Ste-E-E-E-Eamboat A-Comin'!

by Jill Esbaum and Adam Rex

Book Overview

Go back in time to a sleepy Mississippi River town The townfolk of a small village on the banks of the upper Mississippi come vividly alive at the sound of a whistle and the holler of "Ste-e-e-e-eamboat a-comin' " The incoming vessel is filled with passengers and cargo, and at a rapid speed, things are unloaded and loaded - but before you know it, the village is once again at its previous sleepy pace. Inspired by Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374372365
• ISBN13: 9780374372361
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.9" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

2 year old is obsessed with this book

My 5 1/2 year old brought this book home from his school library and my 2 year old became literally obsessed with it, so now I am buying our own copy. He wants to read it several times every day and has passages memorized. However, in no way is this a typical young child's book. It is a beautifully evocative poem with fabulous illustrations (each one is reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting) that literally brings you back in time to a bygone era. I highly recommend this book.

Ste-e-e-e-eamboat A-Comin'!

Ste-e-e-e-eamboat A-Comin'! won the Friends of American Writers Juvenile Literary Award this year, and I'm not surprised. The story is a vibrant poem that evokes the excitement of a riverboat landing in a sleepy Mississippi River town. The details-burly, brawny roustabouts; pickles and brass spittoons; upstate papers bringing news-paint a vivid picture of a small town in the 1800s, and the rhythm of the poem moves perfectly from slow anticipation as the riverboat approaches to the bustle and commotion of passengers and cargo disembarking to quiet settling in again as the riverboat pulls away to continue its journey. The illustrations by Adam Rex echo that rhythm, with pictures becoming larger and more energetic as the riverboat arrives, then smaller and more pastoral as the riverboat fades away.

Superb Verse Narrative; Authentic Illustrations

`STE-E-E-E-EAMBOAT' boasts an intelligent rhyming narrative, and nostalgic, colorful pictures. The verse, by Jill Esbaum, is unusually good. Here's a description of the steamboat's (circa mid-19th century) arrival: Fiery furnace, Gleaming rails, Paddles churning foamy trails. The captain (accurately shown NOT steering the boat) stands on the deck: Rumpled jacket, Steady hands, Watchful captain barks commands. After a few more verses that propel the narrative, the story--like the steamboat--comes to a halt. Six pages describe actions and objects ("pickles," fragile laces," "spectacles," "long johns"): This is nice for reading skills, but it's an unfortunate break in the action. Adam Rex manages to keep it interesting, however, with varied angles, and a montage of a "tangling, toppling, tumbling" dog that safely lands feet first off the short pier. In their strong conclusion, Esbaum and Rex present the departing steamboat with a sense of drama and poignancy. Rex effectively switches from close-ups of a heron and the small muddy dog to an overhead long-shot of the tiny-looking steamboat steaming away on the "mighty, ever-rolling tide." Parenthetically, there are some illustrations with an uncanny resemblance to the faces, actions, colors, and even interior rooms of the well-known CD-ROM game, "Oregon Trail." Illustrator Adam Rex informed me that this is entirely coincidental (or due perhaps to the paucity of source materials); he has never seen the game. In fact, Rex did extensive research for this book, taking hundreds of photographs related to his illustrations, and even visiting Lancaster County to find period wagons! For those unfamiliar with "Oregon Trail," (or for those who love that look) the sometimes familiar design will not affect their enjoyment of the book. Additionally, the Norman Rockwell influence (apparent in some of the pictures) gives a sense of identity and an emotional resonance with the anonymous passengers and residents of the river town. I wish the author had written a little more about crew and passenger experiences aboard a chuggling, paddling steamboat. "Steamboat's A Comin'"--true to its title--focuses on the boat's arrival and departure, and the resulting excitement of the townspeople. Still, there's a heartfelt author's note relating some of Esbaum's feelings about living near the Mississippi River. She also quotes Twain's magnificent "Life on the Mississippi," a book I recommend enthusiastically for adults and teens. 'Ste-e-e-e-eamboat' is well-suited for both casual reading and curriculum enhancement, and youngsters with a taste for old-time river travel will probably enjoy it.

Evocative and thrilling

I bought this book to read to my class of first graders, who are studying Tennessee history. It is so delightful that my 7- and 10-year-old boys love it too. The language is rich and colorful, and the illustrations are filled with details that make this a great lap book. I love the way the feeling is evoked of a sleepy Southern town wakened by the steamboat's arrival. Excellent.

Time travel at its best

Loved the book! The imagery is incredible and the text is captivating. My kids joined in the refrain STE-E-E-E-EAMBOAT A'Comin after its first appearance, and kept repeating it long after we put the book down. They loved the dog, too. My husband, who is not big on picture books, read through it once quickly, then picked it up again after the kids were in bed so he could take his time enjoying it. I believe our deck is destined to become a steamboat this summer.