot city scenes and the excitement the kids find inside books makes a great library poster.
Horn Book Guide Fall 2004
One summer day, an African-American girl and her brother take refuge in the air-conditioned city library and imagine themselves into the books they read. Joosse's free-verse text convincingly presents the girl's voice, and Christie adroitly uses fiery colors (he switches to lush greens and blues for the wordless daydream sequence) and off-kilter perspectives to evoke the sweltering urban setting.
Kirkus Reviews May 15, 2004
On a smoldering summer day, an African-American girl and her little brother sit on porch steps, "hot as a fry pan," trying to figure out how to cool off. When the icy pleasure of snow cones proves all too temporary, the two head for the local library, where they know it will be cool all day long. Once inside, Mimi transports herself to faraway lands through the magic of reading; the next four double-page spreads wordlessly showcase Princess Mimi's royal adventures in the enchanted forest, complete with fancy gown and the requisite ride on a pink unicorn. Joe, absorbed in his book of dinosaurs, is never far away, nor are the hot city streets that sneak back into the picture. Christie's vivacious, artfully distorted, stylized paintings are drenched in vibrant pinks, reds, and orange acrylics that sizzle along with the rhythmic, smooth-as-melted-butter voices. More slice of life than plot-driven story, this unusual urban portrait celebrates libraries and the delicious escape that books-and air-conditioning-offer. A vivid, if somewhat meandering summer-in-the-city vignette. (Picture book. 5-8)
Publishers Weekly July 12, 2004
Summer heat radiates from this evocative work by the creators of Stars in the Darkness. Against a cityscape backdrop of blazing pink, orange and yellow hues, the young narrator sets the scene: "Me and Joe on the front porch steps,/ cement steps, hot as a fry pan,/ sizzlin'./ And my own sweet self?/ That's what's cookin'." Mimi and her restless younger brother ("Oh, no. He's got jumps in his skin") spy on Mama and the other chatting "blah blah ladies," buy snow cones ("Princess pink for me. Dinosaur green for Joe") and walk along the steamy street ("Bricks on one side, bakin' in the sun./ Buses on the other, huffin' out hot") to the "coooool library." There Mimi heads for "the Princess shelf" while Joe "goes to Dinosaurs." As the two pore over their books, Joosse's narrative gives way to four fanciful wordless spreads in which Mimi, as a medieval princess, rides through a lush, verdant forest atop a pink unicorn while Joe hugs the neck of a dinosaur. Christie's quirky acrylic paintings take playful liberties with perspective and scale, and make effective use of unorthodox color (fuschia and lemon "brownstones," tangerine streets). Perceptive readers will pick up on a fun visual premonition: as the siblings approach the library, Mimi glances at a lost-pet-type flyer on a phone pole, picturing a unicorn. Ages 4-up. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal July 1, 2004
K-Gr 4-Two African-American siblings sit on the front stoop of their apartment building on a summer day wondering what to do for fun. After spying on their mother and the "blah blah ladies" and trying to cool off with swiftly melting snow cones, Mimi and Joe make their way through the sizzling streets to the sanctuary of the public library. They gratefully drop down into the "smooth and cool" chairs with their books, eager to escape from the heat into the imaginary worlds of princesses and dinosaurs. Eventually, the children reluctantly venture back outside, and as they head for home, Joe aptly sums up their afternoon by stating, "It's good we came. Isn't it." This eloquently told story is boldly illustrated with evocative acrylic paintings in shades of orange, red, and yellow. A few wordless spreads fluidly depict Mimi's imaginary adventure as a fairy-tale princess, as she rides a pink unicorn and foils a robbery. Pair Joosse's outstanding book with Pat Mora's Tomas and the Library Lady (Knopf, 1997), another tribute to the benefits of visiting the library and the joys of reading.-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2022
Nice slice of life story about two city kids on a hot day. The art feels a big dated, but is still vivid and fun.
October 27, 2022
Great story to encourage kids to GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY for FUN!!! Seriously, nice story. Highly recommended for Grades K-2.
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October 13, 2011Why this book?: Add depth to library
Genre: Urban literature, Read aloud
Theme/Keywords: City, hot city weather
Characteristics of quality: Great book to read to children who live in cities. Children can identify with the characters in the story as they figure out what to do when it is extremely hot out.
Gender of primary character: Male and Female (Joe and Mimi)
Race/ethnicity of primary character: African-American
Cultural considerations: Book is about things to do on a hot day while living in the city. Children who don't live in the city might have trouble identifying.
Language considerations: Uses analogies and comparisons
Open Ended Question: Have you ever felt like Joe and Mimi? How did you solve your problem?
Genre: Urban literature, Read aloud
Theme/Keywords: City, hot city weather
Characteristics of quality: Great book to read to children who live in cities. Children can identify with the characters in the story as they figure out what to do when it is extremely hot out.
Gender of primary character: Male and Female (Joe and Mimi)
Race/ethnicity of primary character: African-American
Cultural considerations: Book is about things to do on a hot day while living in the city. Children who don't live in the city might have trouble identifying.
Language considerations: Uses analogies and comparisons
Open Ended Question: Have you ever felt like Joe and Mimi? How did you solve your problem?
November 2, 2016
I wasn't a big fan of the illustrations. I did like that there were some wordless pictures. I thought the story was a little too simple for what I'd plan to use it for. Would've been looking for more of a lesson to be learned.
June 9, 2008
our latest favorite library book for the kids. luscious, lively painting, great story.
August 3, 2016
things to do in a hot city day
November 14, 2011
Illustrations were strange-detailed, large faces with fairly abstract bodies. Not my cup of tea!
June 7, 2014
This was chosen by a first grade class. Appropriate themes for end of the school year.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews