About the Author

Donald Crews is the renowned creator of many celebrated children's books, including the Caldecott Honor Books Freight Train and Truck. He and his wife, Ann Jonas, live in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Donald Crews is the renowned creator of many celebrated children's books, including the Caldecott Honor Books Freight Train and Truck. He and his wife, Ann Jonas, live in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Reviews

PreS Up A flight from daylight into night in a propeller-driven airplane begins with white planes on the light blue front endpapers and ends with black planes on the darker blue concluding endpapers. The three or four (or fewer) large, bold, sans serif words per double-page spread are mostly redundant because Crews' simple and direct way of designing his planes, buildings, and landscapes create forceful narrative qualities. He treats all of his man-made objects as if they were children's toy blocks, relying on shadows to enhance their abstract and geometric shapes. Clouds and foliage are more organically treated, using airbrush and stencils to produce undulating patterns that contrast effectively with the harder-edge vehicles. The pictures tell a comforting story of a flight and make flying a form of aesthetic experience. Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus